Our Leaders

With more than 25 years of experience in destination resort and second-home real estate development, Becky has demonstrated a unique ability to blend vision and strategy. Dedicated to creating innovative and sustainable development models, she combines an extensive management background with broad design talent and bottom-line thinking to unlock land asset values and deliver investor returns. She is a formidable leader who promotes long-term and transparent partnerships.
Becky began her career at renowned hospitality design firms Hirsch-Bedner Associates and Gensler before founding Denton House Design Studio nearly 30 years ago. Under her leadership, Denton House grew into a globally recognized design firm, partnering with premier real estate brands around the world. For nearly a decade, Denton House operated Discovery Design in partnership with Discovery Land Company, where Becky oversaw planning, design, and architecture across their international portfolio of luxury communities.
She later served as Chief Operating Officer at Discovery Land Company, where she led strategic acquisitions and directed all facets of community planning, design, development, and startup operations.
Today, Becky is the co-founder and CEO of Areté Collective, the parent company of Denton House and a fully integrated development firm focused on creating enduring, thoughtfully planned communities. Their award-winning portfolio spans high-profile hospitality, resort, and residential projects, and her approach to strategic placemaking and “experience engineering” continues to influence the next generation of resort development.

With a career spanning over three decades, Joey Buchan brings deep expertise in design operations, business development, and client experience to his role as President and Co-CEO of Denton House Design Studio. As one of the founding members, Joey played a pivotal role in shaping the firm's reputation for delivering high-end, detail-driven design solutions that are as operationally efficient as they are visually compelling.

Over the years, he has continued to guide the firm’s growth, overseeing day-to-day operations while driving new business opportunities for Areté Collective and its wide-ranging portfolio of residential, resort, and community development projects. His intuitive understanding of the design process, combined with his ability to align vision with execution, has made him a trusted leader among clients and colleagues alike.

Joey is also known for his warmth and generosity, qualities that make him a respected mentor and a positive presence in the office. When not immersed in the details of international projects, he enjoys spending time with his children and grandchildren, finding joy and grounding in family life.

Ryan has proven to be an experienced executive with a demonstrated history of driving sustained growth in various industries, including several successful start-ups, most notably Lucidchart, where he was the vice president of sales and marketing.

After receiving his MBA from Harvard, Ryan began his career with Bain & Company, where he designed and implemented solutions to address critical client needs, resulting in improved sales, operations, and profitability. Most recently, Ryan was vice president of strategy for Discovery Land Company. He worked with the executive team to develop execution strategies for acquisitions, operations, development, and the integration of the design and construction operations teams.

Ryan brings a strong track record of achievements to Areté based on his ability to deliver results, develop and execute new business models, bring clarity to complex business turnaround situations, and execute acquisition and project start-up strategies. Admired for his ability to bring teams together, he has had great success working globally with luxury branded and unbranded hospitality and residential communities.

Whitney Reynolds serves as VP of Interior Design at Denton House, bringing more than 16 years of experience across high-end residential, commercial, and hospitality projects. Her thoughtful approach to design is rooted in creating spaces and experiences that positively impact how people feel, work, gather, and live.

Throughout her career, Whitney has contributed to notable projects for organizations including the Utah Jazz, Utah Mammoth, and Delta Air Lines. Her work reflects a strong understanding of both creative vision and technical execution, allowing her to design environments that leave a lasting impression long after they are complete.

Whitney holds a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design and Technical Sales. She is NCIDQ certified and a Utah State Certified Commercial Interior Designer.

Outside of work, Whitney enjoys cooking, creating craft cocktails, hosting friends and family, traveling for live music, and cross-stitching — a creative tradition passed down from her grandmother that she continues today.

As a tenured executive within the company, Dave leads the architecture for luxury residential development projects. His responsibilities include client development and retention, oversight of the architecture for major projects, and negotiation of design contracts. He brings energy, determination, and dedication to every project.

Prior to joining the firm, Dave specialized in commercial, civic, and hospitality projects while at GSBS Architects in Salt Lake City, as well as other design studios in the region. He has designed and managed numerous projects over his twenty-plus year career, combining project management expertise with the ability to lead teams while maximizing project revenues.

Dave has overseen the design and community development of multiple luxury destination, most notably Chileno Bay Club in Los Cabos, Mexico and Gozzer Ranch in Harrison, Idaho.

Dave received a BS in Architectural Studies from the University of Utah, where he went on to receive a Masters of Architecture degree.

A highly skilled landscape architect and land planner, Kris has accumulated more than 20 years of experience working across a broad range of projects throughout U.S. and international markets. His experience includes large-scale master planning for resort communities, trail and open-space master planning, campus master planning, and detailed site design and construction management for commercial and institutional projects.

Kris is recognized for his ability to work collaboratively with civil engineers and other project specialists to create plans that are fully integrated into all components of a project. His expertise is in developing site solutions focusing on green infrastructure, innovative storm-water collection, water sensitivity, treatment, and reuse solutions. He is directly responsible for management and construction observation of several rainwater-harvesting and low-impact development projects.

Kris has been consistently recognized and honored by the American Society of Landscape Architects and has been an adjunct professor at Utah State University for the past 15 years.