Prior to forming Building Knowledge, Ms. Mones acted as owner’s representative for the historic federal office buildings in Washington, D.C., creating, developing, and managing an historic preservation program for the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).  Ms. Mones played a major role in several significant federal undertakings, including identification and assessment of the 150 owned buildings in the GSA inventory, redevelopment of the Old Post Office Building, creation of the National Building Museum within the historic U.S. Pension Building, restoration of the President’s Guest House (Blair House) complex, and conversion of the U.S. General Post Office Building into a Kimpton Hotel and Restaurant Group Hotel Monaco.

During her federal career, she identified, maintained, and rehabilitated 70 historic properties, totaling more than six million square feet and restored original art including murals, sculpture, and decorative finishes. Along the way, Ms. Mones was granted the American Chair for the UNESCO postgraduate program in architectural conservation, Rome, Italy.  Her professional training also includes a Bachelor of Arts in architecture and art history from the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters in Business Administration in finance from the George Washington University.

Ms. Mones also created and managed a federal fine arts program that restored 57 Works Progress Administration murals painted during the 1930s for many GSA buildings in Washington, D.C. and commissioned new works for newly constructed agency headquarters.

A recent and unique GSA project orchestrated by Ms. Mones is the nascent
Clara Barton Civil War Museum in Washington, D.C.  Between 1998-2005, Ms. Mones was the museum’s director as well as its creator and developer.

Miss Barton’s apartment, where she lived between 1863-1868, was discovered in 1997 in federally-owned property, 129 years after her departure.  The site was unknown to house her apartment all those years and remains in near-original condition, lacking heating, ventilating, and lighting.  The museum’s stabilization and conservation was accomplished under  Ms. Mones’ leadership. 

As a result of Ms. Mones’ thoroughness and understanding of appropriate preservation planning, design, and construction, as well as art conservation and commissioning, she has won 16 national design awards and was offered membership in both Lambda Alpha, International, the Honorary Society for the Advancement of Land Economics, and the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.