ABOUT US

Decades of Experience. Boutique Attention.

We founded Carter Miller + Ou because we believed school districts deserve partners who truly understand their world from every angle.

Our partnership brings together three perspectives that rarely exist under one roof: Ryan Carter's career as a district facilities leader who lived the daily realities of maintaining aging campuses and stretching limited budgets. Bruce Ou's design leadership creating learning environments that inspire while meeting complex regulatory requirements. Garrett Miller's expertise in construction management, ensuring projects stay within tight budget constraints through disciplined oversight, and program management, navigating the complex political dynamics and stakeholder relationships that can derail progress and inflate costs when left unmanaged.

We've sat in your seats.

We've faced your challenges.

We've navigated your constraints.

This unique blend means we see what's coming before it becomes a problem. We understand the unspoken pressures you face. We know why that "simple" change order isn't simple at all. We recognize opportunities others miss because we've lived the full lifecycle of educational facilities from every vantage point.

We built this firm to be different: a boutique practice with an ownership mindset. One where senior leaders stay engaged from kickoff to ribbon cutting. Where we staff projects with the team we promised, not whoever's available. Where your success is the only metric that matters.

Because when communities trust you with their children's futures, and taxpayers invest in generations to come, you deserve partners who bring world-class expertise with the wisdom to know how to apply it.

The Founding Partners.

PRESIDENT

RYAN CARTER

Ryan Carter brings more than 20 years of experience working alongside public agencies to deliver public works projects that strengthen communities and use public funds responsibly. Over his career, he has managed nearly $1 billion in public infrastructure improvements, guided by a belief that every taxpayer's dollar should be spent as carefully as if it were his own. Having spent more than a decade as a Director of Public-School Facilities, Ryan understands the challenges public agencies face, from regulatory requirements and delivery decisions to balancing budgets and community expectations. With deep experience navigating the Division of the State Architect (DSA), the Public Contract Code, and a wide range of public project delivery methods, he helps clients select practical, compliant strategies that manage risk and deliver lasting value for projects of any size.

PARTNER

GARRETT MILLER, CCM

Garrett Miller is a construction and program management executive with extensive experience delivering complex, bond funded public works projects across California’s K 12 education sector. Having worked from the district, program management, construction management, and design coordination perspectives, he brings a comprehensive understanding of how educational facilities are planned and delivered. His work is driven by a belief that school districts deserve partners who understand their constraints, protect public resources, and anticipate challenges before they become problems. As a founding partner of Carter Miller + Ou, he is committed to providing boutique, hands on service rooted in an owner’s mindset, focused on schedule certainty, cost control, and long term value. Garrett holds a BA in Middle Eastern History from University of California San Diego and a MSc in Construction Management and Technology from Arizona State University.

PARTNER

BRUCE OU, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP

Bruce Ou is a licensed architect and Design Principal with more than two decades of experience delivering complex public and institutional projects across California. Over his 25-year career, Bruce has led K-12, higher education, civic, and public-safety facilities for school districts and municipalities throughout the region, guiding projects from early visioning and community engagement through DSA approvals, construction, and occupancy. As a past Managing Principal and Design Director, Bruce has assisted with major bond program upgrades, district-wide modernization efforts, and campus master plans, while mentoring project teams and partnering closely with owners to manage budgets, schedules, and design excellence. Known for his strategic mindset and hands-on leadership style, Bruce brings an “outside-the-box” pragmatism to architecture, balancing creativity and function to create purposeful spaces. Together with his partners, Bruce aims to establish a new practice that offers a more personal, boutique level of service, clear communication, and exceptional outcomes for clients navigating today’s increasingly complex project delivery landscape. Bruce holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Architecture degree from the University of California at Berkeley, and is a licensed architect in the State of California and Hawaii. Bruce enjoys traveling, art, and architecture.