The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, also known as McPier, has selected three veteran architects to lead a panel in search of hiring a firm to develop DePaul’s new arena near McCormick Place.

Joe Caprile, Tom Ventulett and Thomas Beeby all bring years of experience and will work closely with a nine-member panel composed of three representatives from McPier, DePaul and the city.

The Chicago Tribune first reported the deal July 1.

Caprile is a senior vice president at Jones Lang LaSalle, a global financial and real estate company whose headquarters are located in Chicago. Caprile played an instrumental role in the renovating of Soldier Field in 2002. His previous company, Lohan Caprile Goesttch Architects, was in charge of leading the $660 million project.

Ventulett, a chairman emeritus of TVSDesign, has previous experience with his company working for McPier. TVSDesign and McPier have worked together since 1991 in designing improvements to McCormick Place. On TVSDesign’s website, the company says it will work with McPier to develop conceptual plans for DePaul’s new arena as well as the new CTA green line station and hotels.

“We appreciated the opportunity to once again work with Jim Reilly, CEO (of McPier), to illustrate his vision for the future of McCormick Place,” Ventullett said.

Beeby, current chairman emeritus at HBRA Architect, is the former dean of Yale University’s School of Architecture as well as former director of the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

The three supervisors and the nine-member panel will now hear proposals for the $173 million, 10,000-seat arena located in the South Loop. The cost of the arena will be divided among McPier ($70 million), DePaul ($70 million) and the city ($30 million).

The arena is scheduled to open by the 2016-2017 season.