I remember the moment when I made the choice to pursue architecture as a career. I had completed my freshman year of college at the University of Michigan and was home for the summer, watching back-to-back episodes of Bob Vila’s This Old House and Hometime. When it came time to pick my major that fall, I thought about how fascinated I was with buildings and construction. I didn’t know much about what it meant to be an Architect, but it seemed to be the most direct path to the things I loved. I was accepted into the University of Michigan’s Architecture program (Go Blue!), and after graduation & working for an Architect in Brazil, and then moved to L.A.

My first job in Los Angeles I worked on a performing arts center & college. I knew Allison at KFA and she was always telling me about the firm and how it would be a perfect fit for me. I interviewed with Barbara in early 2006; 12 years ago and counting, so she might have been on to something! My career has been a steady and exciting progression since.

One of my favorite early KFA projects was the design and adaptive reuse of Hotel Wilshire and seeing the transformation from an old, vacant building to a revitalized luxury hotel.  I loved watching how our design went from paper to concrete, and it introduced me to the excitement and intensity of the construction process . Other satisfying memories include working on both The Villas at Gower in Hollywood and Step-Up on Colorado in Santa Monica. Both of these projects provided permanent housing for the formerly homeless and I saw how we, as architects, could directly help their lives and our communities. During the grand opening of Step Up, I will never forget one of the tenants beaming with pride as he showed me around his studio and how excited and appreciative he was of having his own space.

More recently, I have worked with Century West Partners on two projects:   NEXT on Lex in Glendale and the Lincoln Collection in Santa Monica. When NEXT on Lex broke ground in 2016, it was the largest mixed-use project in Los Angeles County, infilling what was previously an underutilized office campus and creating a truly livable community.  The Lincoln Collection will transform an industrial stretch of Lincoln Blvd. into what the City is calling “the new gateway into Santa Monica”. I’m passionate and excited about these projects that are contributing to urban revitalization occurring throughout Los Angeles, and I am proud that here at KFA, we are able to have our hand in the mix.