WOMEN IN ARCHITECTURE COMMITTEE 2024
COMMITTEE CHAIR BIOS
Co-Chair
Alexandria Hoevel, AIA
A life-long resident of Los Angeles, Alexandria has been practicing Architecture and Urban Design for almost 20 years. With a deeper focus on a project’s relationship to its urban context and the neighborhood surrounding it, she’s worked extensively on multi-family and mixed used developments both regionally and in other parts of the US. Since graduating from Cal Poly Pomona, Alexandria has had the opportunity to be a part of a handful of well-respected and eclectic firms in the region, and has recently joined Lowney Architecture as their Director of Los Angeles. Outside of the office, Alexandria devotes her free time to her community, mentorship, and to supporting equality within the field of Architecture. She’s also an active member of ULI and AWA+D.
Co-Chair
Sarah Jacobson, AIA
As a founding member of the Lamar Johnson Collaborative (LJC), Sarah was integral in growing the architectural design firm from a start-up of six people to almost forty in a year and a half. When LJC was acquired by Clayco in 2019, she served as a core member of the transition team leading the merger between LJC and Clayco’s existing design-build practice, Bates Forum. LJC is now a full-service architecture, interiors, landscape, planning and engineering firm of nearly 300 professionals in five cities.
In 2021, she relocated to Los Angeles in order to establish and lead LJC’s west coast office in Culver City. Recognizing her past success, in 2022 Sarah was named the first female President of LJC and one of the leaders of the Clayco California office. As part of an integrated design-build firm, Sarah works closely with her Clayco colleagues, leveraging the knowledge and capabilities of her development and construction partners for the benefits of her clients.
With a background in both construction management and design, Sarah has distinguished herself as a strong, capable leader on a wide range of developments including office buildings, hotels, high-rises, mixed-use, civic and institutional facilities. A licensed project architect in multiple states, she has been involved in all aspects of project delivery from conceptual design through construction administration. She has been named an ENR Top 40 under 40 and her projects have won numerous design awards such as ULI Global Award for Excellence and AIA Merit Awards. In her role as President, she will continue to provide exceptional service to clients as she also takes on the responsibility for the overall leadership of the firm, including staff development, revenue growth, and profitability.
Sarah also leverages her leadership position to help increase the diversity of the architectural practice, at multiple levels – introducing high school students of color to the profession through mentorship and internships, looking for ways to partner with MBE and WBE firms in the community for skill sharing and skill growing opportunities, and working with industry women’s leadership initiatives to increase the number of female leaders at the table. She is passionate about making sure that the field of architecture better reflects the community it serves.
Vice Chair
Sara Pijuan, AIA
Sara Pijuan spent most of her childhood growing up in the Chicagoland area. She completed her Bachelors of Science in Architectural Studies at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, in 2005. While attending U of I, Sara had the opportunity to spend an academic year in Versailles, France, where she was able to study and experience European architecture, lifestyle, and travel. Sara ventured to the West Coast to complete her Master of Architecture at University of Southern California in 2007. She was drawn to the outdoor lifestyle that affords a wide range of architectural styles and opportunities.
Sara joined KAA Design / Evens Architects in 2007, where she is a Project Architect and Associate. She is a licensed architect in the state of California and certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). While she has designed and managed a variety of projects, from modern to traditional, Sara has expanded her knowledge in classical architecture during her contributions on projects at Evens Architects.
Vice Chair
Kristi Paulson, AIA
Kristi Paulson is an impactful leader, Principal, and founder of the Los Angeles studio of PAULSON POEI PROJECTS. She designs buildings that deal with today’s most urgent challenges: addressing climate change, fostering human connection, promoting wellness, and championing equity.
Her expertise is honed by two decades of experience delivering exceptional structures that maximize their impact by seamlessly integrating visionary design and advanced sustainability strategies. She balances building performance, ecological responsibility, and design excellence to create enduring spaces that are inviting and accessible for everyone.
Kristi’s design leadership coupled with her imaginative and insightful ideas have led to a variety of award-winning projects at the forefront of design and innovation including SC Workplace, Google Spruce Goose in Playa Vista, Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center which will proudly exhibit a vertically stacked Space Shuttle Endeavour, UC Berkeley’s Maximino Martinez Commons and Santa Monica’s Parking Structure 6, among others.
Past Co-Chair
Kristen Fraumeni, AIA
Kristen is a Vice-President and Senior Designer at HKS Inc in Los Angeles, CA. Since joining the firm in 2020 she has practiced commercial mixed use and multi-family residential architecture. Her previous 10+ years in the industry were spent specializing in hospitality architecture at Gensler, designing projects with a broad global reach. Kristen’s creativity is embedded in a pursuit to create buildings and spaces that elevate and enrich the human experience. She believes utility in architecture is not its sole purpose: aesthetics and the production of beauty are paramount in her work. She is a licensed Architect in California and a LEED GA with an M Arch I from SCI-Arc and a B.S in Architectural Engineering. She thrives in a collaborative atmosphere and embraces evolutions in digital design. She enjoys sharing her knowledge with others, lending professional advice to students through her role as a mentor in the USC Architecture mentorship program. Kristen also serves on the Los Angeles Design Fellowship at HKS. In her current position Kristen champions all aspects of project design and delivery, guiding the client and working closely with team members and consultants along the project journey.
Past Co-Chair
Monica Rodriguez, AIA
Monica Rodriguez, AIA joined House & Robertson Architects in April of 2023, where she serves as a Project Manager and Senior Associate. With over twenty years of experience in the architectural industry, Monica has worked on a variety of medium to large-scale commercial projects in Southern California. Her project leadership skills and technical knowledge have helped to successfully execute multiple mid-rise mixed use commercial projects. In 2021 she co-developed the new 8-week Architecture Program at the Santa Monica Boys & Girls Club, in the hopes to inspire BIPOC kids to be LA’s future architects. Monica serves as Board Architect of the Jefferson Park HPOZ where she exercises her commitment to helping her community and surrounding areas thrive. The combination of Monica’s strong professional mentorship skills and passion toward her community bring a vibrant perspective to her team and projects. She had the pleasure of adding a published author to her list of accomplishments when Latinas In Architecture Vol II was published in Spring 2023.
