BIO

Chava Danielson, AIA, a native Angeleno, is Principal of DSH // architecture, with specialties in design, project advocacy, and serving non-profit organizations committed to their communities. She focuses on imparting beauty and sensitive programming to recharge underserved neighborhoods through educational, therapeutic and residential projects.

Danielson is Adjunct Professor at the USC School of Architecture. She currently co-chairs the AIA Los Angeles’ Government Outreach Committee and has served as a Director for the Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design. She holds an M.Arch. from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University and a B.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Berkeley.

PLATFORM

These are challenging times and it is only reasonable to question the role architecture and we, as its practitioners, will assume in response.

Architects are uniquely positioned to craft solutions shaping our communities and our region into a 21^st Century metropolis — one that intelligently and humanely accommodates our population and can effectively reverse the damage of a warming climate.

Our responsibility is to respond fully, as designers. In a universe of quick fixes and sound bites, we offer synthetic thinking and insightful solutions that are both elegant and beautiful. The AIA Los Angeles must continue, and strengthen, its role as both a platform and a conduit for our voices.

BIO
Christiana is a Principal at Woods Bagot Architects and the California Studio’s Management Leader, supporting both Los Angeles and San Francisco offices. She currently manages projects across California as well as inter-company Global Collaborations. A graduate of SCAD, Christiana is a NCARB Certified, a California Licensed Architect, and holds registrations in five other states as well as a LEED AP certified professional. Over her 24-year career, she has developed a diverse and extensive experience in both international and local projects with deep understanding of the complexity of large mixed-use projects and multi-disciplinary collaborations. Over the past three years, Christiana has served as a Director of the Board of the AIA Los Angeles Chapter and as a member of the Strategic Plan Task Force (SPTF) has been working with the committees to deliver the boards goals and initiatives. She is currently the SPTF’s acting chair. In additions, she is also an active member of Urban Land Institute (ULI) and a member of the Innovation Council, Mobility Committee and Building Healthy Places Committee.

PLATFORM
Over the last three years, while serving as a Director of the Board and the work carried out with Strategic Plan Task Force, I have come to appreciate the AIA|LA Chapter with a firsthand knowledge of the impact it has on the profession and the communities we serve through its mission, and strategic plan goals and pillars. It will be a privilege and great honor to continue to serve with such an incredible and diverse group of practitioners that comprise the AIALA Board and that work tirelessly to impact change for the future generations to come. As an advocate and supporter of the Chapter’s mission, and with a working knowledge and understanding of its strategic plan, I believe that I can bring great value to furthering the Board’s agenda in the coming years and work together with the Executive committee to further advance and develop the next evolution of the Chapter’s Strategic Plan goals and initiatives beyond 2024 and into the future.

I am an Architectural Design Professional at HKS Architects originally from Honolulu, HI. I graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2019 and began my professional career shortly afterwards in Chicago. In 2021 I moved to Los Angeles and have since enjoyed learning more about the city and building a home here. At HKS, I am a part of our Commercial Mixed-Use Studio, where I currently work on commercial projects as well as hospitality projects. I am also pursuing licensure in the state of California!

As Ex-Officio Associate Director, I would like to help AIALA move closer towards its vision as an organization with a focus on engagement at the Emerging Professionals level. The AIA has so much to offer – I would like to help bridge the gap and help make the organization accessible and exciting, especially to our younger members of the profession. Another focus would be promoting the pursuit of licensure by shedding some light on the process, while creating a space where we can all grow towards the major milestone of getting licensed, and beyond.

BIO
Carlos Augusto Garcia is an architect, designer, and artist with 15 years of industry expertise. Specializing in design research, sustainability, wellness, and carbon reduction, his global outlook manifests through work with UIA World Congress of Architects, New Buildings Institute, National Endowment for the Arts, and LA Planning’s Urban Design Studio. Carlos serves on AIA COTE and ASHRAE committees, influencing climate action and greenhouse gas standards. This passion was ignited by his start in emergency management and disaster recovery in post-Katrina New Orleans, where he completed B.Arch and M.Arch degrees from Tulane University. He is committed to pursuing dignity in practice, promoting equity in both membership and leadership.

PLATFORM
I am committed to advancing equity in the built environment, while improving architectural practice for AIA members and our design community. I will champion holistic design excellence by advocating for better sustainability policy, waste reduction and zero-carbon legislation. I will promote the development of health and wellness practices that support all occupants, including architects and their workplaces. I am dedicated to addressing climate change through leading-edge mitigation and resilient adaptation strategies. With meticulous planning and collaboration, I will work with AIA staff and AIA members to ensure a future where architecture thrives as a catalyst for positive societal and environmental advancement.

BIO
Martin Ramirez Jr, AIA graduated with a Master’s of Architecture from Arizona State University and started his career in 1999.  In 2022, Martin became the West Coast architecture practice leader at Gannett Fleming and is a Vice President.  Martin is currently the Principal Architect for the Inglewood Transit Connector project.

Martin Ramirez is also an adjunct professor and taught architecture studio the last three semesters at Arizona State University.  In 2023, his studio sponsored guest lecturers from Los Angeles such as Dr. Dana Cuff, Michael Maltzan and Michael Lehrer.

Martin is Gannett Fleming’s champion for becoming the 2023 Sponsor for the AIA-LA City Leader’s Breakfast.

PLATFORM
I aspire to be nominated for a Board of Director position to serve in the “Long Range Planning Task Force”. I intend to influence the next update to the Strategic Plan which focuses on advocacy, value, inclusivity, relevancy, and inspiration in a positive way. I hope that I can help with the review of our Chapter’s current committee structure and if the opportunity lends itself, to help strengthen the leadership or structure of any of these committees.  I am interested in serving in the Urban Design Committee in a leadership role, as it promotes opportunities for advocacy and collaboration with the urban realm of Los Angeles.

BIO
A native Southern Californian and die-hard Angeleno, I have nearly 30 years of experience designing complex education, healthcare, research, hospitality, and corporate environments around the country. I firmly believe that good design must have value beyond the immediate visual appeal of form and materiality, it must also enable and support transformative and enriching human experience.

I have served on the UCLA Master of Interior Architecture Advisory Board, the USC Architectural Guild Board, and currently serve on the Spruce Goose Advisory Board of the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. In 2022, I was both honored and humbled to be elevated to the AIA College of Fellows.

PLATFORM
As architects practicing in Los Angeles today, I believe we have a moral and ethical responsibility to ensure equivalent access to well-designed spaces, places, and institutions. Too often, “good” design outcomes are for the privileged few, not the rightful many. By putting people at the center of the process, leading transformative change through thoughtful design, and through rigorously purposeful stewardship of our resources – environmental, cultural, and financial! – we can dramatically impact our city at a time where positive change is the only viable option. My goal is to ensure that AIA|LA is represented in the policies, actions, and advocacy necessary to ensure that positive change.

BIO
Working in the field of Architecture in Los Angeles since 2000 and as a practicing Architect since 2007, I have had the opportunity to see our profession from different perspectives: in small to medium to large size firms and across a broad spectrum of industry sectors including commercial, healthcare, retail, hospitality, entertainment, and, mostly recently, education. I have been a member of the Design Awards Committee since 2015 and have volunteered at a community outreach programs over the years, introducing students from elementary through high school to the world of architecture with career day presentations and in-class design programs.

PLATFORM
I believe that all Angelenos should enjoy well-designed and well-constructed buildings. As a Director with the LA Chapter, I will advocate for increased exposure and engagement of our profession in those communities that are underserved by their built environment. Concurrently, I will promote all programs and activities that expose the next generation of Angelenos to the problem-solving and community enhancing qualities of Architecture. We need to nurture and support these future architects who will reinvigorate and strengthen our profession. Lastly, I will continue to champion the immense creativity and design excellence of our LA architects via our design awards programs, as I have done for the last eight years.

BIO
Gabriel Cervantes, AIA, LEED AP, is a California licensed architect and a Principal with SmithGroup, a nationally recognized firm with a local office based in downtown Los Angeles. Gabriel has a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from UC Berkeley, and a Master of Architecture from UCLA. With over 30-years of professional experience, his first employer was with a small firm in San Diego, CA, in 1990 working among very senior Architects – doing hand drafting no less! Gabriel is married, with two lovely grade school children. In addition to architecture, Gabriel also has a passion for horticulture and watercolors.

PLATFORM
After professionally practicing in three major California cities (San Diego, San Francisco, and Los Angeles), Gabriel brings a unique perspective of opportunities and challenges. As the AIACA Representative, Gabriel would use this platform to not only be a liaison between the LA Chapter and AIA CA but also advance two critical areas: climate action and innovation. Unsaid, we play an important role in combating climate change yet there is still more to be done. In our digital age, countless architectural innovation technologies are emerging and changing the way we design. A focus on both areas is critical to our survival.

BIO

Julia Molloy Gallagher, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP, B.A: Barnard College, M.Arch: GSAPP/ Columbia University.  Originally from Northern California, Julia decided to become an architect while living in West Africa. She practiced architecture in NYC on the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, the new US Embassy in Mexico City, and the Harlem School of the Arts. She founded her design studio, JMGA in 2017.  In 2020, she moved to L.A. with her family where she manages her bicoastal practice.  She has taught leadership, sustainability, and thesis studios at various universities, and looks forward to bringing her experience and agency to the AIA.

PLATFORM

Architecture can transform landscapes, cities, and environments to improve people’s lives. Architecture is a collaborative practice, creative expression, and inspiration for future generations.  As AIA LA California Representative I will strive to make architecture accessible to underrepresented communities and individuals, and see to it that AIA stands for a positive lifestyle for practicing architects, our teammates, clients, friends, and families.  From students to principals, AIA has the possibility to inspire and motivate architects to be active citizens, conscious caretakers of our land and our people, and kind colleagues that educate, guide, and contribute to the joy of the next generation.