November 2025

LJC Office: Chicago
Title/Role: Principal, Sr. Specification Writer
Focus: Architecture
School(s): U of I, UIC
Affiliations: CSI Chicago Chapter, CCHRB

If you could travel to any time/place, what would it be and why? 
December 6, 1975; 315 Bowery, Manhattan, NY, 10003 – Anyone who recognizes the address of the now-defunct CBGB and who is a Talking Heads fan knows why 😉

What’s a book you’d recommend to just about anyone? Why? 
Transformative Leadership by Eloy Anello, Joan Hernandez, and May Khadem – a guidebook that aligns with my mission statement = Creating fun helping up the next generation. It’s not about pulling them up; it’s about pushing them forward and giving them permission to be greater than you are. 

What was your first job, and what is most memorable about it? 
Working QC on the baking line at Sesmark, pulling the burnt crackers off the line. To this day I cannot eat a sesame thin cracker!!

LJC Office: Chicago
Title/Role: Senior Associate / Senior Project Architect
Focus: Architecture
School(s): MIT (M.Arch); University of Michigan (B.S. Architecture)
Affiliations: AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, Trustee at local church

What’s the most fun you’ve had on a trip or vacation?
When I was a kid my family and some family friends spent 8 days rafting the entire length of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. The highlights of the trip were sleeping under the stars every night on sandy beaches (no tents!), daily hikes upside canyons to waterfalls and caverns, catching trout, cliff-jumping into the river, and learning about the natural history of the Colorado River and the early exploration of this amazing place.

In high school, I participated in a 30-day National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) backpacking course in some of the most remote terrain in the Wind River Range of Wyoming. Spending a month in the backcountry carrying a 75-pound backpack across hundreds of miles of wild mountains, forests, and glaciers taught me countless survival skills, Leave-No-Trace principles, resilience under difficult conditions, how to fly fish, and instilled in me a love and respect of the natural world that has remained with me today.

If you could travel to any time/place, what would it be and why?Two of my favorite places to visit close to Chicago are the Indiana Dunes and Warren Dunes along Lake Michigan. Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about the dichotomous history of this region, where the heavy industry that supported the growth of cities like Chicago and others beyond was carved out of some of the most beautiful and ecologically diverse areas in our entire country. While I still enjoy escaping to the dunes today, especially during the off-season months when you can have the place to yourself, I would love to travel back in time to see what the southern shores of Lake Michigan were like before the steel mills, oil refineries, power plants, and urbanization transformed this region. Imagine the beaches, dunes, wetlands, and forests stretching uninterrupted from Chicago up through Michigan, with the pristine waters of Lake Michigan as the backdrop.

What’s a book you’d recommend to just about anyone? Why?
Here’s a shameless plug: any and all of my wife’s novels. Any fans of historical fiction should check out Fraulein M., The Lunar Housewife, and The Mesmerist, with more to come in the future! 

What does a perfect weekend look like to you?
A perfect weekend would involve sleeping in, getting outside with my wife and two daughters, no matter what time of year, cooking a delicious meal for the family (and my kids eating it), and sharing some beers around a bonfire with friends. And if a favorite band is coming through town, catching a live show is always fun too.

LJC Office: St. Louis
Title/Role: Architect Associate II
Focus: Architecture
Education: Alexandria University, Egypt — B.Arch., Oklahoma City University — MBA, Tulane University — M.Arch
Affiliations: AIA, USGBC

If you could speak another language, what would it be? Why?
I’d love to learn German—it’s been on my list since I was a kid. I visited with my family years ago and have wanted to learn it ever since. I also love traveling around Europe, and German is widely spoken in many of the places I want to explore.

What’s your most niche, non-work-related interest?
I love spending time outdoors. On weekends, you’ll usually find me out on the lake rowing or at the range shooting sporting clays and skeet—something I’ve kept up year-round for the past few years. I got into pickleball last year, which has been a fun change of pace. During hunting season, I go on waterfowl hunts, a tradition I grew up with that always brings me back home. Whenever we can, my wife and I like to take a trip and explore somewhere new each year.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up and why?
I was always drawing or building something, especially with Legos. I had the chance to take part in a few international competitions, which even took me out of the country for some events. Those experiences stuck with me and sparked my interest in design and building early on. I’ve always enjoyed turning an idea into something real, and that interest has stayed with me over the years.

LJC Office: Culver City
Title/Role: Design Staff III
Focus: Architecture
School: University of Southern California
Affiliations: AIA

If you could speak another language, what would it be? Why? 
Spanish. It’s incredibly practical here in the U.S., and I’d love the ability to communicate more easily with the people I interact with.

What’s the last TV show you binged and enjoyed? What was so good about it?
The thriller series Cassandra. It’s addictive because it blends suspense, emotional depth, and a uniquely eerie atmosphere — the story is creepy, stylish, and surprisingly sad underneath the tension.

What does a perfect weekend look like to you? 
A perfect weekend for me is staying in while it’s pouring outside — cooking something good, getting lost in a book, and watching movies.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up and why? 
A baker. I loved bread so much as a kid that I thought the best job in the world would be making it every day.

LJC Office: St. Louis
Title/Role: Design Staff 1
Focus: Architecture 
School: Ranken Technical College

What movie can you watch repeatedly? What makes it so special? 
The Godfather is the movie I can watch on repeat. I consider it a documentary, and nobody can convince me otherwise. The atmosphere, the pacing, and the way everything is constructed is so intentional, it’s a classic that never gets old.

What’s the most fun you’ve had on a trip or vacation? 
One of the most fun trips I’ve taken was a week in Las Vegas. I spent each day exploring the attractions and taking in the over-the-top art and architecture. At one point, I overdid it on Belgian waffles and ended up riding a double-decker bus all the way to the end of the line, which led to a low-stakes Amazing Race sprint through the bus depot. The weather was unusually cool, so I bought a hoodie that still reminds me of the trip. It was a ridiculous and memorable week.

What was your first job, and what is most memorable about it? 
My first job was a substitute teacher in an elementary school in the Special School District. The days had their chaos and their small victories, and a lot of moments in between that could be unexpectedly funny or intense. Being there for the students in all of that was real, meaningful work, and it’s something that’s stayed with me.

What’s your most niche, non-work-related interest?
A niche interest of mine is light pollution. I pay attention to how much it washes out the night sky and changes the way places feel. Once you notice it, you can’t unsee it, and I always end up spotting where the lighting is done well and where it’s way too bright.