Design leaders will help guide the future of the integrated firm and continue the development of its collaborative, integrated design approach.
LPA Design Studios has elevated four firm leaders to Principals, where they will take an ownership stake in the company and play a larger role in leading the company’s continued growth.
The four new principals — Director of Commercial Nick Arambarri, Studio Director David Eaves, Director of Civil Engineering Kathereen Shinkai and Director of Quality Young Min — reflect the diversity and talent in the integrated firm. Each has excelled in their area of expertise, helping to develop LPA’s collaborative process that produces more efficient, healthier projects for clients.
“These four leaders have been key to our success and are well-deserving of taking the next step in the firm,” says LPA CEO Wendy Rogers. “Their passion, expertise and commitment to our integrated approach provide an example for all of us.”
While representing different disciplines and market sectors, the four new principals have been part of LPA for decades and have helped mentor many talented individuals who developed into firm leaders.
LPA Names Four New Principals
Nick Arambarri, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Director of Commercial
Nick is responsible for leading the brand development, market strategy, client relationships, cultural development, and business management of LPA’s Commercial practice. He joined the firm as an intern in 2001 and helped grow the relationship with developers and working closely workplace, civic + cultural and mixed-use teams. Nick has helped design and develop more than 7 million-square-feet of differentiated commercial space, extending the LPA’s integrated design process and focus on high-performance buildings to high-rise towers, low-rise office campuses and the repositioning of existing buildings. More recently, he helped launch the lab planning team, leading the commercial practice into one of the fastest-growing sectors in the market.
David Eaves, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Studio Director
Since joining LPA in 2002, David has established himself as a leader in the K-12 practice, overseeing integrated design teams that have developed projects that operate more efficiently, support educators and better address the needs of learners. An expert at managing complex projects, David has help grow the Irvine practice led the design process on a wide variety of project types, from campus enrichment modernizations and remodels to new construction additions and ground-up comprehensive new campuses. Several of David’s projects have earned top state and national design awards, including the campus expansion of Tarbut V’Torah Community Day School, an independent K-12 school in Irvine, California, which earned the AIA-CAE award of excellence in 2020. He is currently overseeing the design of the K-12 Agnews campus in Santa Jose for the Santa Clara Unified School District, the largest public campus in the state. David assumed the role of Studio Director for LPA’s Irvine Education Studio in 2021.
Kathereen Shinkai, PE, F.ASCE
Director of Civil Engineering
Kathereen has led LPA’s civil engineering design on a wide array of award-winning, high-performing projects across all market sectors. She is a leader in the industry, working with industry groups to share her knowledge and mentor young talent. She has earned recognition as the “Civil Engineer of the Year” from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in Orange County and Los Angeles, reflecting her contribution to the industry. The imprint of her focus on collaboration and sustainable design can be found on a wide variety of LPA’s biggest projects, including the six-story County Administration South Building for the County of Orange; the West Hollywood automated parking garage, which earned a COTE Award from AIA-LA; and the Environmental Nature Center Preschool in Newport Beach, a national AIA-CAE honoree. In 2021, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) named Kathereen an ASCE Fellow, one of the industry’s highest honors.
Young Min, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Director of Quality
With more than 30 years of professional experience, Young was instrumental in building LPA’s higher education practice, overseeing the construction of many of the firm’s most complex projects, including libraries, humanities buildings, science buildings, student unions and athletic facilities. Passionate about design, with deep knowledge of the execution of how and what we draw, he has joined our Project Delivery team with a focus on improving firmwide quality. In this new role, he is helping to create a quality baseline for all our work, adding consistency to our informed process and construction deliverables.