Ron Leland leads LPA’s integrated business development and communications team, overseeing brand, storytelling and messaging across the firm’s multiple disciplines and practices. In his leadership role, he works to develop a deep understanding of the firm’s values and mission and integrate those ideals in every element of the firm, in order to build trust and love for what LPA brings to the built environment.
Since joining LPA in 2016, Ron has reorganized, clarified, and focused the firm’s messaging and communication systems. He built an industry-leading communications team and eco-system to help broadcast the firm’s voice and inform staff and clients, including the launch of a quarterly magazine, Catalyst; a relaunch of LPA’s website; and the expansion of the firm’s video and photography efforts. He has increased brand awareness, helped grow the firm and expanded the collaborative culture, while mentoring the next generation of leaders on his own team.
Ron trained as a architect and earned a Bachelor of Science, Landscape Architecture from Cal-Poly, Pomona before switching his career focus to brand and design. Before joining LPA, he helped lead the global rebranding of investment management firm PIMCO and spearheaded a specialized branding initiative for the London Olympics, which evolved into work with London’s Space Program, the city of Neom in Saudi Arabia and the branding of a new town between Cambridge and Oxford. He is an adjunct professor at Chapman University, where he serves as a mentor to the next generation of design thinkers and problem solvers. He also leads the university’s London Program, which integrates education abroad with hands-on, international client experience for aspiring designers.
Previously, Ron served as president of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) Orange County and president of the Newport Beach chapter of Toastmasters International. In his free time, he is an avid mountain biker and enjoys channeling his creativity into woodworking projects and block printing.
“We hope to elevate awareness and inspire action, towards creating a sounder built environment – one that we can confidently turn over to the next generation of citizens.”