People

Great design starts with great people

Richard P. Brett, AIA

Partner / Owner

Richard Brett, a Partner at LDA leads our Design and Management Team. He supplies a wealth of energy, enthusiasm, and design expertise to LDA. Richard provides our clients with Design, Planning, and Management assistance. He brings over three decades of experience in design, planning, and production of retail and commercial projects throughout the United States and abroad. His interpersonal communication skills, a strong background in contract documentation, and a thorough knowledge of the construction process augment Richard’s design skills. Mr. Brett received his BA in Architecture from California Polytechnic University in Pomona, CA.

Heriberto Barrios Jr, AIA Assoc.

Partner / Owner

Heriberto, a Partner at LDA, has an extensive background in commercial, retail and housing development projects, with over two decades of multi-family residential design and development experience. At LDA, he has managed the design and construction of numerous projects including H&M stores throughout California and the southwestern US and has worked with national retail developers such as Macerich and Westfield. Heriberto’s experience ranges from site acquisition, financing, entitlements, design, and construction administration. He has managed numerous residential projects totaling over 600 units. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Woodbury University.

Juan Velasquez, AIA

Partner / Owner

Juan received his Bachelors degree in Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley in 2003. He began his career with LDA just months after graduating. He has a wealth of experience in all aspects of project management from pre-programming through design and construction administration. Juan has successfully managed and led various retail projects throughout the United States for some of our high-end retail clients. He is a licensed architect in multiple states and a LEED Accredited Professional.

Sean Harris

Project Manager/Designer

Sean is a versatile member of the LDA design team, creating new concepts for future projects as well as developing design and construction documents for a variety of commercial and retail projects. Sean received his Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and has been working in the field for the past two decades. Sean’s professional experience is multi disciplinary, working in furniture / fixture design, graphic, interior, and architectural design.

Chelsea Cavelaris

Project Manager

Chelsea graduated with her Master’s degree in Interior Architecture from Woodbury University. She now has over a decade of experience in both residential and commercial architecture and design. Coming from an artistic background; she is detail oriented and has a strong desire for creating. She has extensive experience with California building codes, construction documents, construction administration and LEED design. Her objective in architectural design is to contribute to each project by delivering innovative solutions from initial programming to construction administration.

Manny Fernandez

Project Manager

Manny has been part of the LDA team for over a decade. In 2014, he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from California Polytechnic University in Pomona.  Manny has proven to be a vital member of the LDA production team, with a strong work ethic and passion for quality work, he has been involved in a variety of projects including work for clients such as Guitar Center and Seritage Growth Properties. Manny was part of the team that worked in collaboration with Seritage on the multi-tenant building conversion at UTC in La Jolla, California.

Michael Curtis

Project Architect

Michael graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from California Polytechnic University in Pomona. He began his professional career as an intern with LDA. After graduating, Michael has provided architectural modeling and production support on a number of large development projects including work for Brookfield, Seritage, and Cypress Equities. As an expert in Revit, CAD and Sketchup, he has the capabilities creating beautiful visualizations while preserving the accuracy required for construction documents. With over a decade of experience, Michael has become an integral part of the LDA team.

Cynthia Holguin

Job Captain

Cynthia brings two decades of experience providing architectural production support on a wide range of projects including work for retailers such as Macy’s, H&M and Guitar Center. Her work experience also includes large development projects for developers such as Seritage and Cypress Equities. Cynthia strives to produce detailed work with great accuracy. Her dedication, enthusiasm and strong work ethic is a valuable asset to our production team.

Vianka Gustafson

Director of Human Resources

Vianka has been with LDA design group for the past three decades. She combines her interpersonal and communication skills to work closely with staff and clients to keep the firm running smoothly and efficiently. Vianka went on to earn her business administration degree in 1993, and has been working in the Architectural field ever since that point in time.  Along with her responsibilities as Director of Human Resources, she manages LDA’s office, and financial resources.  Vianka is integral to the firm.

Veronica Reynosa

Administrative Assistant

Veronica is a valuable asset and has been a part of the LDA team for over a decade. She is vital to the LDA family and helps coordinate all the needs and demands of the office. Veronica is LDA’s go-to person. She greets clients, customers, vendors and has excellent communication skills. She helps facilitate communication within our organization, manages the print room, assists in accounting and marketing and schedules special meetings and events. Veronica always strives to deliver solutions and provide quality work. Her positive, proactive and jovial demeanor makes her a pleasure to have as a part of the LDA team.