Staff
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David Salazar, FAICP,Founder, Executive Director
David Salazar, a native Angelino, is currently the Executive Director for the Long Beach Community Design Center. He began his career in city planning and has a combined 29 years of facilities planning and design and construction experience in public and private universities and community colleges. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from California State University, Long Beach; a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; an Executive MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School, Claremont Graduate University and studied strategic management at Oxford University and Anahuac University, Mexico. During David’s employment with the California State University system, he held the positions of Associate Vice President for Physical Planning and Facilities Management at California State University, Long Beach; Director of Campus Planning and Development at California State University, Monterey Bay, and University Facility Planner at the Chancellor’s Office. He has also served as Director of Facilities Management at Claremont Graduate University, Executive Director of Facilities, Planning, and Administrative Services at San Bernardino Community College District, and Chief Facilities Executive for the Los Angeles Community College District. David is a member of the College of Fellows American Institute of Certified Planners, the American Planning Association, Society of College & University Planners, California Planning Roundtable and Planning Accreditation Board and Planners Emeritus Network. He served as an adjunct faculty member in the Urban and Regional Planning Department at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona for several years. He resides in Long Beach, California with his family, where he serves on the Board of Directors of Centro CHA. |
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Myles Salazar
Graphic Artist
Myles Salazar is a designer from La Verne, California. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Design from California State University, Long Beach in 2016 and has been working in the architectural lighting & manufacturing industry for the past five years. Myles enjoys outdoor activities, talking with college students about design, and work crafting in his spare time. |
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Jane Mendez
Social Media Coordinator
Jane Mendez is from Pomona and received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from California State University, Los Angeles in 2018. She is a higher-education student services professional with a passion for connecting students to their goals. Jane also has experience working with educational non-profits that serve K-12 youth. Her experience is rooted in her passion for promoting accessibility and uplifting underrepresented communities. |
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Samantha GuerreroPlanning Intern
Samantha Guerrero was born and raised in Los Angeles County. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from University of California, Los Angeles Luskin School of Public Affairs. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Public Policy from the University of California, Riverside. Currently, she is a research fellow at the Institute on Inequality and Democracy and analyzes state-led displacement as well as housing sites offered to unhoused residents. Samantha is passionate about sharing knowledge of urban planning, especially to communities that are impacted the most by local community issues. Some of her interests include traveling, exploring cities, fashion, and Dodgers baseball. |
Board of Directors
President
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Eduardo Perez, MArch
Professor of Design
Long Beach State University Professor Eduardo Perez is a tenured professor and has been teaching at CSULB since 2007, is the Faculty Member In Charge of the CSULB IIDA Campus Center and Owner of LAVA Design Studio, an interdisciplinary design studio located in the South Bay. His professional experience includes positions at Rothenberg Sawasy Architects, Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates, HNTB Sports and Entertainment, The Jerde Partnership International, Studio X Architects and Guess? Inc. He has been involved in many different building typologies and scales with project locations varying the continental United States, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. Mr. Perez was previously an adjunct faculty member of East Los Angeles College and El Camino College Department of Architecture and is a visiting design critic at numerous southland colleges and universities. Professor Perez holds a BArch from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; a MArch from the Southern California Institute of Architecture; and studied design at National Technical University, Athens, Greece. |
Treasurer
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Alan L. Burks, AIA, LEED® AP BD+C
President
Environ Architecture, Inc. Alan has over 35 years of industry experience in his field. Educated at the University of Illinois in Chicago, Alan started his career as a partner at the architectural practice, Environ, Inc. After relocating to California, he acquired his California architectural license and in 1992 and established Environ Architecture, Inc. in downtown Long Beach, a city that met his goal to work and live in a city that was vibrant and innovative. While Alan and his team work on various types of commercial architecture, he has expertise with Government and educational facilities and adaptive reuse of historically significant buildings with emphasis on creating sustainable and innovative environments. He is a LEED® Accredited professional specializing in building design and construction (BD+C). With a passion towards service, Alan participates on many community boards and is currently serving as a Commissioner for the City of Long Beach Cultural Heritage Commission, as a Board Member for the American Institute of Architects South Bay Chapter, President of the Wrigley Neighborhood Association. Alan also serves on the Downtown Long Beach Alliance Board and is the Chair of the Public Realm Committee. Previously Alan has served as president of the New City School Board of Directors, was a founder and president of the Long Beach Affordable Housing Coalition, a board member of Habitat for Humanity and a Board Member of the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency. In Compton Alan was appointed to serve on the City’s Design Review Board. |
Secretary
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Aravind Batra, PE, LEED AP, LC
Vice President / Principal
P2s, Inc. Aravind Batra has over 25 years of experience in consulting engineering, covering both renovation and new construction. He currently serves as P2S Vice President, where he helps to continuously assure quality standards. Aravind brings an in-depth knowledge of electrical systems and their requirements to numerous needs assessments, systems upgrades, renovations, and new building projects for various educational, municipal, commercial, and industrial clients. He is responsible for the design of numerous high-performance buildings, independent reviews of various types of buildings, and providing peer review on multiple renovations and new building projects for educational, industrial, and commercial facilities. Aravind has been involved with developing sustainability master plans for various clients addressing their energy efficiency opportunities, their facilities' impact on the atmosphere, sustainable sites, water use efficiency, waste management, and high-performance green building issues. He has been instrumental in developing electrical standards for various facilities that promote energy-efficient designs and help the clients standardize their systems and equipment to reduce operational and maintenance costs. His professional activities include past service as Treasurer for the Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) and recently as Membership Chair of United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Long Beach Branch. |
Board Member
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Michelle Lagos, JD
Law Offices of Trudi J. Lesser
Michelle Lagos has over 15 years of experience in commercial real estate. Michelle is an Associate at the Law Offices of Trudi J. Lesser specializing in commercial real estate transactions where she represents and advises retail tenants and landlords in drafting and negotiating real estate contracts. Michelle began her career as a commercial real estate broker at Grubb & Ellis Company. She then spent ten years specializing in healthcare real estate serving as the Director of Leasing at Boulevard Investment Group and later as a Senior Asset Manager at Meridian, a subsidiary of Marcus & Millichap Company. She transitioned into practicing commercial real estate law in 2018, when she was admitted to practice law in California. Michelle earned a B.A. in History with a minor in Spanish from UCLA and a J.D. from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. She is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association where she serves on the steering committee for the Commercial Development and Leasing Subsection of the Real Property Section. Michelle is a founding board member of the Real Estate Association for Latinx (REAL) and serves on the programming committee. |
Board Member
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Joshua A. Foster, NOMA, Assoc. AIAFounder & CEO
JAF Creative Solutions, LLC Joshua is an award-winning architectural designer specifically for his commitment to community outreach and engagement relating to the built environment. He spent the early years of his career focusing on the design and construction of affordable and market-rate housing projects in Los Angeles County while building on his education in Real Estate Development. Combining that with his connections within the small business and entrepreneurial ecosystem of LA, Joshua transformed his experiences into the founding of JAF Creative Solutions, LLC— a community-impact focused strategic partnership and design consultancy firm. Beyond his day to day work, Joshua is also an Adjunct Professor in the architecture department at East Los Angeles College, board member of the Long Beach Community Design Center, a high school football coach, a musician, and the Co-Founder of a technology media start-up called Mint Inc. Joshua is a graduate of both Columbia University and the University of Southern California with a B.A. in Architecture and Sustainability and an M.Arch in Architecture with a Real Estate Development Certificate respectively. |
CENTER ADVISORS
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Ted Hyman, FAIA, LEED® AP BD+C
Partner ZGF Los Angeles, CA Paul Wingco, CEM Founder and Principal Wingco Clean Energy Resources LLC |
Wade Martin, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics Director, Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Long Beach State University Will Wright, Hon. AIA|LA Director, Government & Public Affairs American Institute of Architects, Los Angeles Chapter |
