Staff

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.
Board Member​

Alejandra Perez-Serrato

Community Project Liaison

Alejandra Perez-Serrato is an urban planner and a Long Beach native.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.  Alejandra’s focus is on issues related to community organizing and grassroot/social equity initiatives.

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.

Board of Directors

President

Alan L. Burks, AIA, LEED® AP BD+C

President
Environ Architecture, Inc.
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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.
Treasurer

Yansy Naranjo

Senior Associate
Avison Young

Yansy Naranjo’s career features over 20 years of commercial real estate experience, and the privilege of having employed her expertise in various markets throughout Southern California. With a comprehensive background specializing in retail agency leasing and tenant representation, Yansy holds a thorough understanding of the elements critical to the effective leasing of an asset, and, furthermore, to fulfilling clients’ goals and objectives. Prior to joining Avison Young, Yansy worked at Secured Properties as a Senior Associate, where she focused on retail and agency tenant representation with a market concentration from Downtown Los Angeles to West Los Angeles. She also previously worked at Colliers International for three years, where she was a team manager on a five-person retail leasing & investment team with listings throughout Los Angeles. Before Colliers, Yansy worked as a Marketing Manager for seven years on a team of 20 brokers at Lee & Associates, where she was responsible for drafting AIR leases, proposals, while providing excellent marketing direction and producing collateral which includes brochures and presentations.
Secretary

Joshua A. Foster, NOMA, Assoc. AIA

Founder & 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.
Board Member​

Aravind Batra, PE, LEED AP, LC

Vice President / Principal
P2s, Inc.
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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​

Eduardo Perez, MArch

Professor of Design
Long Beach State University
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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.
Board Member​

Shuree Danyell

CEO
4K More Creative

Shuree Danyell is an award-wining creative artist with a growing reputation as an expert and visionary thought leader in the creative marketing industry. As the Founder and CEO of 4K More Creative, a multi-cultural creative design agency based in Long Beach, Shuree is driven each day by a passion to do work in communities of color that inspires others to be their best. Through her passionate leadership, 4K More Creative operates with a social impact purpose of identifying and developing diverse creative leaders and providing them with the emotional intelligence training needed for success in the global creative economy.

Shuree spent more than a decade as an influencer and social change agent in urban communities. She has led grassroots, inner-city community action initiatives in Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis and throughout the greater Los Angeles area.

Shuree is professionally trained and experienced in music and video production, creative design, songwriting, content development, music publishing, theater, dance, and public speaking. She graduated from Nyack College, New York, with a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) in Music Business, holds a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University and is a graduate of the Urban Leadership Foundation of Colorado.