Jessica Orlando

Jessica had the benefit of being connected with a mentor at the age of 12 who was a woman architect, and demonstrated how her interests in visual art, math, and science could be combined into an engaging profession. Since then, she has pursued a career path of facilitating the creation of beautiful architectural and spatial designs by focusing on user experience, strong management, and transparent communication. As Higher Education Practice Leader, Jessica focuses on delivering a positive and seamless experience for our Higher Ed clients across the state and around the world. Having managed projects from single room renovations to the redevelopment of over four million square feet on campuses across the globe, she consistently delivers projects on time and budget while maintaining consensus around a shared vision.

Jessica is an active member in the Southern California design community, focusing on issues related to equal representation of diverse perspectives in design professions and engaging with future generations of designers, engineers, and contractors. Her work through Architecture for Communities Los Angeles as Chair of the Design by Diversity (DxD) Committee has engaged with more than 250 organizations, education institutions, and companies as well as children of all ages to inspire interest and appreciation for design. Her mentorship experience at age 12 has driven her desire to give back, and create a sustainable cycle of design talent, a more inclusive profession, and ultimately a more equitable built environment.