As a founding member of the Lamar Johnson Collaborative (LJC), Sarah was integral in growing the architectural design firm from a start-up of six people to almost forty in a year and a half.   When LJC was acquired by Clayco in 2019, she served as a core member of the transition team leading the merger between LJC and Clayco’s existing design-build practice, Bates Forum.  LJC is now a full-service architecture, interiors, landscape, planning and engineering firm of nearly 300 professionals in five cities.   

In 2021, she relocated to Los Angeles in order to establish and lead LJC’s west coast office in Culver City.  Recognizing her past success, in 2022 Sarah was named the first female President of LJC and one of the leaders of the Clayco California office.  As part of an integrated design-build firm, Sarah works closely with her Clayco colleagues, leveraging the knowledge and capabilities of her development and construction partners for the benefits of her clients.

With a background in both construction management and design, Sarah has distinguished herself as a strong, capable leader on a  wide range of developments including office buildings, hotels, high-rises, mixed-use, civic and institutional facilities.  A licensed project architect in multiple states, she has been involved in all aspects of project delivery from conceptual design through construction administration.  She has been named an ENR Top 40 under 40 and her projects have won numerous design awards such as ULI Global Award for Excellence and AIA Merit Awards.  In her role as President, she will continue to provide exceptional service to clients as she also takes on the responsibility for the overall leadership of the firm, including staff development, revenue growth, and profitability.

Sarah also leverages her leadership position to help increase the diversity of the architectural practice, at multiple levels – introducing high school students of color to the profession through mentorship and internships, looking for ways to partner with MBE and WBE firms in the community for skill sharing and skill growing opportunities, and working with industry women’s leadership initiatives to increase the number of female leaders at the table. She is passionate about making sure that the field of architecture better reflects the community it serves.