Page & Turnbull Cites ‘Transition & Growth’ for Newly Women-Led and -Owned Firm as Next Leaders Emerge
Award-winning national architecture, preservation and planning firm’s new leadership reflects its diversity and multidisciplinary spirit, as namesake founder assumes Emeritus status
The internationally recognized architecture, planning and preservation firm Page & Turnbull, with offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento, has announced an expansion of its leadership ranks and new transitions to position the firm for its next phase of growth.
Honored with a record number of awards this year for architecture and preservation and approaching 50 years in business, Page & Turnbull has confirmed its commitment to an ongoing engagement and deepening of its commitment to the themes that have defined the firm’s trajectory: creativity, legacy, and collaboration.
“This process has blossomed with progressive explorations into the key issues shaping our built environment and the emergence of the firm’s new and promising generation of practitioners,” says Ruth Todd, FAIA, who has thrived in her role as president of the architecture and planning firm known for transforming the built environment through design, research and technology. “Our leadership group has expanded to reflect the diversity and multidisciplinary spirit we believe is essential to design excellence today.”
According to Page & Turnbull, the partners — Peter Birkholz, AIA, LEED AP; Carolyn Kiernat, AIA; Lada Kocherovsky, AIA; and John Lesak, AIA, FAPT — continue to nurture the growth of the three California offices with project leadership and ongoing outreach to clients and organizations with a similar drive for innovation and growth. Beginning this year, Page & Turnbull cofounder, principal and recent winner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s lifetime achievement Crowninshield Award, Jay Turnbull, FAIA, steps away from day-to-day management responsibilities. In what Turnbull has quipped is “the best of all promotions,” he assumes the role of Principal Emeritus, and will devote his focus to select projects and alliances as he continues counseling the firm.
At the same time, Page & Turnbull’s senior ownership team has expanded to include Christina Dikas, Melisa Gaudreau and Elisa Hernández Skaggs, AIA, all elevated last year to the role of Associate Principal. This expansion of the core management group reflects their prominence in our professional community and in tackling a wide range of architecture and preservation challenges. At the same time, it bolsters the firm’s three practice studios in Architecture, Cultural Resources Planning & Research, and Preservation Technology, with recognized national and regional leaders including licensed architects, designers, historians, planners and conservators. “All share a mission to balance historic character with adaptive reuse, objective historic evaluation with community involvement, and complex design solutions with technical understanding of historic materials and their conservation,” the firm has pledged.
In a recent public statement, Page & Turnbull announced that, “This moment of transition represents the essential and natural process by which creative, collaborative enterprises evolve. We join with our clients and collaborators in pursuing a shared vision, empowering new leaders, and cultivating an organization-wide sense of ownership that leads to stronger processes, valuable breakthroughs, and often extraordinary results.”
Adds the firm’s president, Ruth Todd, “Inspired by Jay’s evolving role and his impactful career in architecture and historic preservation, we’ve been energized in the evolution of our expanding leadership group, which opens doors to new opportunities for dialogues and collaboration with inspired clients and partner organizations.” Todd adds that the firm is launching new, valuable initiatives to explore top-level issues in resiliency, sustainability, housing and more, including educational outreach and mentorship for both students and colleagues, engaging the next generation in this dialogue.”
In a recent virtual reception toasting the achievements of the cofounder Turnbull, Page & Turnbull’s leaders stated, “All these steps exemplify a deepening of our commitment to architecture, design, planning, and preservation that transform the built environment for the better — and we are more excited than ever about the possibilities!”
About Page & Turnbull
Page & Turnbull is an architecture and planning firm that transforms the built environment through design, research and technology. Located in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento, the firm comprises three Studios: Architecture, Cultural Resources Planning & Research, and Preservation Technology. Collectively, Page & Turnbull’s staff includes licensed architects, designers, historians, planners and conservators with a mission to balance historic character with adaptive reuse, objective historic evaluation with community involvement, and complex design solutions with technical understanding of historic materials and their conservation. More at www.page-turnbull.com.
