Women’s History Month 2025 has been an exciting one at LRS this year! We were thrilled to announce that our firm officially received our national certification as a women-owned business (WBE) through the WBENC. We were also very proud to have Senior Associate Mary Fierros Bower featured in BE Magazine’s annual spotlight on women industry leaders.

This year, we hosted our first annual LRS Women’s History Month luncheon with a panel featuring accomplished women leaders and emerging professionals from across the office: Principal Janice Sanada, a Managing Principal and co-leader of the Senior Living Studio; Senior Associate Mary Fierros Bower, a project manager in the Civic Studio; Senior Associate Kelsey Loverro, an interior designer whose work includes Multi-Family Housing, Retail, Commercial Office + Workplace, and Auto; and interior designer Hayley Blair, whose work includes Commercial Office + Workplace and Civic. Managing Principal Michelle Startt served as our moderator, leading a rousing conversation about panelists’ paths to architecture and design, the challenges they’ve overcome on the career path, and their hopes for the future of women in our industry.

Highlight moments:

• In a poll of the audience of 50+ LRS staff at the event, only two reported knowing a woman in the architecture field before choosing this career. Our panelists noted how important it is to be visible in this profession, so that the next generation can see what’s possible and dream bigger.
• Moderator Michelle Startt, who is also celebrating her 26^th year with LRS this month, noted that she was one of only three or four women total who worked at LRS when she first started. We’ve maintained a close-to-50/50 gender balance on our staff in recent years – a huge change!
• Panelists noted that while it is still common to be the only woman on the job site, the demographics of the industry have changed tremendously, in architecture and in the related AEC fields we collaborate with regularly. It is increasingly common and thrilling to be part of teams with a greater balance of women in leadership and management roles, both on the architectural side and among our subconsultants.
• Women have been part of the principal group and the ownership of the firm for many years, and women achieved a majority ownership for the first time in 2021. Our portion of women’s ownership is a fully organic element of our perpetually evolving leadership group; in 2025, it’s 68%, but we embrace that this may not always be the stat. LRS is proud to be a place where women’s contributions are valued and their talents invested in by firm leaders – men and women alike.

Thank you to Janice, Mary, Kelsey, Hayley, and Michelle for sharing your stories with us!