Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

LPA Design Studios Names New Director of K–12 Practice

  • By Matt Jones
  • 01/31/22

Design firm LPA Design Studios recently announced that it has promoted Kate Mraw to the position of Director of K–12. In this new role, Mraw will spearhead the development of the firm’s national education design practice, according to a press release. Mraw joined the firm in 2004 and has worked with education professionals, students and communities to build research-driven, effective and efficient K–12 campuses around the country.

As a principal at LPA, her work includes e3 Civic High School in San Diego, Calif., co-located with a public library; the renovation and preservation of Lanier High School in San Antonio, Texas; and the K-12 Agnews Campus currently under construction in San Jose, Calif. Mraw earned a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design from UT-Austin.

Kate Mraw LPA Design Studios

“Kate’s passion and spirit of collaboration make her the perfect choice to lead our K–12 practice,” said LPA CEO Wendy Rogers. “On every project, regardless of size or budget, she works with communities to develop spaces that empower the learning process.”

Mraw will be taking over the position from Jim Kisel, who’s led the firm’s K–12 design practice for 28 years. A press release notes that the K–12 team has master-planned and designed projects for more than 100 districts and has developed relationships with district professionals all over the U.S. Mraw has worked alongside both Rogers and Kisel on a series of campus projects along the West Coast.

During her time at LPA, Mraw led EDU interiors efforts and launched the firm’s in-house research group, LPAred. “The design process is developed around engagement, programming and understanding how we interact with space,” Mraw said in a press release. “Research is helping us recognize the cues to design better learning environments.”

Mraw also works with organizations like the Coalition for Adequate School Housing (CASH) and the Texas Association of School Administrators. She’s an active member of the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE), serving as a board member of their Central Texas Chapter, and also serves on the University of Texas School of Architecture Advisory Council.

“We are invested in growing our people to grow our practice,” said Mraw. “We want to stay curious and continue to ask better questions that lead to deeper understanding and better solutions.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • California District Debuts New High-School CTE Center

    The West Sonoma County Union High School District (WSCUHSD) in Sebastopol, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new CTE Center at Analy High School, according to a news release. The district partnered with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) for the facility’s design and GCCI for its construction, and funding came from local Measure A bond funds.

  • Western Kentucky University Breaks Ground on First Phase of $350M Student Housing Project

    Western Kentucky University (WKU) in Bowling Green, Ky., recently broke ground on the first phase of a $350-million student housing initiative, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Gilbane Development through a public-private partnership (P3) to replace aging residence halls and modernize on-campus living accommodations.

  • UPenn Announces Completion of New Veterinary Education Facility

    The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Penn., recently finished construction on an 11,800-square-foot veterinary education building, according to a news release. The Gail P. Riepe Center for Advanced Veterinary Education is the first dedicated classroom facility at the New Bolton Center, a large-animal hospital and campus about 35 miles west of the campus proper.

  • DLR Group Announces New Mid-Atlantic Higher Education Leader

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it has promoted Principal Shawn Gaither, AIA, LEED AP, to the role of higher education leader in the Mid-Atlantic, according to a news release. Gaither has served with the firm for more than 20 years, most recently as the national higher education business development leader.