Jim Kisel, AIA, LEED AP
Q. How long have you worked at LPA?
A. This month, I am coming up on my 15th anniversary with LPA.
Q. What do you love most about your job?
A. Specializing in the programming and design of K-12 school facilities for my entire 25-year career. I most enjoy the end result of our projects ... providing quality educational environments and enhancing learning opportunities for students.
Q. What does a day in the life of Jim Kisel look like?
A. Being mostly involved in early project program inception and marketing/business development my days vary a lot. It is hard to predict on a consistent basis when an opportunity will arise or how quickly a client and community design committee may be ready to proceed. Daily activities generally involve interacting with clients, and collaborating with the other project managers and designers in the LPA K-12 market sector. A typical day ends with a sunset walk with our dogs on the beach.
Q. What project are you working on this minute? What does it entail?
A. Current projects include the development of four Career Technical Education (CTE) Grant Applications for Arcadia USD to solicit State Bond funding; a District Wide Modernization Needs Assessment and Master Plan for San Marcos USD to plan the direction for the future improvement of their school facilities infrastructure to meet their educational program needs; a Master Plan for Lawndale High School in the Centinela Valley UHSD; and the 60 million dollar Modernization/Expansion Master Plan programs for three school sites in the Pasadena USD.
Q. What do you love most about sustainable design?
A. The ability our projects have to demonstrate to students how they can become good stewards of the environment, and the benefit we provide our clients to maximize dollars to the classroom through reduction in the long term maintenance and operational costs of the buildings that LPA sustainably designs.
Since he joined LPA in 1994, Principal Jim Kisel has participated in the planning, programming and design of more than 40 public, educational, and civic facilities. For the past 15 years he has assisted many of these entities with their master planning, site analysis, programming, schematic and design development package submittal needs.