Blog

The Advancement Fund, a partnership between Pacific Charter School Development (PCSD) and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), is aimed at investing in facilities for early and single-site operators who are Black-led or educating a majority of Black students. The Fund will provide low-cost, project-enabling debt capital to leaders looking to grow their schools.

Starting with a pilot fund and accompanying market research, we believe our project- and place-based approach can be replicated in target markets across the country. We seek to form a coalition: marrying facility development and charter school expertise, philanthropic capital, and private sector capital in order to face systemic racism head-on and provide economic opportunities for Black businesses and professionals.

As PCSD continues to work on our commitment to equity, we are always interested in learning more about what our partners are doing in this space. I sat down with Laura Knauss, Principal who leads the firm’s education practice with team members located in all four offices throughout the state, and Kellie Schneider, Associate Principal and Director of HR to hear about Lionakis and their efforts.

1. Tell me a little about Lionakis and the company’s areas of focus.

Lionakis is a multi-discipline firm with in-house architecture, structural engineering, and interior design. We work in three main market areas – civic (corrections, court houses, state offices, county offices), education (pre-K through university), and healthcare (acute, medical office buildings, clinics). Most of our projects are in California, but occasionally we work outside of California. We have a staff of just under 200 people.

2. What set Lionakis on the path to make a commitment to equity?

We believe that our core markets – civic, education, and healthcare – are the pillars on which strong communities are made. Our mission to “design a better future,” is central to how we view equity: the built environment can level the playing field, providing safe and inspiring spaces for all. The firm formalized its efforts in 2019 when an internal equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) committee was established with volunteer representatives from different markets throughout California.

3. What additional steps has the company taken? What are your roles within that?

We have made some tangible efforts in our commitment to EDI since 2019, starting with training our collective team to recognize their own areas of unconscious bias.

• Chat circles: We host monthly chat circles where we discuss a variety of topics, such as mental health, inclusive restroom design, etc… We also try to understand what our team knows and wants to know about EDI through our chat circles.
• Staff demographics: We track and measure the demographics for our internal workforce.
• Media campaigns: We engage in external social media campaigns and in internal initiatives. We hosted an #IAM campaign internally for the workforce to share information about themselves in a way that they were comfortable doing so and with people they were working with on a day-to-day basis. It was a way to show how we are alike and different at the same time.
• Pronouns: We changed our email signatures to allow for the inclusion of pronouns for individuals interested in doing so.
• Resume review: We started anonymizing resumes of applicants to take out any potential for unconscious bias.
• Measuring our impact: We released a survey that will be conducted annually to identify what EDI means to our collective team so we can start to focus on areas of importance and so we can measure how our work is impacting our team overall.
• Partnering: We participate in NOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects) as well as a variety of AIA’s (American Institute of Architects) women in architecture groups. We also have individual contributors who volunteer time with other professional organizations that have focused EDI efforts. We hope to host events in collaboration with those organizations in the near future.

We are both members of the EDI committee and are senior leaders within the firm so we are in unique positions to be able to recommend and effect changes across the firm overall. While we strive to have representation from members in each of our locations and markets, in areas where we don’t have representation, we are able to reach the collective team through the chat circles.

Diversity in the (Architecture, Engineering, Construction) AEC Industry is a work in progress. The future is much more diverse but it’s likely going to take a half generation to see that change.

4. How are you applying those efforts to your internship program and recruiting/outreach in general?

We attend recruiting fairs across the state and when doing so, we try to send team members that represent the people we are trying to recruit. This year, we are bringing on eleven interns to work side-by-side with teams in most of our offices. We keep track of our interns through our emerging professionals email program, highlighting internships, new roles within the firm, and professional development opportunities.

For our permanent positions, we advertise on the NOMA job board but also rely heavily on our internal referrals. We are always looking for new efforts to increase our candidate pool. And as mentioned before, we also anonymize applications to create equity for all applicants.

Additionally, we host shadow days for high school students and are very focused on reaching into high schools and even middle schools to expose them to architecture as a profession.

5. How do you see organizations like PCSD and Lionakis working together in this area?

Ideally, we would like to be able to get into the classrooms and share information about architecture, interior design, and engineering as students start to contemplate college.

6. What has been the most difficult step in moving forward?

[The most difficult steps are] the profession, in general and also, helping folks understand what EDI means – and doesn’t mean. We would like to see a broader pool of candidates, so we need to reach out to students when they are in middle school, high school, and college. Architecture and engineering are not just for some. They are achievable for all.

7. What recommendations would you give to someone who hasn’t traditionally seen this field as an opportunity?

Job shadow days are good. By shadowing an architect or engineer and getting out in the field, students see construction going on as well as the construction team. There is a huge market for skilled labor and a lot of pathways to get there. Not all construction work is dirty, and not all architects and engineers work only in the office.

Also, there are other roles for individuals in this industry that support architecture, engineering, and design. You don’t need to be an architect to work in the field. You could work in accounting, HR, marketing, and project coordination, among many other roles. It may take a different set of skillsets but it’s adjacent and allows you to work in an industry you are interested in.

We are proud to present our very first impact report, which highlights our achievement and progress over the last 18 years creating long-term homes for charter schools in California and Washington along with our continued commitment to racial equity and the belief that every child deserves the opportunity to learn in a vibrant and inspiring school facility.

We have developed over 100 facilities, provided opportunities for over 43,000 charter school students, and leveraged philanthropy with private and state financing to invest $985M+ in high quality schools. Further, we’ve expanded to support the needs of both growing school networks and early-stage operators as well as partnered with school districts.

We look forward to continuing to work together on expanding our reach and supporting charter schools in providing educational opportunities for students in under-resourced communities.

On a beautiful afternoon in late March 2022, Impact Salish Sea Elementary School proudly celebrated Brian Perry’s art installation – a set of traditional Cast Salish carvings entitled “Remember the Teachings.” The work is a suite of three works that include a prominent welcome pole flanked by two canoe-forms that act as benches. Brian was selected to develop an original public artwork for the school which is located at Othello Square in South Seattle. He is a member of the S’Klallam tribe and a representative of the Coast Salish people.

The event was co-sponsored by WCSD and Impact Public Schools and brought students along with members of the S’Klallam tribe and the Othello community to a joyous celebration. WCSD senior project manager, Anna Johnson, emceed, Principal Egypt Burton Charles welcomed everyone, Brian’s tribal family honored the day with traditional performances, and Brian spoke about the artwork.

“Remember the Teachings” depicts creatures of the Salish Sea that serve as precious knowledge keepers for her people. The primary welcome pole is titled “Guardians of the Salish Sea” and features q̕ɬúməčən (killer whale), sčánnəxʷ (salmon), and k̕ʷə́yŋsən (eagle). The salmon represents endurance and renewal. The salmon weathers many perils at sea to return to its home waters and provide nourishment for the people. Overlooking the creatures of the Salish Sea is the eagle, who embodies wisdom. The eagle gazes far to the horizon, where new challenges and opportunities await. And the killer whale centers this post, carrying the faces of the ancestors on its back.

Following the ceremony, everyone gathered outside to view the artwork. Students and guests enjoyed the story pole and welcomed the artwork as part of their community. Thank you to Brian for bringing the stories of the Salish Sea creatures to the school and local community.

I “sat down” with Cecilia Melgares, Managing Director of Operations for Equitas Academy, a charter management organization based in Los Angeles and partner of PCSD since 2010. Cecilia has been with Equitas for almost seven years.

Can you tell me about Equitas? What makes Equitas unique and what inspires you about working there?

What inspires me: The commitment that we have to our scholars and our families to go above and beyond. The emphasis on building character. In education we often focus on the academics, but all the other pieces are just as important in order to create generational change.

What is unique about us and inspires me on a day-to-day basis: The commitment as a staff that we all have to meet scholars and families where they are at. I grew up in LA and went to LAUSD schools. I was an English language learner from a single-family home. Education changed my life! That opportunity is so important. With that perspective I know what it is that our scholars need to be successful.

I understand that Equitas was instrumental in supporting the community surrounding one of your schools. How did you get started and how were you able to sustain the program? Are you still supporting the community in this way and/or has it evolved?

During the pandemic, we felt it was important to meet the basic needs of our families. As soon as we closed down, we were able to serve 200,000 meals by the end of the 2019-2020 school year. In addition, we delivered technology, computers, and internet access. Education is the heart of our mission but students can’t learn if their most basic needs aren’t met.

Although most of the staff were working remotely, the operations team was working on site. We provided breakfast and lunch to the community, including some of our families, at Equitas Flagship (EQ), the headquarters and our flagship school at Pico. All seven of our schools are within 2 miles of each other so the flagship school was easily accessible for all of our families. We were surprised by the number of meals we were serving and had to increase the numbers to meet the needs of the community. We stopped the program in June 2021 when the funding stopped and free breakfast and lunch were offered to all students starting in the 2021-2022 school year.

The response from the community was enormous. We had people who were unhoused who came to pick up food. We had grandparents pick up food. It provided a sense of community for everyone that we were working with. And it showed the community that we were going to be there for our families and community at large.

This year, we have hosted vaccination sites for all our schools over the weekend. It’s open to anyone in the community. We are really mindful of how we bring resources to the community at large.

I would love to hear about your experience working with PCSD. What has been your involvement in working with PCSD? What has surprised you the most?

I worked with PCSD first at Equitas #2 then in 2018, on Equitas #3. We got our Temporary Certificate of Occupancy on Saturday of Labor Day weekend and school started on Tuesday. We had 3 days to get ready. We are now working with PCSD on [Equitas] #5 and #6.

We love working with Joe and previously with Mishelle. They have been an integral part of our project.

Anything else you would like to add?

We are grateful for the partnership [with PCSD] and for the work!! Joe goes above and beyond and always imagines how this is going to impact the scholars and the end work!

James Heugas, Executive Director of Washington Charter School Development, partnered with Homesight CEO Tony To to design and develop Impact Salish Sea Elementary for the New Holly Community. The new facility is an outgrowth of the Othello Square project, a community-based initiative that empowers Southeast Seattle residents by expanding access to healthcare, housing, education, and economic opportunity.