R. Steven Lewis, NOMAC, FAIA, LEED AP joined the Conservancy in November 2026 as Altadena Project Manager to lead the organization’s Cultural Asset Mapping Initiative, a three-year collaborative project that will document and celebrate the historic and cultural heritage that defines Altadena’s unique sense of place. 

A founding partner of the Los Angeles-based firm of RAW International in 1984, Steve was an essential part of the firm’s growth and success for twenty years. In 2010, he concluded a two-year term as President of the National Organization of Minority Architects, traveling around the country advocating for architects-of-color, while cultivating the next generation of diverse architects and designers. In 2011, Steve launched a consulting practice – “Thinking Leadership – What we Do…Who we Are” – aimed at assisting clients attain superior outcomes through his engagement.

Steve returned to Los Angeles to join the firm ZGF Architects LLP as a principal leading the office’s planning and urban design practice in 2018. Before joining ZGF, Steve accepted an appointment by Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan to serve as Urban Design Director for the central region of the City. Prior to Detroit, he was with the firm, TRC, as an Associate Vice President, representing the company to our Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority client for energy services.

More than anything, Steve is a facilitator of partnerships and alliances between groups and individuals who seek to use design to bring about positive change to our world.