Kristen Olsen AIA ALEP

Kristen Olsen overviews and directs all studio functions at Jonathan Levi Architects and leads strategic growth initiatives.  In her role as Studio Director she is focused, studio-wide, on ensuring professional services delivery excellence, coordinating resources across project teams, managing staffing and selective direct participation in project management.   In her senior executive role, she is also responsible for business development and cultivating relationships across public, private and institutional sectors. With a proven track record connecting design excellence to real-world outcomes, Kristen helps shape the firm’s culture and direction, fostering partnerships, both internally and externally, that bring JLA’s clients’ vision to life.

Prior to joining JLA, Kristen’s professional experience includes working on the Owner’s side as an Architect and Project Manager for the US Army Corps of Engineers in Europe and the Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) where she led Architect evaluation and selection teams, technical design reviews, and performed design and construction management across a broad array of building types, followed by private sector positions at SMMA (Cambridge, MA) and Safdie Architects (Somerville, MA). While at SMMA, she managed several K12 building projects and two large Federal Government projects, and earned the Accredited Learning Environment Planner credential. In these project management roles, Kristen led numerous public meetings and client presentations, and participated in and led community outreach activities. While at the world-renowned Safdie Architects, she held the position of Operations and Practice Manager encompassing many of the responsibilities she now holds at JLA.

In collaboration with firm owner, Jonathan Levi, Kristen is responsible for shaping operations, policies, initiatives, and marketing/outreach efforts that underscore JLA’s commitment to innovation, collaboration and well-being in design.