The Jerde Partnership is recognized for developing maximum visitor experience through our senior leadership’s creative & integrated design philosophy, and managing a process for efficient, accurate, and innovative results. Jerde’s leaders have extensive professional experience in design and business, and as operational executives and senior project managers – a like-minded cohesive group that oversees and directs all Jerde projects. As individuals, Jerde’s principals have worked on all of the firm’s landmark and blockbuster projects around the world. As a collective whole, Jerde’s principals are an extraordinary group of designers, thinkers, managers, and solution-makers that work together to create Big Ideas.
We call this: JERDE PLACEMAKING.
FAIA, Chairman and Founder
Jon Jerde founded The Jerde Partnership in 1977 to pioneer a new design philosophy called "Placemaking" that would create communal places with heightened experiences. Whether designing large-scale, mixed-use urban districts or focusing on small-scale prototypes, experiences, not objects, are the focus. Believing that globalization has caused many of the world's cities to become generic, Jon's projects are designed to speak in the language of local culture, ensuring that each project is appropriate to the site and city. Using the city's urban fabric as a starting point, his projects share characteristics with the local context while creating a new identity and urban catalyst for their surroundings. Jon's projects have been recognized by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the International Council of Shopping Centers, and two ministries of the Japanese government. Jon was named the first USC School of Architecture Distinguished Alumnus in 1985, and in 2000, the school established the Jon Adams Jerde, FAIA, Endowment toward a Chair in Architecture. Jon was named an AIA Fellow in 1990 and received AIA/LA's Pacific Rim Award for global innovation and impact. Jon studied fine arts and engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles from 1957-58 and earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Southern California in 1964.
FAIA, Director of Design
Since joining Jerde in 1988, David Rogers has been responsible for designing many of the firm's most innovative, award-winning projects. David's design approach is one of a new world modernist in a profession of ever expanding globalization. He believes the key to sustainability is creating and inventing lasting urban places that celebrate the human spirit and enhance quality of life. Prior to joining Jerde, David worked as an architect in diverse cities such as Minneapolis, Boston, Athens, Riyadh, Beverly Hills and Des Moines, and as a teacher with universities in California, Iowa, Minnesota and Saudi Arabia. He earned a Bachelor of Architecture with honors from the University of Nebraska and a Master of Architecture from the University of Minnesota. Registered in California, he is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a member of NCARB.
Director of Design
John Simones joined Jerde in 1984 to work on the architecture and design of the Los Angeles Olympics. Since that time, he has become one of Jerde's lead urban designers and architects, master planning some of the firm's most complex and innovative projects. Working closely with founder Jon Jerde, Simones developed the original design for Universal City in Los Angeles, a master plan that has had considerable influence on the planning profession and that laid the groundwork for Universal CityWalk. After opening in 1993, the award-winning Universal CityWalk was dubbed the first "urban entertainment district," inspiring a new model in urban development. John's work has helped to evolve Jerde's placemaking design philosophy around the world. John earned a Bachelor of Science in Architecture, magna cum laude, from the University of Detroit and a Master of Architecture from the University of Southern California.
Since joining Jerde in 1986, Tammy McKerrow has gained extensive design experience with various building types including several large-scale, mixed-use projects. Most recently, Tammy designed the second phase of Namba Parks in Osaka. She also created West Hollywood Gateway in West Hollywood, California, a project viewed as an important jumpstart to revitalization in the city. She also worked as the lead designer from schematic design through construction on the Robina Town Centre project in Australia which received a 1998 Commendation from the Royal Institute of Architects, Queensland Chapter. Tammy earned a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Cincinnati. Additionally, she studied Comparative Cultures at the American Institute of Foreign Study and Advanced Art at the Pratt Institute in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Eduardo Lopez joined Jerde in 1995. While integrating the Jerde philosophy of experiential design and placemaking, and applying his passion for great design with his background in art and sculpture, Ed has been instrumental in expanding the firm's vision through his concepts and architectural designs. Ed has participated first hand in the company's evolution as a predominantly retail-oriented firm, to one that leads the field in integrated mixed-use projects throughout the world. During his time at Jerde he has successfully led design and consultant teams, providing design direction and leadership on a variety of projects and building types in the US, Asia, Japan and Europe. Ed earned a Bachelor of Architecture from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
Managing Director - Asia Pacific
Phil Kim joined Jerde in 1988 as a senior project designer and opened the firm's Hong Kong office in 1996. Today, he serves as the firm's Managing Director of the Asia Pacific region and oversees operations of the Hong Kong office. Phil often wears multiple hats. He is the key point of contact for the firm's Asian work and plays an active role in building business, negotiating contracts, reviewing design quality and ensuring client satisfaction. As a designer, Phil was a core member of the design team for projects such as Mall of America, Treasure Island, Peak Galleria, Ise Shima Resorts, Universal City, Osaka waterfront urban design, and Roppongi Hills. His experience in Asia includes Langham Place, The Arcade at Cyberport, Mega Box in Hong Kong, the master plan of Jing An Metropolitan Plaza in Shanghai, and the Makati International School Mixed-use Development in Manila. Educated at Cornell University, Phil was a frequent Dean's List winner in both the school of Arts & Sciences, and the Architecture School. He has been published for design work in the Cornell Journal of Architecture, and is an active visiting critic in Los Angeles and Hong Kong. He has served as a guest speaker for many groups, including Urban Land Institute, ICSC, Cityscape and Hospitality Design Conference.
AIA, Senior Vice President
Paul Senzaki joined Jerde in 1978, only a year after it was founded. He is responsible for developing new business in Korea, managing and implementing many of the firm's major projects, and overseeing the project management team. Paul blends an extensive design and technical background with an in-depth knowledge of the development process. He has project experience in a wide variety of building types including retail, entertainment, office, hotel, and mixed-use projects, in addition to large scale, urban design and planning projects. He has worked throughout the United States and internationally, including Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Taiwan, Korea and Malaysia. Paul graduated cum laude, earning a Bachelor of Architecture at the University of Southern California, later earning a Master of Urban Design, also from the University of Southern California. Paul is a member of the American Institute of Architects and was formerly director of the USC Architectural Guild. He is registered in California.
AIA, Chief Operating Officer
Janice Jerde is a principal shareholder and Chief Operating Officer of The Jerde Partnership, and officially joined in 2005, but has been involved with the firm since 1990 when she married founder Jon Jerde FAIA. As Chief Operating Officer, she is primarily responsible for recruiting and strategic staffing of the firm’s on-going worldwide projects. A native of Chicago, Janice earned her architectural degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As an accomplished architect, Janice designed the Jerdes’ personal home in Los Angeles, and worked in housing for various Southern California developers from 1979-1984. In ’84, she opened Ambry & Associates, a boutique firm specializing in housing, planning and custom residential, and designed many homes for high-profile clients in the area. She also remains active in the community, profession, and academics – previously serving on the contemporary arts council of LACMA for over 10 years, is a member of the prestigious USC Widney Society, and for the last 13 years has been a juror for USC’s traveling fellowships, and as a USC Guild Board Member from 2011-2012, co-chaired the opening event of the Annenberg Estate / Palm Spring Modernism week.
Chief Financial Officer
Joining Jerde in 1990, Paul Martinkovic oversees the firm’s financial planning, analysis of financial performance and facilities. He has played a key role in setting the firm’s business strategy and in overseeing global operations, including successfully expanding the firm from its Los Angeles studio to Hong Kong, Shanghai and Amsterdam offices.
Director of Landscape Design
As director of landscape design for The Jerde Partnership and former director of design for EDAW, Jeri Oka brings over 25 years of experience on a wide variety of projects. Jeri's strong understanding of urban design, coupled with extensive experience in site planning and landscape design provide her with a special ability to integrate the aesthetic considerations, along with the pragmatic requirements of a project into innovative design solutions. Jeri earned a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from California Polytechnic University, Pomona. She is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
AIA, Design Principal
Sergio Zeballos joined Jerde in 2005, bringing over 25 years of experience designing and managing projects throughout the U.S. At Jerde, Sergio has played a critical role in several of the firm's most dynamic projects, utilizing his expertise in sustainable, holistic approaches to mixed-use and retail architecture, particularly in the design and management of several high-profile completed and under construction projects, including Ponte 16 in Macao, City 7 Changwon in Korea, Mandarin Retail Center in Sochi, Russia, Daesung D3 City in Seoul, and Daegu Color Square Stadium Mall in Korea. Sergio's design approach creates innovative solutions that address the horizontal and vertical realities of the project, synthesizing Jerde "placemaking" with the site's program in a way that is contextual, inventive, and sustainable. Sergio has remained heavily active in his community, serving eight years on Santa Monica's Architectural Review Board, two of them as Chairman. He also has taught design studio at Woodbury University's School of Architecture and Design, and served on several design juries at USC, and Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc).
Vice President, Design Principal
Danny Ha works with The Jerde Partnership’s design principals to design projects from concept through completion. Danny, who was born in Seoul and is fluent in Korean, plays an instrumental role in the firm’s many Korea projects as chief liaison coordinating communications between the Los Angeles-based designers and Korea-based clients, executive architects and other project stakeholders. Since joining the firm in 2002, he has worked with prestigious clients, including Seoul Metropolitan Government, Samsung Corporation and Konkuk University, MBC, GS E&C, SK Construction, and Daewoo Motors. Danny has worked as senior project designer on several major mixed-use projects throughout Korea that are either in detailed design stages, under construction, or recently completed, including Hab Jung in Seoul, The City 7 Project in Changwon, Star City in Seoul, Daegu Entertainment Project in Daegu, and several others currently in early design phases.
Associate Vice President, Senior Project Technical Design Manager
As Associate Vice President and Senior Project Technical Design Manager, Ford Hasegawa is an essential member of Jerde's technical team. Ford provides an integral role in the firm's mission to deliver a complete and coordinated design solution, focusing on the detailed design, construction documentation and construction administration aspects of our global projects. Ford utilizes his technical management, strategic planning and construction administration background to incorporate technical design elements from the initial concept development phase through the document and construction phases. Ford’s experience as a project architect in technical design, documentation and management provide the foundation for streamlining the design process and ultimately creating a better product for our clients. Since joining the firm in 1984, Ford has accumulated vast design and construction experience on mixed-use, retail, and hospitality projects within the United States as well as throughout the world.
AIA, Vice President, Design Principal
Fred Kerz rejoined The Jerde Partnership in 2011, bringing over 30 years of industry experience designing and managing commercial and mixed-use projects throughout the US and abroad. Fred originally worked at Jerde in the firm’s early years from 1979-84, and was a design team member on two landmark projects that launched The Jerde Partnership - the 1984 LA Olympics and Horton Plaza in San Diego. Throughout his career, Fred has played an integral role in every stage of the design process, from planning and concept to schematic design, design development and construction document review and construction administration. His professional experience, technical knowledge and design sense reflects an extensive career ranging from commercial high-rise towers, to retail entertainment and urban mixed-use projects, as well as hotel and resort design. Prior to recently rejoining Jerde, Fred was a principal designer for 16 years at Altoon+Porter Architects, another highly regarded LA-based retail and commercial firm, where he designed approximately a dozen completed works including major projects in the Southern California region.
Vice President, Americas/Europe/MENA Regional Director
David Sheldon heads up the firm’s business activies for the Americas, Europe, and MENA regions out of the Los Angeles headquarters. As vice president, David's role is to develop relationships with prospective clients to help Jerde understand and articulate the clients' vision for their projects. David then helps formulate a business proposal to bring that vision to life. Once an agreement has been reached, David is a key conduit as a liaison between the clients and members of the Jerde design team and other specialty consultants to keep the attainment of that vision on track. David's past experience as a Jerde design team member and Jerde’s European regional manager has enhanced his ability to communicate effectively with clients from both a creative and a business perspective. In past years, he has been an integral team member of several mixed-use and planning projects in the United Kingdom, Moscow, Kiev, and Amsterdam. He was also a member of the design team for large-scale projects such as the new World of Coca-Cola, the award-winning Hangzhou Lakeshore Development, as well as design for the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa.
Jeremy Chiahua Hsu
Vice President, Senior Manager
Jeremy Hsu brings extensive technical and mixed-use project experience to The Jerde Partnership in the role of senior manager based in the firm’s Shanghai office. Jeremy oversees and coordinates daily technical and project execution issues, and serves as a key team member to seamlessly manage the design and communication between Jerde’s Los Angeles design studio and local clients and consultants in China. His management and organization skills allow Jeremy to establish a comprehensive work flow schedule and maintain constant communication to ensure the design intent and client expectations are being met. Jeremy is currently coordinating the detailed design stages of half a dozen high-profile mixed-use Jerde projects throughout China, including in Shanghai, Changsha, Chongqing and Tianjin.
Senior Associate, Design Manager
Jacky Cheng began his career with The Jerde Partnership in June 2001. Having contributed his design efforts for years at the Los Angeles Headquarters office, he has attained and cultivated a host of unique professional skills and practice to provide for the firm. Through comprehensive stages, types, and magnitudes of projects, he has experienced a diverse range of design, from Japan’s largest privately developed mixed-use project Roppongi Hills, to Hong Kong’s most significant urban redevelopment project Langham Place. Education at Columbia University and Illinois Institute of Technology well equipped Jacky with multifarious high-end computer skills, as well as traditional techniques. With this unique combination of practical and technical training, along with flexible skills, he is able to provide Jerde and its clients with exceptional expertise. Jacky is a US citizen and Hong Kong permanent resident. He was relocated to the Hong Kong office as a design manager in July 2004, where he has since been responsible for facilitating design ideas, communication, and management with teams in Los Angeles and local clients.