News

Studio-MLA, by Design:
Broadened Ownership. Expanded Leadership.

We are excited to announce an important evolution in our firm’s future through broadened ownership among longstanding team members whose leadership and project stewardship have shaped the work our clients and collaborators know today.

Joining our Founder and President Mia Lehrer, FASLA is Dawn Dyer, Ben Feldmann, Eden Ferry, Ming Ho, Megan Horn, Amy Kalpin, Holly Kuwayama, Eric Marecki, Ian Miller, Kush Parekh, Matt Romero, Alex San Diego, Anton Smith, and Monica Way. Each has led significant projects and client relationships across the studio. Together they bring the expertise and perspective that advance the profession and strengthen their collective impact. This shared commitment reinforces the long-term stability and resilience of Studio-MLA as we approach 30 years of practice.

“One of the greatest rewards of building a practice is seeing people grow into leaders in ways you never could have imagined,” said Lehrer. “This moment reflects a spirit of creativity, ingenuity, and dedication that has defined Studio-MLA over many years. It is Advocacy by Design.”

Our Principals Dawn Dyer, Jan Dyer, Ben Feldmann, Megan Horn, Holly Kuwayama, and Kush Parekh will continue to lead the practice supporting clients, building relationships, directing transformative work, and guiding the studio’s direction. Their combined experience ensures continuity for our clients and deepens our ability to deliver thoughtful, integrated work at every stage.

Mia Lehrer continues to play a central role in the studio’s vision and remains deeply engaged in client relationships, strategic pursuits, and key projects.

Here is the practice in the words of our six principals leading the studio alongside Lehrer:

Holly Kuwayama, ASLA – Principal
“A design firm is also a business. Behind the projects sit operations, finance, recruitment, and all the systems that make long careers possible. Mia built a studio where people stay; a team that is dynamic, sharp, and thoughtful. What we are developing now is a structure that ensures this team keeps building on what she started.”

Kush Parekh, PLA, ASLA – Principal
“The most rewarding projects reveal unexpected connections between ecology, infrastructure, and culture. Design has the opportunity to strengthen those relationships in ways that improve how a place is experienced and performs. The best solutions often come from looking beyond the obvious, uncovering opportunities where many systems work together to create something more meaningful than any one could alone.”

Ben Feldmann, PLA, ASLA, LEED AP, WEDG, Principal
“Landscape is the medium cities will use to remake themselves. A park can cool a neighborhood, absorb a storm, and bring ten thousand people together, all in the same acre. There is no limit to the transformative benefits and value it brings. Los Angeles and San Francisco provide two very different laboratories for that idea, informing how we work every day.”

Jan Dyer, PLA, ASLA, Principal
“Infrastructure work is my favorite because it shows we are in it for the long haul. A river project or a transit corridor can take a decade from the plan’s approval to opening day, and we stay with it – through the agency shifts, the funding cycles, and the construction. Advocating for the impact is worth it every time.”

Megan Horn, ASLA, Principal
“Advocacy means giving a voice to communities, ecosystems, and future generations not represented when decisions get made. Every project is a chance to strengthen ecological systems and expand access to nature. The best solutions come from listening to residents, scientists, Tribal partners, and the people who maintain a place. Done well, the landscape itself becomes the advocate.”

Dawn Dyer, PLA, ASLA, LEED AP, Principal
“Our culture is rooted in community, the environment, and design excellence. We enjoy every part of the process, the collaborations, the back-and-forth, the visioning to construction and stewardship. We’re not afraid to get our hands dirty. That legacy of thinking big and pushing boundaries comes from Mia and continues to shape who we are as a studio.”

This evolution is by design – a belief in shared leadership and a collaborative future built on design excellence, environmental stewardship, and lasting partnerships. We look forward to continuing this work with clients and collaborators, bringing the same rigor, responsiveness, and commitment that have always defined the practice.

Studio-MLA works around the world from offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The firm has been recognized with the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum National Design Award in Landscape Architecture and named one of Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies. From restoring active riverways and waterfronts to designing resilient parks, schools, transit, campuses, and cultural landmarks, the studio’s work connects people, community, and nature. Today, the portfolio includes the recovery of Eaton Canyon Natural Area following the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, the transformation of Puente Hills Landfill, the second largest landfill in the nation, into a regional park, the FIFA World Cup matches at SoFi Stadium, and the opening of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art at Exposition Park in September 2026.