R. Steven Lewis is a Principal at ZGF Architects based in Los Angeles, California. He is also the founder of Thinking Leadership, a consulting practice built on collaborative problem-solving that enhances clients’ ability to achieve superior outcomes. His expertise as an architect, planner, project/program manager, and leader within the design and construction industry provides clients with a deep reservoir of experience and strategic insight.

Since launching Thinking Leadership in April 2011, Mr. Lewis has led and contributed to a range of impactful projects, including convening a prestigious Mayors Institute on City Design in Birmingham, Alabama, and authoring an urban design report focused on 10 Los Angeles light rail station areas identified for promotion through First Lady Michelle Obama’s Project reNEW (Nutrition, Exercise, Wellness).

He was appointed by LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas to the Urban Design Review Committee overseeing Phase 2 of the Exposition Light Rail Line. He was also appointed by LA Council Member Jan Perry to serve on the Arts Oversight Committee for the planned Downtown Los Angeles football stadium.

In 1984, alongside partners Roland Wiley and Steven Lott, Mr. Lewis co-founded RAW International. During his time there, he managed key clients including Pacific Bell, Kaiser Permanente, and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). After two decades of helping build RAW into a successful design practice, he joined the Office of the Chief Architect with the U.S. General Services Administration in Washington, D.C. in 2004.

In 2008, he returned to Los Angeles to join Pasadena-based Parsons Corporation as a Principal Project Manager, where he worked on a range of programs including the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency and the U.S. Postal Service.