DERIVI CASTELLANOS ARCHITECTS - Key Persons
Chris Brown, Chief Operating Officer, has 25 years' experience in higher education as a Vice President of Administration as well as a Chief Facilities Officer, in the Community College system as well as the California State University system. His background gives him a unique combination of experience and expertise regarding finance and facilities in the educational sector. Chris oversaw many projects from planning to construction, as well as multiple master planning efforts. Chris has the background to help DCA better understand the challenges our education clients face, as well as fully understanding what they need from us as a Client.
Job Titles:
- MANAGING PARTNER
- Managing Partner for DCA
As Managing Partner for DCA, Juan Barroso brings more than 18 years of professional experience and a strong background in civil engineering, city planning and business management. He is highly skilled in the areas of cost estimating, value engineering and design management, and has worked on complex projects ranging from water/wastewater design and high-tech manufacturing facilities, to commercial offices and educational buildings. For the past 10 years, Juan has focused primarily on public K-12 education design/construction, and has been involved in more than 200 successful projects. Clients describe Juan as a talented and dedicated professional who is deeply committed to their success.
Job Titles:
- SENIOR PRINCIPAL
- Member of the DCA Leadership Team
As a Senior Principal Architect and the newest member of the DCA leadership team, Ramon Gomez brings more than 16 years of professional design experience and a diverse portfolio of education projects. His background includes working on LEED and CHPS certified facilities, as well as projects with design-build and lease-leaseback delivery methods. Ramon's ability to understand his clients' needs, combined with his expertise with technical issues, is instrumental in delivering solutions that are not just on time and budget, but also provide the best value to DCA's clients.
Job Titles:
- FOUNDING PARTNER and FORMER STATE ARCHITECT
- Founding Partner of DCA
As the Founding Partner of DCA, Steve Castellanos provides senior leadership to the firm. He has more than 40 years of industry experience, is a highly-respected professional in California architecture, and is an expert on educational projects. After 40 years in practice and hundreds of successful K-12 projects to his credit, Steve was selected as State Architect, where he led the Division of State Architect (DSA) from 2000-2005. During this time, he worked to streamline the organization and improve its attention to the needs of its constituent school districts. Steve also made incredible progress in moving public construction in California towards Integrated Project Delivery and high-performing building standards.