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Laura Knauss

President and Chief Practice Officer, Lionakis

In the four decades that Laura Knauss has been practicing architecture, a lot has changed. In the late 1980s when Knauss began her career, women were woefully underrepresented in the field. Now women make up nearly one third of all architects and almost half of all candidates pursuing a license.

The Chicago native recalls her first interview with Lionakis, Sacramento’s oldest and largest architecture firm. She was married to a young architect employed at the firm, Nick Docous, and was also three months pregnant. Knauss and Docous met in graduate school at the University of Illinois and headed west to California after graduation. The firm had never hired a married couple, and the practice was typically frowned upon.

“People weren’t sure how that would all work,” says Knauss. “And let’s be honest, they also weren’t sure how long a pregnant woman could hang in the profession.” But Knauss had a talent for designing schools, and Lionakis was looking for that skill set. They took a chance and hired her, despite their initial misgivings. “I was pretty determined to make sure it was successful so they wouldn’t shy away from it again,” she says. Thirty-four years later, Knauss now leads Lionakis as its president and chief practice officer.

Knauss says her passion for the education market was ignited by early mentor Gordon King, the former co-founder of Stafford King Wiese Architects. “He was a very big personality, so when he took me under his wing, it felt like a really big deal,” she says. Since that time, Knauss points to colleagues she leans on. “There are people in leadership here that I have learned to complement myself with and backfill my weaknesses, and they are my tribe.”

Knauss is known for being authentic and honest, but not unkind. She prefers plain language with clear objectives and accountability. “I’ve been here a long time. Everybody knows me and trusts that I keep practice front and center,” she says.

“There’s a point in your career where you have put in enough time to be able to add your voice to the greater conversation and enough experience to explain the issues.”

Despite adding the president title last year and the chief practice officer role two years ago, Knauss still maintains practice responsibilities in the education market with clients and projects. As chief practice officer, she oversees the firm’s five practice areas: the healthcare, education and civic markets, and the engineering and interior design services. As president, her biggest responsibilities revolve around driving vision and strategy, including setting the big picture.

“I do a little bit of everything, but the primary pieces are about establishing the vision, going through the process of endorsement from the team, and then driving those initiatives to see them through. Inspiring our team is a big part of what I do,” she says.

Outside of work, Knauss lends her expertise to several organizations. She volunteers with the River City Food Bank and is currently undertaking a pro bono project to expand the Midtown site. She also serves on the AIA California Executive Board and the California Architectural Foundation. “There’s a point in your career where you have put in enough time to be able to add your voice to the greater conversation and enough experience to explain the issues,” she laughs. She and her husband also enjoy traveling and spending time with their two adult children.

Over the next few years, Knauss will be identifying her successor at Lionakis and establishing a transition plan that will include some overlap. “Like any growing organization, sometimes it takes multiple people to fill the same skill set as one leader, because everybody has different strengths. I believe in playing to people’s strengths and not worrying too much about their weaknesses if they have the right DNA and the right attitude,” she says. “I would much rather pair people together to make a better whole.”  

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