Mitra Esfandiari, AIA, is a licensed architect and Partner of RDC, an award-winning architecture, planning, and interiors practice dedicated to making everyday places extraordinary. Headquartered in Long Beach and founded in 1979, RDC has offices located in Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Northwest Arkansas, and Washington DC.
Mitra leads the architecture team in award-winning experiential retail, mixed-use commercial, wellness and entertainment projects with sensitivity to Placemaking. These projects have become meaningful destinations for people to shop, work, play and live, while creating financial success for clients. Her collaborative leadership style and partnership with clients, consultants, and staff are noteworthy keys to her success.
Under her leadership, RDC’s recent design awards include 2024 SCDF Award in Design & Philanthropy for the adaptation of Rivian South Coast Theatre in Laguna Beach, and Gold Nugget Awards for Rivian Joshua Tree, Texas Medical Center Retail District and a ground up luxury Kinective Fitness Center in Plano, TX.
Mitra became the firm’s first female principal in 2010 and engages in leadership at the highest level, including serving on the firm’s Board of Directors and as the Chair of the firm’s REDI (Racial Equity Diversity and Inclusion) committee. Mitra spearheaded for RDC a Dine & Dialogue series of dinners, focused on women in leadership. She has earned acclaim as a 2023 Los Angeles Business Journal Woman of Influence in Construction, Engineering and Architecture, 2022 Los Angeles Times Woman of Influence and as one of GlobeSt.’s 2020 Women of Influence.
She is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Architecture from the University of Washington and a Master’s Degree in Architecture from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. She has completed Post-Professional Studies in Architecture and Urban Design at the University of California, Los Angeles. For more on RDC, visit www.rdcollaborative.com or follow along on Instagram or Linkedin.
