03/20/2026
Juanita Li brings a rare breadth of experience to her work and a passion for how ideas and the built environment connect. Raised in a Milwaukee suburb by an architect father who turned neighborhood walks into design lessons, Juanita grew up with a deep understanding of design and an appreciation for the arts. Before finding her way to architecture, she explored biomedical and industrial engineering, earned her K-12 teaching certificate, homeschooled her two children, and through all of this, discovered that designing buildings was the discipline that pulled all her interests together.
She holds a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University, an MS in Industrial Engineering from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an MArch with a certificate in Urban Design from the University of Maryland College Park. Prior to joining DD, she worked on health sciences academic buildings and completed internships in both residential and regional planning practices. She was also a 2025 scholar in the AIA DC Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program.
At DD, Juanita is excited to work holistically across project types and scales, bringing her systems thinking, design instincts, and genuine enthusiasm for problem-solving to every project. Outside the office, she directs her passion toward art and music, including playing five different instruments, singing, designing and creating knitwear, and staying active as a member of her church. Her professional bucket list includes one day designing a mass timber project for a small chapel.
