Marcela Oliva

Marcela Oliva is a distinguished architect and educator renowned for her innovative contributions to smart cities and digital twins. Honored with the “Government Innovation” award in 2016 at the International Bentley Systems event in London, she leads the LATTC Architecture Program, securing the National Park Grant in 2018 and guiding students to success at the JUNK Battle PANDO POPULOUS Design Competition. With degrees from USC, Columbia, and Harvard, she received the 2022 AIA LA Presidential Award for Educator of the Year in 2024 and saw LATTC named the organization of the year by the Los Angeles Business Journal. Her expertise in smart cities, leveraging digital twins to enhance urban planning and social mobility, is evident in her decade-long role as the Knowledge Architect for the $12 billion Los Angeles Community College District Building Program, where she spearheaded the nation’s largest Digital Twin/Virtualization BIM/GIS System. Recognized by awards like the California Governor’s Award in Geospatial Technologies, her work at NASA and as a professor integrates biomimicry and advances education through multiple organization and universities.