Sonny Ward Honored with 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award
Alumni Sonny Ward has received the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award from Woodbury School of Architecture. Sonny is a licensed California architect originally from Pelahatchie, MS. He founded June Street Architecture in 2009. Sonny’s work has been recognized in multiple architecture and design outlets, including Architectural Digest and Luxe Magazine, 1000x Architecture of the Americas. In testament to the broad reach of his design work, the work of JSA has also been featured in publications such as Newsweek, International Business Times and Wall Street Journal. In addition to serving on the School of Archietcture’s Board of Advisors, where he acts as Chair, Sonny also serves on the boards of the National Center on Adoption and Permanency, and the Family Equality Council.
Sonny has been a generous supporter of Woodbury since 2008, and is a champion in particular of ACE, the Agency for Civic Engagement program. He and his husband Michael Lombardo, established the Ward-Lombardo Scholarship for students. For several years Sonny taught ACE design/build studios with Jeanine Centuori. He is also the architect of the new Materials Testing Lab. As Dean Ingalill Wahlroos-Ritter stated, “His infectious warmth and joie de vivre draws out the best in each of us. He exemplifies the distinguished citizen architect who believes that good design is a human right, which is what we aspire to for each of our alumni.”
As an architecture studio located in West Hollywood, California, JSA is known best for its thorough design process that involves and informs clients every step of the way. Throughout planning and design, JSA works closely with each client to understand their creative vision and goals. Subsequently, JSA provides spaces that are thoughtfully elegant, detailed, sensitive to the surrounding environment, and mindful of the clients’ needs and budgets.
Sonny holds a B.Arch. from Woodbury University and a M.Arch. from UCLA. He lives in Los Angeles, CA with his husband and two children.