Our Team
Chief executive officer
James Losee
As a Florida native, James has been a trailblazer in the home design industry for over 24 years. He has an extensive background in structural steel, engineered lumber, and trusses. Through the years James has acquired a wealth of knowledge in the building sector from building codes, environmental practices, the ins and outs of the different building departments, as well as the trends in home construction. He opened this business as a one-man operation in 2008, overcoming the crash. James has been relentless in following his dream to become the local provider for luxury home designs. He is currently pursuing his Architectural License. It is his drive and knowledge that has led the business to grow into a now thriving Architecture Firm providing complete home plans to builders, homeowners, and developers alike. James continues to be the person many local builders rely on, as well as a mentor and teacher to his team.
Chief Operating Officer
Christina Bucknell
Growing up in the building industry, Christina learned the ins and outs at an early age. Her father and grandfather were both skilled carpenters and she spent her summers helping them on building projects. During college, she worked as an office manager for a local builder. After working for 8 years as an office manager she worked as an Operations Manager for a home improvement company. While there she spearheaded a team of over 30 people, establishing the company and managing all aspects of it for over 5 years. Upon relocating to Florida, she managed another local company where she sourced materials for their upscale clients, as well as managed the showroom and staff. Christina is now an instrumental part of JTL Architects, managing the day-to-day operations.
Vice President, lead Designer
Yihia Qandil
Yihia is a talented designer from Egypt. In 2018 he completed his double B.Sc. degree in Architectural Engineering from MSA University in Egypt and the University of Greenwich in London with honors. During his studies, he was also the founder of a model-making cooperation and led a team in several projects. Yihia has participated in many international, United Nations-sponsored competitions and has been awarded several times. Recently, his project was one of the top 20 shortlisted out of 123 entries worldwide. Yihia’s perception and skill allows him to create detailed, extraordinary designs.
Senior Architect - AR-101055
Joseph Johnson, Ph.D., R.A., N.C.A.R.B.
A graduate of UNC-Charlotte with a Bachelor’s of Architecture. Joe launched a business in North Carolina. There he thrived with design and planning for multiple types of buildings. Over his 39 year career he specialized in single and multi-family housing with hospitality and pool structures that came to define many neighborhoods. His extensive and varied experience includes the Ingram Planetarium, luxury mansions, exquisite waterfront and oceanfront homes, several oceanfront hotels, luxury high rise condominiums, conference centers, over 39 churches, and the Veterans Memorial at Sunset Beach Park.
Architect - ar-99108
Andy kelly
Originally hailing from Michigan, Andy is a licensed architect and interior designer. After receiving his BS and Master of Architecture degrees from the University of Michigan, he went on to live and work in Vail, Colorado and the Bay Area of California prior to settling down in Sarasota. Solely focused on residential architecture, Andy works with clients to weave together all the elements that transform house into home. These collaborative relationships foster fresh ideas, inspired creativity, and ultimately, thoughtful, meaningful results.
Project manager
Katherine D.
Katherine has 20 years of experience on the cutting edge of architecture, art, interior design and construction. She has worked on both commercial and residential projects throughout the South – East and West Coast of Florida providing high-quality designs as well as exterior and interior views for residential & commercial spaces. Katherine creates spaces which are modern, sophisticated and functional. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Universidad Piloto de Colombia, and she also studied Arts at the Instituto de Bellas Artes, Colombia.
Katherine comes to JTL as a project manager. She oversees a project from start to finish-exterior to interior and has the skill to convert the interior space into exactly what clients are looking for.
Interior Designer
Allison Volkmar
Allison attended Radford University in Radford, Virginia for Interior Design and Marketing. She later graduated from Trident Technical College in Charleston, South Carolina for Engineering Design Graphics. She began her career working for retail companies creating floor plans and staging spaces. She has worked for a custom furniture company where she created floor plans and designed handmade furniture using Sketchup, AutoCAD and Revit. She enjoys meeting with clients and making their projects come to life.
.jpg)
Landscape Designer
Andrea Carvalho
Andrea graduated from The University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil with a Bachelor of Architecture degree. She later attended Koln University in Germany, earning her Master’s Degree in Architectural Exhibitions and Landscape Designs. Over her 40-year career she has worked in many branches of architecture in both Brazil and Germany. She also ran her own business for 22 years in which she accumulated a large variety of experiences with single family homes as well as commercial building design.
Project Designer
Thiago Braga
Thiago is a talented designer who graduated from UNIVIX – Faculdade Brasileira in 2012. He worked for over 5 years on architectural projects designing, as well as building, in the City of Nanuque, Brazil. He came to the United States in 2017 where he has been working ever since. Thiago has extensive experience with AutoCAD and Sketchup. He is very talented in the use of 3Ds Max, creating photorealistic images of projects with both the exterior and interior view.
Project Designer
Bruna Assis
Bruna is a graduate of the University of Vale, in Brazil. She worked as a Civil Engineer until she came to the US in 2021. Her extensive knowledge and education, as well as hands-on experience in AutoCAD and Revit have given her the skill set to be a successful project designer within the team.
Project Designer
Maitlyn Fitz
A Pittsburgh native, Maitlyn holds a bachelor’s degree in Architectural Studies from Kent State University. Following graduation, she interned in multiple firms in sunny Santa Barbara, California working on residential, commercial, and public works projects. For the last few years, she has gained experience in steel construction. Now she is returning to her true passion of residential design. She has an extensive background of drafting and modeling in AutoCAD, Rhino 3D and Revit. She enjoys the creative process and seeing ideas evolve into realities.
Project Designer
Hazem M Nagi
Hazem graduated from the Civil Engineering Department of Helwan University in Egypt and now works as a teaching assistant there. He is currently working on a master's degree in structural engineering. He has worked on many residential projects as well as infrastructure projects such bridges. Hazem now works part time for JTL as well, assisting with the structural phase of project plans.
Office Assistant
Melayne Messinger
Melayne is a Sarasota Native. Her grandfather, father and brother are all in the Steel business locally, so construction has been a huge part of her life since she was just a child. Melayne works for JTL as well as our sister company AIG, where she brings in her extensive customer service skills to assist clients with permitting and private provider inspection services.
Receptionist
Alina pleshakov
Alina was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. She graduated from Mt. Hood Community College in 2020 with an Associate degree and is currently attending Portland State University for a bachelor's in Business Technology, Analytics, and Human Resources. Alina is dedicated to providing the highest quality of customer service to our clients.