Zhanina is a passionate architect and a committed equity advocate. She joined LWA in 2014 and has contributed to the design of several campus and infrastructure projects including the Harvard University District Energy Facility and the John W. Olver Design Building at UMass Amherst. Zhanina cares about creating welcoming places for meaningful gathering and celebration regardless of typology. She has taught at BAC and been a guest critic at Harvard GSD, Northeastern, Wentworth, Mount Holyoke College and Kuwait University. In 2019, Zhanina co-chaired Architects Newspaper Facades+ Boston conference together with Kevin Bell AIA.

Zhanina is one of the office leaders in equity and diversity. She led the firm’s efforts on receiving JUST labels. In 2017, Zhanina co-founded Girl UNinterrupted Project with fellow colleague Juliet Chun AIA, aiming to bridge the gap between emerging professionals and leaders in architecture. The research project has been internationally recognized and awarded the 2019 Beverly Willis Tribune Award. Zhanina currently serves as a Director-at-Large at Boston Society for Architecture.