Eric Johnson

Principal and Founder

As a second generation lighting designer, Eric Johnson’s career spans over forty years. After working in the family lighting business since high school (Artistic Lighting & Electric), which included years of lighting design, manufacturing and installation of framing projectors, and later working as a lighting designer with Spectrum Engineering in Salt Lake City, Eric established his own firm, Eric Johnson Lighting Design, in 1995. In 2000, he created Eric Johnson Associates, Inc.  and began hiring a team of lighting, controls and CAD professionals. As the team continued to grow, in 2019 Eric Johnson Associates, Inc., became EJA Lighting Design, Inc.

Eric’s areas of expertise include lighting for traditional to contemporary architecture, designing sophisticated lighting control systems,  evaluating the latest energy efficient lighting products/technology, and incorporating them into his designs.

Eric has collaborated with world-renown architects and designers, managed projects across the U.S. and abroad, and has advised many lighting manufacturers and lighting technology companies on product design, functionality and technical viability. His work consistently wins respect from colleagues and has garnered a solid reputation in the lighting design industry.

Awards

2022 SF Lux Awards

– Award of Excellence – St. Joseph’s Art Society, San Francisco
– Awards of Merit – Interior, Outdoor, Control Innovation, Energy and Environmental Design – St. Joseph’s Art Society, SF

2022 San Francisco Section IES Illumination Awards

– Awards of Merit: Interior, Energy & Environmental, Lighting Control Innovation
– St. Joseph’s Art Society, San Francisco

2020 SF Lux Awards
– Award of Merit: Interior Lighting – Kua Bay

2020 California Preservation Design
– Award for Historic Preservation – St. Joseph’s Art Society, San Francisco

2019 SF Lux Awards
– Award of Distinction: First Place – Silver Oak Winery, Alexander Valley
– Award of Merit: Energy & Environmental Design – Silver Oak Winery, Alexander Valley

2019 San Francisco Section IES Illumination Awards
– Awards of Merit: Exterior, Interior, Energy & Environmental Design – Silver Oak Winery, Alexander Valley

2019 IES Illumination Awards
– Award of Excellence, Interior Lighting Design – Silver Oak Winery, Alexander Valley

Professional Affiliations
Member of Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) since 1996

Portfolio of Published Work
Architectural Digest, Town & Country, Designer’s West, Global Architecture, Architectural Record, Elle Décor, Western Interiors & Design, San Francisco Chronicle Magazine, Home Lighting & Control

Kimberly Johnson

Co-Owner and General Manager

Kimberly joined EJA in March 2000 as the first office manager. Her prior work experience includes Fair Isaac & Co. where she was a product marketing manager, Tandem Computers as a retail industry marketing manager and other software companies throughout the Bay Area where she held various marketing positions. She currently manages all Finance/Accounting, Operations, HR, Marketing, and contract negotiations at EJA.

Kimberly holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida with an emphasis in Marketing. When she isn’t working, she enjoys hiking with her dogs, doing yoga and traveling around northern California.

Markus Wolf

Associate Principal

Markus joined EJA in February 2000 as the first Associate, while finishing his Bachelor of Arts degree in Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. He was promoted to Senior Associate in the Spring of 2005 and to Associate Principal in January 2018. Markus is LC-certified and has managed countless high-end residential and commercial projects, supervising all phases of the lighting design. His recent projects include managing the lighting design at several high end wineries.

Markus’s prior experience in custom lighting manufacturing brought specialized product knowledge to the EJA team. In addition, Markus brings an extraordinary attention to detail to every project in which he is involved. He has been a member of the IESNA since 2005.

When Markus isn’t working, he enjoys biking and hiking on Mt. Tam and staying informed on the latest automotive technology.

Awards

2019 SF Lux Awards
– Award of Distinction: First Place – Silver Oak Winery, Alexander Valley
– Award of Merit: Energy & Environmental Design – Silver Oak Winery, Alexander Valley

2019 San Francisco Section IES Illumination Awards
– Awards of Merit: Exterior, Interior, Energy & Environmental Design – Silver Oak Winery, Alexander Valley

2019 IES Illumination Awards
– Award of Excellence, Interior Lighting Design
– Silver Oak Winery, Alexander Valley

Margit Yasukawa

Associate Principal

Margit joined EJA in December 2005 as an Associate, was promoted to Senior Associate in the Spring of 2011, and to Associate Principal in January 2018. She brought 20 years of lighting experience to the team, formerly working at Bay Lighting & Design. She also worked at Casella Lighting for many years where her range of experience included showroom management, sales and specifying decorative fixtures for many residential and commercial projects. Margit brings an amazing amount of energy and positive attitude to the many projects she manages.

Margit holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Design from the University of California, Davis, and is an American Lighting Association Certified Lighting Consultant and Lighting Specialist. She has served as a board member and officer of The Lighting Forum and has been a member of the IESNA since 2007.

Awards

2022 SF Lux Awards
– Award of Excellence – St. Joseph’s Art Society, San Francisco
– Awards of Merit – Interior, Outdoor, Control Innovation, Energy and Environmental Design – St. Joseph’s Art Society, SF

2022 San Francisco Section IES Illumination Awards
– Awards of Merit: Interior, Energy & Environmental, Lighting Control Innovation – St. Joseph’s Art Society, San Francisco

2020 SF Lux Awards
– Award of Merit: Interior Lighting – Kua Bay

2020 California Preservation Design
– Award for Historic Preservation – St. Joseph’s Art Society, San Francisco

Oliver Trixl

Senior Associate Lighting Designer

Oliver joined EJA as an Associate in February 2015 with over 7 years of experience in the electrical field & in programming lighting control systems, and he was promoted to Senior Associate in the Fall of 2021. He is EJA’s lighting controls guru. While managing his own lighting design projects, he also designs clients’ control systems and creates their initial programming. Oliver is “Steady Eddie” –  even the toughest projects don’t rattle him.

Oliver is LC-certified and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, a Bachelor of Arts in German and a law degree from Vermont School of Law. He has been a member of the IESNA since 2015.

Jonathan Snyder

Associate Lighting Designer

Jonathan joined EJA in August of 2020 as an Associate, bringing 18 years of experience in the lighting industry as a designer, controls specialist and project manager. From 2002 until the recession, he co-owned SJ Design, a lighting design/custom AV firm. His recent past includes positions as Northern CA commercial controls sales rep for Leviton, and controls system engineer/CALCTP Title 24 acceptance tester for Bay Area lighting rep firm 16500.

Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Math, Computer Science, and Physics from Plymouth State University in New Hampshire, spends much of his free time composing/recording music, and loves hiking and exploring the west with his family. Jonathan has been a member of IESNA since 2016.

Kaia Kim

Associate Lighting Designer

Kaia Kim joined EJA Lighting as an Associate in January 2022. Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, she received her BA in Environmental Design from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and brings 14 years of combined experience as a Lighting Designer at Williams Sonoma and Senior Leader at Restoration Hardware.

Kaia gives back to the community by teaching young children about Korean culture, language and arts. In her leisure time, she and her small family enjoys organic gardening, cooking, hiking local trails and travelling.

Travis Jernigan

Production Design Associate

Travis joined EJA in April 2012 as a CAD Technician with many years of experience as a systems design engineer, designing and drafting low voltage systems for a home automation company. He was promoted to Senior CAD Technician in December 2016. He was promoted again in February 2023 to Production Design Associate. In his prior experience he was also a systems designer with a commercial HVAC control company and a mechanical engineering firm. He has had specialized instruction in AutoCAD / 3D / Revit / AGI32 / T24 & Electrical Training / Certifications programs.

When not at work, Travis enjoys overlanding & RV camping with his amazing dog Loki.

Yoko Dungca

CAD Technician

Yoko joined EJA in November 2021 as a CAD Technician. She has many years of experience as an Interior Designer for various architectural and interior design firms in New York, California and Tokyo, Japan.  Her specialty is in corporate and hospitality design.

Yoko has a Bachelors degree in Sociology from Sophia University in Tokyo and an Associates degree in Interior Design from Parsons School of Design in New York City. Her spare time is usually spent at a beach relaxing with her husband and two children.