As Director of Cultural Resources, Margarita manages and conducts a wide range of technical studies in support of environmental compliance projects, developed preservation and conservation plans, and implemented preservation treatment projects for public and private clients throughout California and the United States.

Margarita has over 30 years of professional practice in the United States with an extensive background in historic preservation, architectural history, art history and decorative arts, and historical archaeology. She specializes in Visual Art and Culture, 19th-20th Century American Architecture, Modern and Contemporary Architecture, Architectural Theory and Criticism, Urbanism, and Cultural Landscape, and is a regional expert on Southern California architecture.

Margarita holds a Bachelor of Art in art history from Oberlin College, a Master of Art in architectural history from the University of Virginia, and a PhD in art history from the University of California, Los Angeles.