Practice Disrupted by Practice of Architecture

Replay: Latina Voices in Practice“Why is it that the largest community of color within the US still makes up such a small percentage of the profession?” ~ACSA Hispanic & Latinx in ArchitectureFour leaders in the profession share their diverse perspectives on race, equity, and architecture.Practice Disrupted is committed to elevating conversations on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion to teach, empower, and build greater awareness across the industry. Building from prior diversity conversations, this week we learn about Hispanic & Latinx in Architecture.Guest:Venesa Alicea-Chuqui, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, an Architect, Educator and Advocate, is Founding Principal of NYVARCH Architecture, a NYC based collaborative Architectural Practice focused on building community and equity through design.  With over 15 years of experience designing multi-family sustainable affordable, and supportive housing developments and civic projects, she is committed to working with local communities to develop good design, both sustainable and socially conscious. She’s the Vice Chair of Outreach to the AIA Small Firm Exchange and President of the Architecture Alumni Group of the Alumni Association of the City College of New York, her alma mater (B.Arch ‘05), where she has also taught the Coop Internship and Professional Practice classes. Committed to design justice in the built environment, she’s an active contributor to Dark Matter University, Design as Protest, and a former co-chair to the AIANY Diversity & Inclusion and Emerging New York Architects committees. She is past chair of the AIANY Puerto Rico Resiliency task force, an active member of the AIANY Planning and Urban Design Committee, and a 2019 Fellow of the Association for Community Design.Siboney Diaz-Sánchez is an affordable housing advocate and the community engagement administrator for the City of San Antonio's Neighborhood and Housing Services Department. She serves as a NOMA Empowerment Committee Co-Chair, organizes with Design As Protest Planning and Policy Committee, and is proud to teach Community Practice at The Boston Architectural College. In 2021 she joined the Association for Community Design board of directors.  Prior to returning to San Antonio Siboney was an Enterprise Rose Fellow and project/design manager at Opportunities Communities in the Boston area working for two non-profit community development corporations, The Neighborhood Developers and Nuestra Comunidad.  While in Boston she developed design standards for affordable housing, helped secure funding for a low income housing tax credit housing development, led a community engagement process for a public arts park and served on the Boston Society of Architects board of directors. Siboney insists creative fields are viable vehicles for social change and believes in just redistribution of systemic power through design. She is committed to prioritizing community voices in design processes.She is a licensed architect in the state of Texas and holds her Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University.  Vanessa Smith Torres is a Puerto Rican born Architect based in Miami, FL. Vanessa received a Bachelors from Northeastern University and a Master of Architecture from Tulane University.  She has worked on award winning projects in various market sectors - from Hospitality to Education. Vanessa is a Project Architect at Perkins&Will and Adjunct Instructor at Florida Atlantic University. Committed to building a more equitable profession, Vanessa has served on the National Organization of Minority Architects Chapter boards in South Florida (SoFloNOMA) and Louisiana (NOMALA). She is the Immediate Past President of SoFloNOMA and currently serves as Chapter Director of AIA Miami and co-chair of the Women in Architecture Committee.Alicia Ponce is the Founder and Principal of APMonarch, a Chicago based Female and Latina owned Architecture firm.Under Alicia’s direction, the firm provides architectural services, community engagement and sustainability consulting for projects throughout the Midwest and Mexico. Her expertise and passion to design healthy buildings and equitable communities support many clients in creating architecture that is ambitious, thoughtful and healthy. APMonarch provides these services to a diverse group of sectors that includes Commercial, Higher-Education, Civic, Healthcare, and Non-Profits.Alicia refers to APMonarch as the pollinator of the built environment designing healthy environments that look good, feel good and perform great. The firm’s promise is to build zero carbon architecture. Demonstrating that promise is Alicia’s recent architecture commission to design Centro Amazing, a civic youth center located in Aguascalientes, Mexico which is to be constructed from rammed earth.A registered architect in Illinois and Wisconsin, Alicia has over 20 years of architecture and sustainability experience. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and studied at the Ecole d’Architecture in Versailles, France.Alicia currently serves on the Chicago Landmarks Commission and the United Way Metro Chicago Executive Board. Creator of the award-winning book Latinas in Architecture – raising the 1% one Latina a time, she is the founder and chair of Arquitina, a national non-profit organization with a mission to raise the number of licensed Latina architects in the U.S. 📍 Show Links: AIA MiamiAIA New York Diversity and InclusionAIA New York Emerging ArchitectsAIA Small Firm ExchangeAPMonarchArquitinaAssociation for Community DesignBoston Society of ArchitectsChicago Landmarks CommissionCity College of New YorkCornell AAPDark Matter UniversityDesign as ProtestFlorida Atlantic UniversityThe Neighborhood DevelopersNOMANOMA LouisianaNOMA South FloridaNortheastern UniversityNuestra ComunidadNYARCH ArchitectureOpportunities CommunitiesPerkins&WillTulane UniversityUnited Way Metro Chicago📚 Continue Learning:Latinas in Architecture: Stories of raising the 1% one Latina at a timeWhere are my People? Hispanic & Latinx in Architecture📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social:Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter

Replay: 2022 AIA Whitney M. Young Jr. Honor Award RIDING THE VORTEXWhat lessons on architecture, practice, and change can we learn from AIA Whitney M. Young Jr. Honor Award Recipients Kathryn Prigmore, Kathy Dixon, Katherine Williams, and Melissa Daniel?Named for civil rights leader Whitney M. Young Jr., the AIA Whitney M. Young Jr. Honor Award distinguishes an architect or architectural organization that embodies social responsibility and actively addresses a relevant issue, such as affordable housing, inclusiveness, or universal access. Architects and design leaders Kathryn Tyler Prigmore, FAIA; Kathy Denise Dixon, FAIA; Katherine Williams, AIA; and Melissa R. Daniel, Assoc. AIA are the winners of this year’s award for their leadership in advancing educational programming to support and increase the number of people of color licensed to practice architecture in the U.S.According to the American Institute of Architects, “The number of practicing African-American architects had been a stagnant 2% in recent decades. In the early 1990s, there were just 1,800 licensed African-American architects in the country, and only 30 of them were women. As of the summer of 2021, those numbers have grown to 2,435 and 533, respectively, and VORTEX has been a major catalyst in the 254% growth in African-American women architects.”This episode includes the stories of the VORTEX collaborators, as well as a candid discussion about their careers, what inspires them, and their work to build this program.Guests:Kathryn Prigmore, FAIA, NOMAC, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, CDT is an architect, educator, and design practice leader with an inimitable understanding of the dynamics that impact the management of firms from the perspective of an architect, academic, and regulator. She has over 40 years of design and management experience for award-winning architectural projects of a wide range of sizes, types and delivery methods executed for private and public clients within diverse practice environments. Her academic leadership includes teaching experience in sustainable design. As an award-winning strategic thinker and planner, she is also a leader in regulatory issues and professional ethics. Kathryn is skilled at growing staff into leaders. Kathy Denise Dixon was born in Baltimore and grew up in Harford County, Maryland. She is a graduate of Howard University School of Architecture and attended UCLA matriculating with a Master's degree in Urban Planning in 1993. Kathy has been a licensed architect since 1998 and started the firm K Dixon Architecture, PLLC in 2003. She acquired legacy firm Walton Madden Cooper Robinson Poness in 2016. Kathy is a past president of the National Organization of Minority Architects and was elevated to Fellow in the American Institute of Architects in 2017.  She is also the co-author of the book titled “The Business of Architecture: Your Guide to a Financially Successful Firm” published in December 2017. Katherine Williams, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP is a licensed architect in Northern Virginia and currently a Senior Project Manager at a DC university. Her career path includes work in traditional architecture firms, community development, and managing commercial construction for a general contractor. Katherine has written extensively about the architecture profession, diversity in the industry, and community development. She has served as editor for multiple publications and was the NOMA magazine editor from 2009-2014. She writes at katherinerw.com and is publisher/editor for archstories.com.Melissa R. Daniel is an architectural designer in Maryland, and the creator and host of the Architecture is Political, a podcast where Black and Brown folks have a conversation about architecture. She served as executive co-chair of the 2017 AIA Women’s Leadership Summit, and was a recipient of a 2018 AIA Associates Award. 📍 Show Links:RIDING THE VORTEX - AIABlack Women in Architecture Network (Show your support through a financial contribution that will help support their initiatives!)Kathryn PrigmoreK Dixon ArchitectureKatherine WilliamsMelissa R Daniel Follow Melissa on Twitter 📚 Continue Learning:‘I Was the 14th African-American Woman Architect in the U.S.’ — by George (georgetowndcblog.com)'Accelerating Success: Kathryn Tyler Prigmore on Mentoring and Volunteering for Impact' — Madame ArchitectArch Stories, A collection of stories from architects.The Desiree V. Cooper (DVC) Memorial ScholarshipArchitecture is PoliticalThe National Organization of Minority Architects📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social:Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter

Replay: Southeast Asian American ArchitectsLeaders of the profession share diverse perspectives on race, equity, and architecture.Practice Disrupted is committed to elevating conversations on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion to teach, empower, and build greater awareness across the industry. Building from prior diversity conversations, this week we learn about Southeast Asian Architects. Guests:Meghana Joshi, AIA, NOMA is a strong proponent of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Justice in the architecture profession. At SoCal NOMA, she is a Director of Outreach and Recruitment for Project Pipeline and works towards increasing minority representation in architecture through summer camps for middle and high school students. She founded AIA Orange County’s Women in Architecture Committee in 2015 to give a platform for Orange County firms to meaningfully contribute towards the improvement of professional conditions for women in architecture. She joined AIA Orange County’s Board of Directors in 2019 and founded EDI+J Committee to increase minority representation through mentorship in leadership. She founded “Project Amplify” to amplify voices and works of minority architects in the AEC industry. She is an active member of ULI-OC/IE’s Office and Commercial Product Council. She is currently engaged in bringing ULI’s Urban Plan program to educate underrepresented demographics and communities. She is also an active member and advocate for “Belong at Little” – Little’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Task Force.Suyama Bodhinayake, Assoc. AIA diverse experience in architecture spans three continents, shaping his commitment to design excellence, sustainability and service. He currently resides and works in Southern California. Throughout his career, Suyama appreciates the opportunities to contribute to international and national award-winning projects, as well as the opportunities to serve the profession through a variety of leadership roles within the AIA. Since 2018, he has been a member of the AIA Orange County (AIA OC) Committee on the Environment (COTE) and a founding member of the COTE Southern California Coalition in 2019. In 2020, he joined the AIA OC’s Board of Directors and has since served as the chapter’s Director of Sustainability and the Chair of COTE, leading a multi-faceted approach to promoting sustainability. As a member of the AIA California COTE Advocacy Task Force, he advocates for building decarbonization policies at a local and state level. Suyama is committed to sustainability as part of design excellence. As a member of AIA OC’s Design Awards committee, he guided the process of how every AIA OC design awards submission must now comply with the AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence. Additionally, Suyama advocates for architects to be recognized as stewards of the built environment. He was nominated, and currently serves as AIA Orange County’s first Director of Advocacy. He has advanced AIA’s role as a leader in sustainability within communities around Orange County, California. He has been supporting education in architecture since 2016, serving on the Advisory Board for the Architectural Technology Program at Orange Coast College.As a champion of causes that impact our future, Suyama firmly believe in the Native American saying, “we do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” Farah Naz Ahmad is an Architect and LEED Accredited Professional based in New York City, specializing in building sustainability and green building standards. Her public sector experience in city government agencies includes sustainable design review of projects, assessment and development of technical standards and energy code compliance. Additionally, Farah is engaged in green building journalism, spreading awareness on environmental policy and current events. Farah also shares her experience in sustainability through social media, documenting eco-travel and lifestyle, as well as best practices on energy efficiency. Farah previously served as a building energy code official at the New York City Department of Buildings and is now working on green school projects for The City of New York.📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social:Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter

Replay: Architecture, And: EDI+JWhat is the role of a firm leader focused on equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice?As we continue to expand our exploration of diversity in practice, we’ve invited Yiselle Santos Rivera back to the podcast so she can share what she’s learned after two years of serving HKS as their Director of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, & Justice.What does it mean to position someone in a firmwide leadership role dedicated to increasing diversity within an architecture studio? What lessons can firms learn from the adoption of a leadership position of this scale? And what are some of the challenges in driving change in this capacity? Yiselle will help us explore this conversation in depth with personal stories from her leadership experience, as well as lessons learned along the way.Guest:Yiselle Santos Rivera, AIA, NOMA, LLSSYB, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP is a medical planner and Global Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at HKS. With national and international experience on a broad range of healthcare, sports, residential, institutional, and commercial/mixed-use projects, she thrives on designing for inclusive communities, building belonging through equitable practices, and empowering the next generation of leaders in the architecture, design, and construction industry. Yiselle is a published author, national speaker, has been featured on various podcasts, and is the founder of “We Inspiring Emerging Leaders in Design” (WIELD), recipient of the 2019 AIA Diversity Program Recognition Award. She is a storyteller, a 2015 Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program Scholar, and a recipient of the 2018 AIA Associate Award.Show Links:📍 HKS📍 AIADC WIELD📚 Continue Learning:AIA  Guides for Equitable Practice📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social:Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter

Episode 120: Season 6 Finale, a Moment for ChangeWhat does it mean to be elected the 101st President of AIA National, the largest design organization globally?On this episode of Practice Disrupted, co-host Je’Nen Chastain interviews fellow co-host Evelyn Lee in her first interview after being elected the 2024 First Vice President / 2025 President-elect of the AIA, and why they see this election as a moment of change within the profession.Evelyn answers all the questions that individuals asked during the campaign, opens up about what it takes to run a campaign for AIA National, and talks about what she hopes to accomplish during her one-year term. While it is the end of a race, it is just the beginning of the work that the industry has ahead of it, and it will take a community to continue the momentum that this election has started. Co-Hosts:Evelyn Lee is the Global Head of Workplace Strategy and Innovation at Slack Technologies, and Founder of the Practice of Architecture. She integrates her business and architecture background with a qualitative and quantitative focus to build better experiences for the organization’s employees, clients, and guests. She is widely published, wrote a monthly column for Contract magazine for over three years, and is now a frequent contributor to Architect Magazine. Evelyn has received numerous industry awards, including 2016 40 Under 40 award for Building Design + Construction and the 2014 AIA National Young Architects Award. She served as the first-ever female Treasurer to the AIA National Board in 2020-2021.Je’Nen Chastain, is the founder of Apostrophe Consulting, a practice focused on helping architects and next-gen leaders strengthen their teams and businesses. In addition to consulting with firm leaders on practice management issues, she mentors architects on career development, leadership, and strategy. She specializes in facilitating conversations that engage multi-generational teams and has designed, developed, and presented dozens of training programs that inspire next-gen leaders. Je’Nen received the 2017 AIA National Associates Award, an Associates Award from AIA California in 2012, and an Emerging Professionals Award from AIA San Francisco in 2017. She served on the AIA National Board in 2010.📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social:Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter

Episode 119: Architecture, And: YouTube, Entrepreneurship, & ArchitectureWhat is the role of visual storytelling in architecture, and how can it help architects gain clients?On this episode of Practice Disrupted, we interview Dami Lee, a multi-hyphenate architect that launched her firm off of the success of her self-titled YouTube Channel.We talk about the next generation of architects, how they seek more meaning in their work, and finding different outlets of content creation to tell the stories they are most interested in. We also center on Dami’s journey from freelance photographer to YouTube sensation and have an honest conversation about how the channel enables her to do architecture and how her architecture practice creates content for the channel. The conversation looks at the lack of scalability within the traditional business model and the importance of scalability when it comes to growing a business and enjoying life while doing so.Overall, the episode offers a fascinating look into the architecture industry's unique challenges and the innovative ways that young architects are creating new paths for themselves.Guests:Dami Lee is a successful YouTube entrepreneur with over 765,000 subscribers and the founder of Nolli Studio. A licensed Architect in Vancouver, BC, Dami has led various small projects and renovations, typically working with tight budgets, fast timelines, and complex existing conditions. Her desire to explore different typologies and work on larger projects led her to Faulknerbrowns Architects before starting her firm.She is inspired by students and others in the field and believes the current environment is ripe for a happier, healthier, and more connected generation of architects. 📍 Show Links:  https://damilee.com/https://www.youtube.com/@DamiLeeArchhttps://nollimedia.com/https://www.instagram.com/damileearch/https://www.instagram.com/nollistudio/📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social:Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter

Episode 118: 2023 AIA Architecture Firm Award Winner, MithunWhat can we learn from the 2022 AIA Architecture Firm Awards Winner, Mithun?Mithun is an integrated design firm dedicated to creating positive change in people’s lives. The firm’s team of architects, landscape architects, interior designers, urban designers and planners work in a wide range of typologies and scales — with a focus on urban environments and places where people live, work and learn. Mithun is an internationally recognized leader in sustainability, combining exemplary design with a focus on building and site performance, human health and social equity.Guests:Greg Catron is an Architect and Senior Associate who has been with Mithun for almost 9 years. He has a passion for complex technically challenging design with diverse experience in residential highrise, mixed use development, educational facilities, cultural centers, and office design. He is a member of Mithun’s sustainability committee with expertise in healthy materials research and implementation. Greg also balances his career in architecture with his practice as a felt textile artist. Katie Stege, AIA, is a Senior Associate at Mithun who is passionate about pursuing interdisciplinary solutions to complex land use challenges. Katie co-leads Mithun’s R+D efforts, supports strategic climate resilience initiatives, and works on design teams at the district, neighborhood, and building scale. Her dual architectural and environmental background lend a data-driven approach to designs that address rural conservation, outdoor education, and resilient and equitable planning. She co-chairs AIA Seattle’s Adaptation and Resilience committee, nerds out about linking GIS tools to visualization workflows, and appreciates multi-day mountain adventures in any season.Michael Bryant, AIA, LEED AP BD+C is an Architect and Senior Associate at Mithun. He has a passion for exploring the intersection of design and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI). He works toward finding synergies in JEDI and design through professional work experience on multi-family residential, education, and master planning projects. In addition to professional work, Michael is also part of the JEDI Committee at Mithun and past board member of National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) Northwest Chapter, where he was a key contributor and co-chair facilitator of the Call-to-Action pledge. 📍 Show Links:  https://mithun.com/Press Release: https://www.aia.org/press-releases/6574742-mithun-receives-2023-aia-architecture-firm Award Summary: https://www.aia.org/showcases/6572178-mithun 📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social:Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter

Episode 117: Towards an Equitable and Inclusive Future: LGBTQIA+ ArchitectsWhat would an equitable future for LGBTQIA+ people look like? What’s the role of architecture in designing an equitable future?Expanding our equity, diversity, and inclusion series, episode 117 explores the perspectives of LGBTQIA+ architects and designers working to create a more equitable future for all. One of the earliest episodes in this series, “Voices from the Future of the Profession,” episode 016, was recorded in 2020. Since that recording date, a number of anti-LGBTQIA+ bills and legislation have been passed across the United States - risking protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. As architects and designers, we believe there is much more we can do to create safe and inclusive policies and spaces in the built environment and within our communities. We’ve invited leaders to share their stories and discuss what matters most in this moment of change.Guest Moderator:Dedicated to advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and visibility of LGBTQIA+ architects, architecture adjacent, and design professionals, Sarah Nelson-Woynicz, AIA, is the Founder of Pride by Design. As a Project Architect with HKS, Inc in Atlanta, Georgia, Sarah’s professional practice focuses on commercial, mixed-use, and multi-family markets, while also amplifying and engaging in HKS’ justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion work. Sarah has served on the AIA Atlanta Board of Directors and currently serves at the AIA Young Architects Forum Advisory Committee, Community Director. Guests:Rajas Karnik is a Project Architect with over 20 years of varied project experience in urban design, transportation, commercial and residential buildings. Raj grew up in India, where he was surrounded by a family of artists. As a child, he spent many days in his father's architecture office and felt it was his destiny to follow in his footsteps. He attended the Academy of Architecture in Mumbai, his father's alma mater, before moving to the United States to pursue his Master of Architecture at Texas A&M University. Raj believes a strong team drives a successful project. It's a combination of personality and communication, but mostly it's about respect. Architecture is one of the few professions where you are literally learning new every day—from different building parameters, to changing client needs and goals, and new consultant teams. He feels that you have to form personal relationships and learn from everyone, so treating everyone equally and with respect is most important.Rajas is also the co-founder and Past President of Build Out Alliance, a non-profit organization that promotes and advocates for the LGBTQ+ community within the building design and construction industry. Through this group he helps create visibility for Out LGBTQ professionals and create a safe environment for them to celebrate who they are.Beau Frail is a poet, artist, and architect. Beau is passionate about community-engaged design and advancing equity and justice, including within the LGBTQIA+ community. Beau has served on the Texas Society of Architects (TxA) Board of Directors, where he helped launch the EDI Committee, and on the AIA National Associates Committee. He helped start LGBTQIA+ Alliances at AIA Austin and AIA New York. Beau was honored with the 2020 TxA Presidential Citation and the 2018 AIA Austin Honor Award for Community Service. Beau was selected as a Next City Vanguard, an AIA Design Justice Fellow, and an Association for Community Design Fellow. While his poetry manuscript has been rejected by publishers many times, he remains steadfast and had the honor of being one of Rupi Kaur’s opening acts last year during her poetry world tour. He is a Project Architect at Fox Fox Studio and has his own consulting firm, Activate Architecture. He currently lives/works between Brooklyn, NY and Austin, TX. K Kaczmarek is an interior designer who designs spaces by first considering the people who will interact with and use them. K works collaboratively with architects and built environment teams to create beautiful, barrier-free, inclusive spaces. As a member of the transgender and disabled communities, K is passionate about equitable design. They have a unique perspective on why spaces work well and which spaces could be improved to serve all potential users. K is particularly inspired by bold, vibrant interiors that promote thinking outside the box. Their recent project work has centered around designing with neurodiverse communities for inclusive workplaces, and conducting research about belongingness at work. Their proudest work is found in their research project, Designing Beyond the Binary, a critical study on the relationship between gender and the built environment. K works at Mithun, located in Seattle, WA.📍 Learn more about the programs these leaders support:  Pride by DesignBuild Out AllianceAIA Austin's LGBTQIA AllianceDesigning Beyond the Binary📚 Continue Learning:Practice Disrupted Episode 016: Voices from the Future of the ProfessionRelated Links:HKS, IncGenslerMithunActive Architecture Fox Fox StudioGay Poet📍 Follow our Guests on Social:Beau on InstagramSarah on InstagramDesigning Beyond the Binary📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social:Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter

Episode 116: Visualizing the Future: Mission 2130What will the world look like in 100 years, and what is the architect's role within it?On August 25 to 27, 2022, the American Institute of Architects invited 50 architects, designers, and affiliated professionals to YAF Summit 30: Mission 2130, the 30th-anniversary summit of the Young Architects Forum (YAF). These individuals were asked to imagine the world 100 years into the future and to develop a roadmap to a better society. The goal was to orient attendees beyond the immediately accessible into a truly future-forward mindset. We sit down with the Past Chair, Current Chair, and Vice Chair of the Young Architects Forum to talk about the event and how they used its findings to shape the strategic plan for the next five years of the committee’s work. Finally, we explore:What’s the role of the next generation of architects in the industry's future?What are the greatest challenges and opportunities that the industry faces? ANDHow can you get involved with the Young Architects Forum?Guests:Jessica O’Donnell, AIA is a Project Architect in Collingswood, New Jersey, specializing in multifamily and affordable housing. She was the 2022 Chair of the Young Architects Forum, recognized as a BD+C Networks 40 under 40 honoree, and is a 2022 AIA Young Architects Award recipient.Matt Toddy, AIA is a Partner at Astra Studios in Columbus, Ohio. Toddy is the 2023 Chair of the AIA Young Architects Forum, the 2022 President of AIA Columbus, and a 2021 recipient of the AIA Young Architect Award.Jason Takeuchi, AIA, NCARB, NOMA is a project architect at Ferraro Choi And Associates in Honolulu, HI. Recognized with the 2018 AIA Associates Award and 2023 AIA Young Architect Architect Award, Jason is currently the Vice Chair of the AIA Young Architects Forum and will chair the committee in 2024.📍 Show Links:  YAF Summit 30: Mission 2130Mission 2130 Post-Event Report📚 Continue Learning:AIA YAF Connection 21.01 - Mission 2130Lakisha Woods’ welcome remarks for AIA’s Mission 2130 Code Red CharrettesMission 2130 Code Red Charrette ToolkitVolunteer at the AIA: Get Involved💻 Learn about our podcast partner:👉 This episode is sponsored by Autodesk.Autodesk has been part of the design conversation since 1982, providing the tools that help architects around the globe imagine and create beautifully designed, memorable buildings that people love and admire.Autodesk is honored to support the work of Practice Disrupted, bringing the architecture community together, sparking curiosity, and leading vibrant and necessary conversations with the industry’s visionaries and thought leaders.📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social:Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter

Episode 115: Leading a Culture of MentorshipHow do you apply mentorship in project work and team collaboration?Mentorship is a term frequently used in the field of architecture. But what exactly is mentorship? Many architects struggle to mentor because they’re unsure what mentorship looks like and when to apply it. To help retain, attract, and develop the next generation of architects, the concept of mentorship is a necessary leadership tool needed inside the architecture firm to support a healthy culture of feedback and guidance. By considering mentorship as an integral part of a talent development strategy, architects can introduce mentorship conversations at the project level of their day-to-day operations. To help us discuss applied mentorship within project settings and teams, we’ve invited Ben Kasdan to join us. Ben is a Principal and Design Leader at KTGY in Washington, DC. He’ll share some of the ways he’s thought about mentorship in the context of managing his projects and people.Guest:Ben Kasdan, AIA, is a Principal and Design Leader at KTGY in Washington, DC. He is a frequent speaker and published writer about the value of design, mentorship, advocacy, sustainable architecture, resilience, student housing, multifamily housing, and mixed-use communities. He has held leadership positions with AIAS at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, AIA Orange County, AIA California, and AIA National, including serving as the 2019 President of AIA California.  📍 Show Links:  Learn more bout KTGYRead the book "Multipliers"📚 Continue Learning:Listen to PD 051 Designing a Culture of Mentorship💻 Learn about our podcast partner:👉 This episode is sponsored by Autodesk.Autodesk has been part of the design conversation since 1982, providing the tools that help architects around the globe imagine and create beautifully designed, memorable buildings that people love and admire.Autodesk is honored to support the work of Practice Disrupted, bringing the architecture community together, sparking curiosity, and leading vibrant and necessary conversations with the industry’s visionaries and thought leaders.📍 Follow Practice Disrupted on Social:Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter