Voices of Design Leadership

Provides inspiration to architecture and design students and professionals through the insights, stories, and projects of successful design leaders

Voices of Design Leadership seeks to educate, inform, and inspire a new generation of diverse design leaders. The work includes sixteen profiles of design leaders in architecture, interior design, planning, and research, many of whom are leaders at firms that have earned the AIA’s national Architecture Firm Award. The stories and projects from their own professional journeys illustrate multiple paths to design leadership success.

Individually, each person stands on their own as an inspiring and inf luential design leader. Collectively, they express what design leadership can and should look like. Representing a broad diversity of expertise and demographics—including nine women, seven people of color, and five first-generation immigrants—they bring a variety of life experiences and cultural backgrounds to their award-winning work.

Sample topics discussed in the work include:

• The power of diversity
• Finding and developing design talent
• Design philosophy and research investments
• Coaching, mentoring, team collaboration, and community engagement
• Advice for emerging design leaders

Students of architecture, engineering, construction, and real estate will find value and inspiration from Voices of Design Leadership and gain insight into the thought processes of established leaders in their fields. The work also appeals to young and mid-career professionals, clients, and educators exploring the next steps of their own career journeys.