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1/20/21, 7pm - 8pm
Location
Online

*This event is occurring as a live webinar. Registrants will be emailed a link to access the program; please continue to register.*

In an May 2020 opinion piece on Architect Magazine, AIA Connecticut Women in Architecture Co-Chair Ming Thompson stated that the architecture profession might lose a generation of women during the COVID-19 era. Ten months into the pandemic, most of us are still working remotely and facing challenges balancing work and family schedules, staying connected with our colleagues, and continuing our professional development paths.

With the slowdown in our industry these past months, firms have implemented layoffs or furloughs, affecting workload and resources. Many women may also shoulder more household responsibilities when it comes to childcare. While most firms are open and have voluntary returns, employees still suffer from Zoom fatigue and miss the in-person interactions with our colleagues and clients.

We encourage you to share tips, advice, and insight on building resiliency and facing the challenges we face during this pandemic. With the new year ahead of us, we hope to find solutions that can help us continue our professional development and improve our workplace culture, even while working remotely.

This forum will take place following the WIA January Committee Meeting announcements.

Speakers:
Annelise Pitts, AIA,
Principal Consultant, Cameron MacAllister Group; Research Chair, Equity by Design
Kirsten Sibilia, Assoc AIA, Managing Principal, Dattner Architects
Ming Thompson, AIA, Co-founder, Atelier Cho Thompson
Shannon Rodriguez, Human Resource Director, FXCollaborative

About the speakers: 

Annelise Pitts, AIA, is a passionate designer, researcher and advocate for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in architectural practice and in the built environment. As Research Chair for Equity by Design, she leads the Equity in Architecture research project, a national multi-phase study exploring differential career experiences and aspirations of architectural professionals on the basis of personal identity. This work has been widely published, most recently in Women [Re]Build: Stories, Polemics, Futures and The Plan Journal. She has also served on the AIA’s Equity & the Future of Architecture Committee, advising on the development of the AIA Guides for Equitable Practice. She is a licensed architect who recently joined Cameron MacAllister Group after serving as a member of the leadership team in Bohlin Cywinski Jackson’s New York studio. In CMG’s consultancy, she works with firms to conduct assessments and to develop actionable insights aimed at advancing J.E.D.I. (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) in a way that is authentic to each firm’s culture and values.

Kirsten Sibilia is a vocal advocate for the value of design. She joined Dattner Architects as Chief Marketing Officer with over 16 years of industry experience. She became a Principal in 2013 and was named Managing Principal in 2016, where she now focuses on the firm’s health and vitality. Her design training and entrepreneurial spirit have allowed her to approach the business side of the practice as a design project; with each initiative, she reflects the firm’s commitment to improving public life through the creation of resilient and sustainable urban density. Her enthusiasm for supporting architectural practice manifests in her involvement with several leading industry organizations, including the Beverly Willis Architectural Foundation, AIANY’s Nominating Committee, ULI NY’s Design Awards Committee, and the New York Building Congress’ Architects Leadership Council. Sibilia holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design and a Bachelor of Arts from the New School.

Ming Thompson is co-founder of Atelier Cho Thompson, a New Haven- and San Francisco-based multidisciplinary practice working between architecture, interiors, graphics, and strategy. ACT’s work frequently blurs the boundaries between typologies, as they draw inspiration from their work in schools, museums, offices, restaurants, and homes around the world. Thompson was a recipient of the AIA Young Architect Award in 2020, and her firm has received numerous national and regional design awards. Educated at Yale College and the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Ming has taught at the California College of the Arts and has served on design juries around the US. Thompson is a first-year advisor at Yale and serves on the Boards of Yale-China and AIA Connecticut. 

Shannon Rodriguez joined FXCollaborative in 2005 and is the firm’s Human Resource Director. She was promoted to Associate in 2014, Senior Associate in 2016 and to her current role in 2019. With over 15 years of experience, she is responsible for performance management, mentoring and training programs, employee relations, recruiting, staffing, and benefits administration. Rodriguez is responsible for the firm’s internship program providing opportunities to students from diverse backgrounds; and has been instrumental in helping to establish FXCollaborative’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and is an advocate for all employees. She holds a Legal Studies degree from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

 

Organized by
AIANY Women in Architecture Committee
1/20/21, 7pm - 8pm
Location
Online
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