The Ford Foundation: Sharing Stories from the Frontlines of Social Change

How can a client’s cohesive vision on inclusivity be translated through a project’s architecture, project management, and construction team? The recently completed Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice is an example of a holistic building renewal that transformed the Foundation’s workplace and public spaces into a manifestation of its mission: to promote the inherent dignity of all people.

The AIANY Women in Architecture Committee is delighted to host the women-led project team, who will share their stories on the pursuit and challenges to realize this award-winning work. They will talk about how their work’s forward-thinking designs embody the Ford Foundation’s mission, honoring equity, diversity, and inclusion in its workplaces and public spaces. From reimagining its art collection and physical spaces to addressing the technical challenges of renovating a landmark and the role of NEW (Non-Traditional Employment for Women) in the construction phase, the project’s success is the result of its focus on diversity throughout both the design and implementation process. The mission-driven redesign of the 1967 Ford Foundation’s Manhattan headquarters holds a special place in our community—one that leads, challenges, and compels us towards greater equity, diversity, and social justice.

Speakers
Denise Ferris, Associate Vice President Design Management, Columbia University, Manhattanville Development Group
Maureen Henegan, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer | Henegan Construction
Lisa Kim, Gallery Director, Ford Foundation 
Bevin Savage Yamazaki, Senior Associate and Firmwide Leader for Foundations, Associations + Organizations (Culture + Museums), Gensler

About the Speakers

Denise Ferris is the Associate Vice President of Design Management for Columbia University, Manhattanville Development Group. She establishes design criteria and oversees the design process in coordination with internal and external teams and stakeholders, to facilitate creative design solutions that meet the University’s goals relative to all aspects of the 17-acre West Harlem / Manhattanville campus expansion. Ferris is a registered architect with over thirty years of experience in the management and delivery of technically complex developments. She practiced architecture for fourteen years, primarily with educational and institutional clients, before shifting to a client-developer position. In 2019, upon completion of Ford Foundation’s NYC Headquarters building renewal, she joined Columbia University.

In her career of nearly 35 years at Henegan, Maureen Henegan has played a role in all aspects of the construction industry, from hands-on project management and estimating to marketing, IT, legal affairs, and finance. That breadth of knowledge and experience is reflected in her highly regarded leadership of Henegan Construction and in her relationships developed throughout the NYC business community. Henegan serves the industry on the Boards of the NY Building Congress, Building Contractors Association of NY, and Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) and through involvement with associations such as CREW-NY, CoreNet NY, and IFMA NY. An attorney and member of the NYS Bar Association, her community involvement includes service on the Boards of Covenant House NY and College of Mount St. Vincent. Executive continuing education: Harvard Business School. Graduate studies in Real Estate and Construction: NYU. JD degree: Albany Law School. BA degree: College of Mount St. Vincent.

Lisa Kim is director of the Ford Foundation Gallery, a new exhibition space within the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice. Prior to her appointment at the Ford Foundation, she was director of cultural affairs at Two Trees Management Company, a real estate development firm in Brooklyn, where she oversaw the company’s arts philanthropy, public art initiatives, and produced the annual DUMBO Arts Festival. Kim served as the director of the New York City Percent for Art Program from 2006-2008 and for 12 years, managed exhibitions, collections, and construction for Gagosian Gallery. Kim holds a Bachelor of Arts in Art History with a concentration in Visual Arts from Barnard College and a Master of Industrial Design from Pratt Institute. She serves on the advisory boards of A.I.R. Gallery and The Corner at Whitman-Walker.

Bevin Savage Yamazaki leads Gensler’s Foundations, Associations + Organizations and Culture+Museums practices where she focuses on mission-based clients in the nonprofit and cultural realms including the Ford Foundation, the Knight Foundation, New York Public Library, the New Museum of Contemporary Art and Dia:Beacon. She has published white papers on the future of museums and their relationship with their constituencies, with a focus on the visitor experience. Bevin has lectured at SXSW, the New Museum, Pratt Institute, NYCxDesign, NYSCA, ACSA, and MAAM’s Building Museums Symposium and led panel discussions alongside many of the most renowned names in the arts. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Queens Museum, The South Street Seaport Museum and The Institute for Public Architecture.