On September 15, 2022, the AIANY Women in Architecture Committee hosted our Annual Happy Hour Honoring the 2022 Women Fellows. The event was sold out and we packed the beautiful Porcelanosa showroom! It was a wonderful time of celebrating the achievements of Lori Brown, FAIA, Professor, Syracuse University; Anne Holford-Smith, FAIA, Partner, PBDW Architects; and Kim Yao, FAIA, Principal, Architecture Research Office

Lori, Anne, and Kim shared their unique paths to Fellowship in an engaging and inspiring conversation.  They discussed the importance of becoming a Fellow and how the  Fellowship impacted their careers. They also offered insights into how the Fellowship application process can be more relevant to reflect our professional practice, advice to those who are interested in applying, lessons learned through the process, including challenges and successes, and provided valuable takeaways. We learned about the importance of recording everything we do so that we can reflect upon our own body of work – what it says about our interests, our impact on the world, and what we want to contribute.

The evening concluded with an audience Q&A and we are grateful to each of the Fellows for their thoughtful answers to the audience questions. Lori, Anne, and Kim are exemplary role models and inspired more women to apply for the fellowship.

A special thank you to our host, Porcelanosa, who provided delicious drinks and hors d’oeuvres in their showroom with breathtaking views of the flatiron. The event would not have been possible without their generosity, time, and efforts.

We look forward to seeing you at our future WIA events!