Lakisha Ann Woods said that she first became interested in the American Institute of Architects (AIA) because of the organization’s strategic plan. She was excited to see that it prioritized “climate action for human and ecological health” and “racial and gender equity.”
When she interviewed for the top job on the business side at AIA, she wanted to make sure the organization was ready to take those commitments from words to action.
“I told them, ‘Did you just put this in writing so you can kind of check that box? Or do you want someone who’s going to be an evangelist for these issues?’” Woods said. “Because if you want somebody who’s really going to take the lead, take action and try to move the needle, I’m your girl. But if not — hire someone else.”
After just over two years as CEO at the largest design organization in the world, Woods has notched a few key wins. She led a successful campaign to eliminate a requirement that the six exams necessary for licensure all take place within a five-year period. That “rolling clock” policy disproportionately kept women and people of color from getting their architecture license, a study from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards showed.
Under Woods’ leadership, AIA also launched a weekly video interview series in November that showcases underrepresented architects and designers. The organization has published more than 50 such videos on its YouTube channel, a platform where it has over 10K subscribers.
The design of neighborhoods and buildings can only become genuinely equitable when the people involved in creating that design reflect the people living and working there, Woods said.
“You want to know that the spaces that you occupy — whether it’s your home, or the park [nearby], or your school — that you feel that you’re a part of it, that you’re welcome,” Woods said. “And that design … it impacts all of us deep in our soul.”
The second major challenge Woods set out to tackle at the AIA is buildings’ contributions to climate change. Because communities of color disproportionately bear the brunt of both fossil fuel pollution and climate change impacts, this second goal is intricately intertwined with Woods’ efforts to diversify the architecture industry.
Often, she said, the first things clients want to cut out of a design are sustainability features. Woods emphasized architects need to know how to convey why those features are important for both the planet and the building’s occupants.
“It’s about providing people with tools and resources, so they know how to make those climate-focused decisions when they’re advocating for a design and also when the owners are trying to understand why those decisions had been made.”
