“A Vote for Me Was a Vote for Change and a Vote for Opportunity”

Evelyn Lee is a Start-up Advisor in the Tech Space, Angel Investor, Founder of Practice of Architecture, and Host of the podcast Practice Disrupted. She is a prominent speaker on architectural practice evolution, technology integration, and diversity in AI, dedicated to guiding the profession into new horizons.

At A’23, in San Francisco, I had the privilege of being elected as the 101st President of the American Institute of Architects. I will serve the one-year term in 2025, following a year as the first VP in 2024 behind my predecessor, Kimberly Dowdell, AIA | NOMAC, the first Black Woman Architect and youngest member ever to serve in the position. I am incredibly appreciative and honored for the opportunity to serve in this esteemed role on behalf of the over 96,000+ members that make up the largest design organization in the world.

While it may not appear evident, this vote is a call for change within the profession and is historical in even the smallest ways.

• This is the first time in the organization’s 166-year history that three women leaders have been elected back to back.
• This is the first time in the organization’s history that two individuals of color will serve back to back.
• While unverified, it is also likely that the three of us are the youngest consecutive AIA Presidents, representing a generational shift in leadership.

It is also the first time in the organization’s history that:

• A mother with children as young as mine, both in elementary school, will serve as President.
• An architect in tech, far outside the boundaries of traditional practice — not serving on the real estate team or as an owners rep — will lead the institute.

As a deep introvert, it’s taken a while for me to process the impact of this vote and the larger significance that it implies.

In the days immediately following the announcement, while at the A’23, I was quietly processing. Several individuals asked me if I was okay, mostly because I wasn’t jumping with joy. But, having campaigned for nearly two years following a loss the prior year, it took me a while to let it sink in that we had accomplished our goal.

I say we because, in so many ways, I had an entire community behind me, helping me behind the scenes. And now that I think about it, that growing community was the first sign that there is a desire for broader change within the industry.

Throughout the campaign, I did my best to lean as authentically into who I am as an individual — as someone who is critical about the profession and the career path that I stepped away from — because I love the people that make up the industry and it was one that I couldn’t see myself thriving in.

Then, once I processed everything, finally posted to LinkedIn and started to read the outpouring of both public and private comments and emails, I became more aware of how just how large the interest for change had grown and, simultaneously, how much work lies ahead to create the change that everyone is so excited about.

I had many people ask me why I chose to run again, and my answer was simple. A lot has happened in the past year, and it not only made my platform that much more relevant, but also made my reason for running that much more compelling.

I recently wrote about the need for the Culture of Architecture to change. Within the series, I explored why culture is extra essential now, including:

• Raising awareness around mental health and overall wellbeing
• A reconsideration of the role that work plays in people’s lives
• Heightened awareness around social issues as well as equity in the workplace

Add to that the fact that:

• Burnout is at an all-time high as middle managers are trying to figure out by themselves how to lead hybrid teams.
• Architect Workers United successfully supported the unionization of Brooklyn-based firm Bernheimer Architecture (BA) and Snøhetta workers publicly filed their intention to unionize to ensure they keep the culture they have.
• Gen Z is entering the workforce incredibly vocal about their passion to work in socially driven firms and equally vocal about the desire to have both a successful career and a life beyond work.
• The rise of automation and (AI) is changing the job market, with some jobs becoming increasingly obsolete and others requiring new skills.
• Employees are becoming more dissatisfied with how employers have managed to return to the office, how they are measuring productivity and performance, and the pull back to the things that were without learning from the immediate past to move things forward differently.

The vote may have been for me; however, it was, in fact, a vote for change and, ultimately, a pursuit of opportunity.

What I have learned throughout the campaign is that individuals have had enough of the recurring themes that architects have historically used to position themselves as victims, such as:

• Why have many taken away the services we deliver or look to compete with what little services we do deliver?
• Why have we not been able to advocate better for our title?
• Why does the public not see the value of design?

Individuals are ready to challenge that way of thinking with a new mindset by asking how and seek solutions by asking:

• How can we grow our business?
• How can we share knowledge better to move things forward faster together?
• How can we have a bigger voice that gets noticed?

There is a groundswell of energy that is ready to take action, and my job as the 2025 AIA National President is to grow the message and continue growing the momentum that has already begun.

Ultimately, success would be changing the dialogue so that we no longer waste energy talking about everything that has happened to us, but instead put that same passion and energy collectively sharing and creating opportunities to make things happen for us.

Let’s embrace the opportunity, and together meet our moment!

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