Leading from Above and Below
Incoming AIA CEO Lakisha Woods talks about how women and minorities can find success in the AEC industry.
Since assuming the role of executive vice president and chief executive officer of the American Institute of Architects on Jan. 31, Lakisha Ann Woods granted one of her first extensive interviews to Perkins Eastman in a firmwide event to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8. During an hourlong conversation with Perkins Eastman Principal Betsey Olenick Dougherty, FAIA, and Associate Emily Pierson-Brown of the firm’s Women’s Leadership Initiative, Woods covered a broad range of topics, from the AIA’s programs to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion to her personal journey to become the first African American woman to lead the U.S. architecture industry’s chief governing body. She also offered valuable advice to emerging women and minority professionals looking to forge their own path in this quickly evolving profession.