Can you believe its been 10 years? In this special episode, we’re taking a heartfelt trip down memory lane to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Equity by Design (EQxD). We discuss the origins of EQxD, from the “Missing 32%” initiative to the “Architect Barbie” campaign, and reflect on how a small AIA San Francisco committee grew into a national movement fueled by surveys and power poses. Annelise Pitts AIA, Ántonia Bowman AIA, Rosa T. Sheng FAIA, Lilian Asperin, AIA, and Julia Mandell, AIA open up about their personal journeys, emphasizing the importance of connection, support, and relentless advocacy in shaping a more inclusive and equitable future for architects.
Show Notes
Ántonia Bowman, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, Assoc. DBIA is a Senior Associate at ELS. She joined the firm in 2017 and is a licensed architect in California and Texas. At ELS, Ántonia was instrumental in the completion of the award-winning Kinesiology & Wellness Center at Cañada College. She is currently the Construction Administration Lead on the City of Redwood City’s new Veterans Memorial Senior Center. During her architecture career, she has worked on a variety of projects for colleges and universities, retail and mixed-use developments, and civic and cultural institutions. Ántonia is committed to the pursuit of meaningful design, social justice and the development of high-quality, sustainable buildings. A core team member of AIA San Francisco’s Equity by Design, Ántonia is an advocate for greater visibility and equitable opportunities for women, LGBTQ+, people of color, and others who are underrepresented in the profession. She received a Master of Architecture from The University of Texas at Austin and a B.A. in Studio Art from Smith College.
Annelise Pitts, AIA, Associate at Shepley Bulfinch is a passionate designer, facilitator, and advocate for justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in the built environment. As an architect and associate with Shepley Bulfinch, she works with clients nationally, focused primarily on higher education. In her role as a design strategist with LENS, a design strategy, research, and innovation practice group within Shepley Bulfinch, Annelise offers participatory visioning and planning, change management, and organizational development services, collaborating with clients to develop holistic responses to purpose-aligned issues at the heart of the design experience — sustainability & resilience, health and wellness, and justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
Rosa T. Sheng, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C is a Vice-President at SmithGroup serving multiple roles as Higher Education Studio Leader in Northern California and national Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion. After founding Equity by Design [EQxD] in 2014, Rosa served as AIA San Francisco President in 2018, the first Asian American Women to serve in the organization’s 136 year history. Recognized as an industry thought leader, architect, strategist, and advocate, she is known for developing new processes and design solutions with transformational impact in the built environment.
Lilian Asperin, AIA is a partner at WRNS Studio, where she helps lead the design process and build teams that deliver aspirational outcomes. Serving as an At-Large Director of the Board of the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP), Lilian continues the work she started with the Pacific Regional Council where she has led workshops and conversations investigating equity, well-being, evolving learn/work modalities, and innovative project delivery models. Committed to advancing the practice of architecture, Lilian has also served as a Board Director of AIA San Francisco and is the Co-Chair of the Equity by Design Committee, a call to action for equitable practice and to communicate the value of design to society.
Julia Mandell, AIA is an experienced architect and planner with broad project experience in architecture, urban design and landscape design. Currently practicing with Wilson Associates, a design/build/development firm in Oakland, California, Julia work includes the design of spaces for living, working, eating and making, with a focus on adaptive reuse. Julia also currently serves as the Co-Chair of Equity by Design, working to increase access to the field of architecture and promote equitable outcomes throughout the architectural process. Previously, Julia worked for four years with SWA Group on large-scale urban design and landscape work in China and Houston, Texas. She received her Masters of Architecture from Rice University and her Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Columbia University. She is a licensed architect in the state of California.