Thursday / May 11, 2017 / 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Attract, Engage, Retain, Promote: Tools for Equitable Practice
Ross Barney Architects, 10 West Hubbard Street, Chicago IL 60654
Today’s emerging professionals, regardless of gender, demand new approaches to work-life integration and career development. Join AIA Chicago & Chicago Women in Architecture for a presentation of “Best Practice Recommendations for Design Professions” (BPR), a research-based document and set of tools to aid both individuals and firms in their pursuit of equitable practice developed by Iowa Women in Architecture (iaWia). Through a small group activity, attendees will use the BPR to address an issue or question of their own.
5:30-6:00pm Registration, Networking, Refreshments
6:00-7:30pm Presentation and Working Groups
7:30-8:00pm Networking and Office Tour
SPEAKERS:
Laura Kessel, PLA, RDG Planning & Design (Des Moines), combines her enthusiasm for design with a desire to enhance the sustainability of how we practice. As co-chair of RDG’s Human Capital Committee, Laura has helped create a career development program for young staff, coordinated training opportunities for employees and is working with leadership to rewrite RDG’s employee manual to be consistent with their values. Laura is the past chair of iaWia and co-led the effort to research, edit, and produce the “Best Practice Recommendations for the Design Profession” document.
Jeanne Huntsman, AIA, LEED® AP BD+C, is a Principal at The Weidt Group (Des Moines) providing energy consulting services, assisting design professionals and building owners in selecting optimal energy-saving strategies for their project goals and budgets. Jeanne has over 15 years of design and management experience in the construction industry. Previously, she was a project architect and office manager for an Illinois-based architectural firm where she designed specialized housing and healthcare projects. She is a current member and past chair of the USGBC Iowa Market Leadership Advisory Board and is an active member of AIA Iowa and Iowa Women in Architecture and served as the co-chair for the Iowa Women in Architecture’s Best Practice Recommendations Task Force.
The work produced by the task force urges design firms to apply their spirit of innovation to the management of practice.
