S8: Expanding the Definition of Architectural Practice

September 11th, 2026

Location

AIA Global Campus for Architecture & Design

1735 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20006

Led by

Nour Alhussaini, Assoc. AIA

Evan Dziedzic, AIA, NCARB, LEED GA, LFA, WELL AP

Download Session Program

The Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program Session 08 explored the expanding definition and career path opportunities in the AEC industry through a series of workshops and panel discussions.

Act 1: Leadership Inside: Lifestyle Inventory

Cable Clark

In the first part of the session, the CKLDP class welcomed back Cable Clarke of Clarke Consulting. Scholars, having taken the Lifestyle Inventory at the beginning of the program, took it for a second time. Clarke reviewed the Lifestyle Inventory and scholars examined how their results changed from the start of the year through the end of the program.

Eleanor Choi, AIA, LEED AP BD+C

Olivia DiMattio, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP O+M

Sara Kaplan, AIA

Nicholas Mason

The second part of the session was a panel discussion focused on the multigenerational and evolutionary aspects of a career in the AEC industry. The panel included a wide range of people from various stages in their career from a current graduate student and designer in the first couple years of practice to principals leading business development for large firms.

Key takeaways

● Understanding technology as a tool

● Flexibility and adaptability is key for embracing the evolution of the field

● Understanding what it means to be a generalist vs a specialist

Act 2: Architecture Across the Career Journey - Panel Discussion

The third part of the session was a simulation game in which scholars were broken up into groups and assigned a character profile. The scholars then had to discuss and make decisions for the character based on their career goals and life priorities.

Key takeaways:

● Each group made decisions for the characters with a balance between the career goals and life priorities in mind

● There are many career opportunities in and around the architecture discipline - none being greater than the other. Career goals are different for each person, based on interests, life stage, etc.

● Definitions of roles and responsibilities evolve as time and technology are ever-changing. It’s good to evaluate your career, your goals, and how best to align yourself with where you see yourself in the future

Act 3: SIMs: The AEC Adventure

Helene Dreiling, FAIA

Amber Hall, AIA

Elizabeth Heider, FAIA, LEED Fellow

Vincente Johnson, Assoc. AIA, LEED Green Associate

Kimberly Tuttle, AIA, NCARB, NOMA, CAE

The last part of the session was a second panel discussion focused on non-traditional career pathways in the AEC industry and how a design education can provide a foundation for a much broader career. Panelists included a client-side design representative, the founder and CEO of a sustainability consulting firm, an adjunct professor, and a leader in AIA’s NOMA and AIAS organizations.

Key takeaways:

● A project manager is often more about managing people than design

● Knowing your audience is the key to success

● We all must work together to fill the gap between education and practice

● Mentorship can go both ways between generations