Note: This article is reposted from the University of Hawai’i website with minor edits. Read original here.
Diverse voices are needed to create a sustainable, resilient, equitable and healthy built environment. A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa faculty was named one of 17 recipients to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Next to Lead program, a new pilot leadership program that removes barriers to AIA leadership positions for ethnically diverse women.
Wendy Meguro, an associate professor of sustainable building and community design with a joint position in the School of Architecture and Sea Grant College Program, will share ideas from Hawaiʻi and relay the carefully curated program information with professionals and students at UH.
The two-year program includes an online curriculum in association leadership with monthly group sessions, alongside successful, diverse women leaders with decades of experience. The program also includes experiential education through leadership on a collaborative project with the AIA.
“I am honored and thrilled to be selected for this national program to create pathways to leadership for diverse women and am eager to share with others,” said Meguro. “I am also impressed with and grateful for the many individuals who thoughtfully created this program.”
Inaugural national program
The UH community is now connected to the inaugural national AIA program, taking action to increase gender and racial diversity in architecture leadership and academic leadership.
“I am excited to share new knowledge, experience and connections with colleagues and the student body, 75% of which is non-Caucasian,” said Meguro. “I look forward to sharing and applying the association leadership training in my roles as an instructor, researcher and architecture experience program mentor. I am also eager to bolster connections between UH and the local and national professional architecture communities.”
The AIA program includes a “leadership impact capstone,” which is a collaborative leadership project that will enable Meguro to connect local, state and national AIA efforts on sustainability and resilience in the built environment.
“I was humbled and energized by the inspiring women selected for the program and the uplifting welcoming remarks from the program leaders and the current and past AIA presidents,” added Meguro. “I applaud the AIA members for writing a resolution to initiate this program and the AIA leadership for their commitment to inclusivity, evidenced by the large team of hosts and curated curriculum. I also thank my family, friends and colleagues for their support.”
This award is an example of UH Mānoa’s goal of Excellence in Research: Advancing the Research and Creative Work Enterprise (PDF) and Building a Sustainable and Resilient Campus Environment: Within the Global Sustainability and Climate Resilience Movement (PDF), two of four goals identified in the 2015–25 Strategic Plan (PDF), updated in December 2020.