Many companies claim to have a great culture, but what does that really mean and how do you measure it? With today’s war for talent and drive for EDI+B, no workplace is immune to the care and feeding of firm culture.

In this session, Lisa Brothers, PE, ENV SP, LEED AP BD+C, president and CEO of Nitsch Engineering—a company with an award-winning culture—joins Ruth Lund, co-founder of True North Culture Advisors to discuss the role that intentional, values-driven cultural development plays in the overall strength and sustained performance of organizations.

You'll learn how this approach is uniquely beneficial in driving equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging (EDI+B) efforts within an organization. This session will share statistics and stories that showcase the importance of taking charge of your organization’s culture rather than letting it drive itself; highlight how leaders can measure the reality of the culture through values, beliefs, and behaviors; and demonstrate an effective process for managing and measuring the cultural evolution of any given organization. By the end of this session, you'll learn how this intentional approach to building and maintaining an organizational culture can help companies achieve EDI+B goals (including sharing seven ideas for how to integrate EDI&B at work), become more high performing, and develop long-term corporate resilience, particularly as it relates to the challenges of the new hybrid/remote work environment. And, perhaps most importantly, how an intentional culture directly results in highly engaged employees who continue to keep the culture alive!

Course expires 10/22/2026

This session delves into the unique challenges faced by Black women and women of color (WOC) in the AEC industry. Attendees will gain invaluable insights into their experiences, exploring topics such as work-life balance, power dynamics, and pay scales. The session critically examines the path to leadership for WOC, highlighting systemic obstacles and bias. It emphasizes the importance of removing subjectivity from processes, supporting mentorship, and fostering leadership roles for Black women and WOC. Executives' role in supporting diversity is discussed, with actionable steps provided to drive positive change and promote inclusion. The session highlights the detrimental impact of excluding these voices and inspires attendees to create a more inclusive environment.

Course expires 10/22/2026

For decades, women have been significantly underrepresented in leadership, with only 16% of AEC firms employing women in c-suite level positions. For women of color, leadership opportunities are even more elusive. To advance more women into leadership roles we need to think differently about ways to create more opportunity for ourselves and for women to succeed. We must take the lead in building our own careers and dare to launch programs and initiatives that drive impactful change in society.    This session brings together women who are making an impact in their companies and communities. From founding programs that radically rethink partnerships with minority and women-owned businesses to connecting the design community to improve maternal health outcomes for Black mothers to initiatives that have the possibility to transform how leaders in cities collaborate, they are mobilizing, learning from one another and building on each other's ideas in new ways. This session will reveal strategies and a framework to help shape (and reshape) your leadership journey to gain exposure, advance your career through connections, and inspire new ideas for your future.

Join the WLS founders in conversation. This session will explore the challenges and opportunities experienced at various career stages that brought us together to form the AIA Boston Women Principals Group. You'll learn how the power of this community led to the inaugural Women's Leadership Summit. You'll hear how conventional and unconventional strategies were utilized effectively to bring about meaningful and measurable change by building a new movement that continues to touch all regions of the country and span generations of leaders. And you'll discuss lessons learned that continue to lead to refinements and pivots, all with the goal of keeping WLS inclusive, timely, and meaningful. Come prepared to share your thoughts on how this movement can evolve and inspire design professionals of all backgrounds to foster support, mentorship, and pathways to grow careers with a focus on leadership and design. Be empowered as we discuss how each of us can (and must!) step up to ensure a pipeline of future women leaders.

Course expires 10/22/2026

Women are the future of architecture, and the future of architectural practice is working with existing buildings.  In 2022, existing buildings accounted for 53% of architectural billings, and the proportion is rising.  Building reuse is an essential component of achieving a more sustainable future.  Strategies for sustainable retrofitting can reduce a building’s energy use by half.  New tools for measuring embodied carbon reveal the true cost of demolition and reconstruction.    Renovation and adaptive reuse projects are often considered to be more complicated than new construction, and for good reasons.  The issues that are commonly encountered can be challenging, but by anticipating and planning for these conditions, projects can be completed more successfully and at a lower cost. 

This session will address methods of analysis and documentation for existing buildings and will present strategies for improving energy performance, accessibility, and inclusion.  By developing expertise in existing buildings, architects can create a more sustainable practice that is better positioned to ride out economic downturns.  Women are well positioned to lead these trends.  The majority of professionals with degrees in both architecture and historic preservation are female.  We lead the field in both technical preservation and cultural preservation.  We are natural collaborators who understand how to engage stakeholders and set aside ego to achieve mutual interests.  These skill sets give us the power to affect both the environmental impact and the social impact of our built places.  We have the power--and a mandate--to transform the existing the built environment to become more sustainable, resilient, and relevant.

Course expires 10/22/2026

This course showcases the WLS 2023 kicked off with a keynote event that explores the theme of Equity x Society—the intersection of advocacy, women's social issues, and the role of the building industry. Part keynote address, part panel discussion, this experience looks at the universal challenges women face and some of the bold, brave, creative solutions our keynoter, panelists, and AIA leaders have been able to achieve through fearless leadership. Opening remarks by 2023 AIA President Emily Grandstaff-Rice, FAIA and AIA EVP/Chief Executive Officer Lakisha Ann Woods, CAE. 

Panelists include Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Boston, Tiffany Chu, Co-Chair for the Boston Women’s Workforce Council, Evelyn Murphy, 2023 Boston Society for Architecture President, Andrea Love, FAIA, and 2024 AIA National 2024 President-Elect, Kimberly Dowdell, AIA.

Course expires 11/02/2026

What would a movement towards greater gender equity that's unified across the building industry look like? Join us for a first of its kind, powerful panel discussion with female leaders from various building industry professional associations. Panelists include Angela Brooks, FAICP, president of American Planning Association; Angie Lee, AIA, FIIDA president of International Interior Design Association; Emily Grandstaff-Rice, FAIA, 2023 president of The American Institute of Architects; Robin Greenleaf, FACEC, chair emeritus of American Council of Engineering Companies; and Christine Oates, CCM, DBIA, chair of the Construction Management Association of America.

Course expires 11/02/2026