2023 AIA National Young Architect Award Winners

In 2023, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has selected 17 recipients for the AIA Young Architects Award.

The AIA Young Architects Award honors individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the architecture profession early in their careers. Our Communications Focus Group asked this year’s recipients for their thoughts on what impact they wanted to leave on the rest of the world and left us with words of inspiration for the next generation of the industry?

“When my architecture career closes, I’d want others to say I actively advocated for the underrepresented and marginalized in our society who are the most impacted by our work to have a voice in the design process. And that I provided a pathway into the profession for the next generation to fulfill their dreams with fewer hurdles to jump and obstacles to climb.”

Brien Graham, AIA, NOMA, NCARB Project Manager LPA

“Everything that I do works to support students and early career professionals and expose them to the greater design profession. The impact I hope to make is that these students find their place in our profession, in whatever capacity they find joy (Architect, marketing, interiors, construction management, etc). I’ve been ‘adjacent’ for almost 10 years now, and it’s been the most fulfilling career I could have asked for and would not have even dreamt to consider!”

Kimberly Tuttle, AIA, NCARB, CAE Associate | Emerging Talent Program Manager Gensler

“I would like young architects to see and understand that architecture as a profession is wildly diverse from traditional practice to alternate career paths. By stretching yourself and exploring all facets of the industry, a vast array of valuable opportunities will present themselves. I have personally had the rewarding opportunities to explore a large private sector corporate firm, large public sector federal agency, and adjunct teaching at a university early in my career.“

Beresford Pratt, AIA, NOMA Design Manager and Architect U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

“In an ideal world, I’d like to put myself out of a job – we would have fully decarbonized our industry and established equitable, clean supply chains for our building materials, negating the need for people like me to serve as sustainability specialists and advocates. I want future generations to be able to focus on expanding architecture to serve a broader audience with the confidence that whatever they design will only serve to better our environment and society. Until then, I welcome the next generations of leaders to accelerate the nascent changes in our field to push our industry to be cleaner, healthier, and more just.”

Efrie Escott , AIA, LEED AP BD+C, LCACP, LFA Sustainability Transformation Leader, Digital Energy Schneider Electric

“You - being brave and authentically who you are - is the most important thing you can do in your life. In our profession, there is always a place for you and your passions, but it’s up to you to find, invest in, and pursue it - and building a network of advocates around yourself who can encourage, challenge, and support you is invaluable. Remember that as designers, every day, we can change the world around us, and you get to decide what your legacy will be.”

Kate Thuesen, AIA, LEED AP Talent Acquisition Leader | Senior Associate DLR Group

“As the profession becomes increasingly diverse, all architects’ voices should not only be included, but their prosperity should be ensured. Equipping all architects with business training, cultural competency and leadership skills, combined with design towards community welfare, will benefit us all.”

“Architects have the skills to shape our physical and cultural environment, implement sustainability efforts, and contribute to the well-being of individuals and communities near and far. We have the responsibility to make positive change in the world...and we must have the unwavering courage to do so.”

“I first and foremost just want to leave the world better than I found it. I want my work to bring joy to all those who interact with it and leave fond memories in its wake. I also want to be an example to future generations of what can be achieved when you look beyond the traditional definition of what an architect is and always strive to be more than you are today.”

“The mark I hope to leave on the design industry would be as a leader known for bringing others to the table within design, process implementation, and community engagement. I hope to expand the idea of what an architect does beyond the stereotypical firm work to provide additional opportunities to those who may not have experienced participation in the design of their communities. Broadening the definition of an architect can help facilitate additional perspectives to be included into a design, process, or community engagement within our field to create more inclusive and empathetic communities to serve our basic human needs as a society.”

“I hope to create places of healing that support people on their mental health journey so everyone can live their lives to their fullest potential. I hope to reduce stigma around mental health through creative and beautiful design solutions…To the next generation of the industry, I will share something I try to constantly remind myself to do: Act like a toddler – question the smallest assumption by asking WHY.”

Stephanie Vito, AIA, ACHA Vice President CannonDesign

“I wholeheartedly believe in the transformative power of architecture to positively influence and enhance lives. My personal goal as a designer is to maximize positive social impact with minimal environmental impact. I hope to leave a legacy of positive change and inspire future generations to shape a more inclusive, sustainable, and harmonious world.”

David Wilson, AIA (he/him) Project Designer | Associate Vice President HGA

“I’m inspired by the momentum that is gathering in our industry to achieve holistic, equitable, quantifiable high performance on every project. Early-career designers and architects are huge drivers of this effort. “

Simona Fischer, AIA, CPHC Director of Sustainable Practice, Architect, Associate MSR Design

“My charge is to build passion and excitement in practicing Healthcare architecture. I advocate for architecture schools to look more closely at the healthcare project type. I see healthcare as the community center both now and in the future; providing education on nutrition and dietary wellness with urban gardens incorporated into their medical campuses and the communities they serve. I will strive to break down the walls between competition for work, and the betterment of the practice; being humble and willing as firms and practitioners to come together, share our thinking, challenge our peers and our clients alike. Being able to ask the tough questions - is what you are doing bettering society? Are we providing equity in what we create? Are we being responsible with our resources? Are we creating resiliency in the system and helping it to flourish even in times of crisis? While I know that our tomorrows are not guaranteed, I am committing my career to ask questions and push the way we think.”

Christopher M. Haedt, AIA, NCARB, ACHA, LEED AP BD+C Principal,, DesignGroup he | him | his

“Architecture and design can be deployed at all scales, all budgets, and can be accessible to all people. These constraints push us to be engaging, curious, and creative! I would encourage the next generation of architects to challenge conventional boundaries of practice by leveraging our design thinking at every turn to broaden our professional influence and carve new paths we can impact the future.”

Jacob Davis, AIA, LEED AP Senior Associate Archimania

“I will never forget the magical feeling I had the first time I felt seen and valued as a designer. My daily objective is to help my colleagues and the design community around me to feel belonging and empowerment. My hope is for them to harness their superpower to propel them to their personal version of success.”

Janica Baker, AIA, LEED AP Associate Principal

“I aspire to make spaces that empower people, with equity in opportunities to imagine and create lives filled with health and joy. I hope that each generation of design professionals is progressively more representative of the communities we serve and brings a holistic, humanistic approach to their work. We need bold, collective action to continue minimizing our footprints (carbon & ecological) while maximizing our impact (human & social).”

Shannon was not available for comment, but see excerpt from her AIA YAA portfolio below.

“During a high school interview, Gathings was asked if she intended to leave Mississippi, a complex place with unique challenges, following her graduation. Her answer was a resounding no, a reply based on her firm belief in her power to enact change. Since completing her studies at Mississippi State University in 2010, she has worked at Duvall Decker Architects, rising to associate in 2021.”