AIA selects 2026-27 Next to Lead cohort
Next to Lead is designed to prepare female AIA member candidates for volunteer leadership positions.
WASHINGTON – September 24, 2026 – The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is proud to announce the selection of the 2026-27 Next to Lead cohort.
The selected Next to Lead participants will engage in a ten-month program aimed at enhancing their association leadership acumen, tackling challenges faced by women in the workplace and the architecture profession, and refining their leadership skills. Participants benefit from monthly virtual learning opportunities and in-person workshops, led by expert speakers and AIA staff. Participants will meet monthly for virtual training sessions as well as take part in two in-person gatherings during Women’s Leadership Summit (WLS) and the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design® (AIA27).
2026-27 Next to Lead cohort:
Madhubala Ayyamperumal, Assoc. AIA, STUDIOS Architecture, AIA Silicon Valley
Justice Barnes, Assoc. AIA, Cromwell Architects Engineers, AIA Arkansas
Fallon Barrett, Assoc. AIA, City of Houston, AIA Houston
Alexandra Chaves, Assoc. AIA, Restructure Studio, AIA Austin
Zining Cheng, Assoc. AIA, NBBJ, AIA Seattle
Viraj Dave, Assoc. AIA, Rieder USA, AIA Chicago
Kiara De Leon, Assoc. AIA, Manuel Bermudez Arquitecto CSP, AIA Puerto Rico
Kariba Lawson, AIA, HDR, Inc., AIA Colorado
Danielle McCormick, AIA, Stantec, AIA Washington, DC
Shaili Patel, AIA, Colby Company, LLC, AIA Alaska
Dyuthi Prakash, AIA, studio-verse, AIA New York
Elizabeth Robertson, AIA, HFG Architecture, AIA Eastern Oklahoma
Jane Rodrigues, AIA, Gensler, AIA Atlanta
Andrea Simpson, AIA, SSOE Group, AIA Alabama
Vanessa Smith-Torres, AIA, Perkins&Will, AIA Miami
Brittney Sooksengdao, AIA, Gensler, AIA Washington, DC
Oyuki Sulu, Assoc. AIA, Cushman & Wakefield, AIA Pittsburgh
Arti Verma, AIA, Dynamik Design, AIA Atlanta
Next to Lead is free of charge for all participants. All cohort participants will receive complimentary registration and a travel stipend to attend WLS and AIA27. AIA created Next to Lead to develop a diverse cohort of women leaders in architecture. Next to Lead was recently recognized by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) with a 2026 Power of Associations Gold Award.
Established through a member-led resolution advanced by the AIA Strategic Council in 2018, Next to Lead was created to develop a national leadership pipeline that prepares and advances women from diverse backgrounds for leadership and governance roles throughout AIA.
“Next to Lead didn't just teach me about leadership—it helped me recognize the leader I already was,” said past Next to Lead participant Chien-Yi Chu, Assoc. AIA. “I came away with something I didn't expect: a deeper trust in my own voice, not as someone still earning a seat at the table, but as someone ready to help build it.”
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In August, architecture firms continued to face soft business conditions, posting an AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index® (ABI) score of 47.2.
