7 Questions with AIA’s new EVP/CEO

This month, AIA welcomes Carole Wedge, FAIA, as the organization’s new executive vice president/chief executive officer. Wedge, who served as the CEO of Boston-based firm Shepley Bulfinch for 17 years, is also the 2020 recipient of the Edward C. Kemper Award, which recognizes a member who has made significant and impactful contributions to the profession through dedicated service to AIA.

We chatted with Wedge about her excitement for the work ahead, her favorite project during her time in practice, what she’s currently reading, and more. Read on for the full conversation. 

Congratulations on your new role! What is most exciting to you about being AIA’s EVP/CEO?

Thank you. It’s very exciting for me to take on this role. When I sat on the 2024 board, I could see the opportunity for better connection and communication and [to help] people understand the great things that AIA does. What I’m most excited about is connecting the dots between local chapters, members, and [AIA] National [as well as] the affiliate organizations that we work with. I am excited about working with Illya Azaroff and the AIA Board this year on some critically important issues, including climate and resilient design—helping our members navigate a rapidly changing world.  

[That means making our work] real for members. But it also means listening deeply and understanding what’s going on with them on the ground as well as welcoming them to the rejuvenated headquarters: the Global Campus for Architecture & Design [GCAD™]. 

It’s a wonderful net zero adaptive renovation of the 1970s headquarters building that’s designed to be member focused. It’s really our members’ building. We are trying to get the word out that [members] can use it for meetings or retreats. Even if they’re in D.C. for another reason, they can work here.

We’ll circle back to GCAD, but I wanted to talk about your long and amazing tenure at Shepley Bulfinch, starting in the mailroom! What were some of the most significant changes you witnessed in the profession during that span? 

There are so many. I think it’s related to the way we’re thinking about AI: There were such dramatic technological changes, and people were worried and concerned about how firms were going to navigate [those changes]. I was at Shepley for 37 years, navigating the waves of technological change, culture change, and the economic cycles that impacted how we did our work.

We did a study in the 2000s when BIM was just being explored. We looked at how many drawings and specifications it took to build Sever Hall [at Harvard University] when H.H. Richardson was working in the firm [in the 1870s]; how many drawings and specifications it took to build the River Houses at Harvard [in the 1940s]; and then, fast forward, how many drawings and specification pages we created for a new law school building at Georgetown [in the 2000s].

It was exponential [in terms of] the amount of information that we created. As I remember, there were 10 or 15 drawings in total for this big classroom building, Sever Hall, at Harvard, and then it was 100 pages [for the River Houses], and 500 pages [for the Georgetown Law School building]. 

I think AI could help us consolidate information while also helping contractors and suppliers navigate all the specifications that we give them, so we might connect the industry in more thoughtful ways. I really believe that that we’re better when we work together. 

When I joined Shepley Bulfinch, there was one woman principal, Elizabeth Erickson, [FAIA]. I was so excited that there was a firm that had a woman principal—I thought that was so progressive in 1986. Unfortunately, I was the next woman principal, something like 14 years later. The firm articulated diversity as a goal in 2000. It was amazing how just saying that out loud drew a lot of different people to the firm and created a [culture different from one that was] white male dominated. (Many of those white men were fabulous mentors to me.) 

[The culture] was always very people-centric, but exactly what the firm looked like in terms of race and gender and country of origin shifted dramatically over the course of 40 years. 

What was your favorite project that you worked on during your time at Shepley Bulfinch? 

It’s hard to pick one, but I was asked to focus on libraries early on. I was always a library kid: In the summer, I would get on my bike and ride to the library. 

For the first 10 or 15 years, I was working in higher education and in libraries around the country and, in fact, around the world. [At first], there wasn’t an internet. Five or 10 years in, technology was suddenly transforming the way librarians were working. To work with clients when they were going through a transformative time was very exciting because you could reinvent the rules. People were open to innovation and new ways of thinking about space, about how students, faculty and the broader community should engage the library. 

I think my favorite project is the Austin Public Library. We did that project with AIA Honor Award winners Lake Flato. My favorite part of the building is the roof terrace, which has solar panels as the shade structure. They now rent it out for weddings. It’s so popular—whenever you go there, the roof terrace is always busy and full of all different kinds of people.

You shared with AIA staff that you’re an avid reader. What are you reading these days? 

It’s called "Terms of Respect: How Colleges Get Free Speech Right." It’s by the president of Princeton University [Christopher L. Eisgruber]. He’s talking about how media is influencing our dialogue and how when people don’t agree, they need to talk more, not less, and how that dialogue contributes to creating community.

I think that’s relevant to AIA because we have so many members in so many locations, and everyone’s different. You need to create a climate where people share ideas, and even if they don’t agree, they want to talk more and learn from each other.

Let’s talk about GCAD. What is your favorite design aspect of the new global campus? 

The philosophy that it’s for the members. The first couple of times I visited headquarters, I was a relatively young leader, and was just trying to figure out, “What is this building for and how does it work?” Everyone was very welcoming, but it felt very AIA staff-centric and board-centric, I would say. Sort of closed and mysterious. 

Now, it’s the opposite of that. It is so open and welcoming. It’s a building that will hold the energy of all the great activities in it.

Is there anything else you would like to share with members? 

I would love to hear from them. I’m going to be traveling a lot this year and looking for opportunities to engage wherever I go. I’d like to connect the next generation of architects with our leaders, fellows, and those who can be great mentors to them. 

Relationships built through engaging with AIA have truly made a difference for me in my career. Engagement is the magic of AIA—it is where you really blossom and grow a network and feel like you’re part of this incredibly supportive community. I’m excited about cross-pollinating. I think that’s my metaphor: I’m a pollinator this year. 

Any other work that you’d like to highlight?  

We are being very deliberate in advocating for architecture and those things that affect architects—particularly [regarding] the Department of Education classification change. We’re being very vocal and visible. Look for us on LinkedIn and look for [Chief Advocacy Officer] Alexander Cochran on LinkedIn. We’re pushing hard on policy—making our national AIA voice visible and building a coalition across the built environment and design education. 

I want people to know how much effort we’re putting into connecting the dots and advocating for the things that really affect our members [as well as] the impact we can have on climate and communities. And I want them to know that at AIA, we are committed to enhancing the value and success of the profession.

My hope that we can inspire members to take climate and disaster response training with AIA or their local chapter. The climate crisis will continue, and the extreme weather will impact all of our communities. Architects need to be engaged and ready to support the response to climate realities in compassionate and effective ways. We can learn from each other and communities around the world.

Katherine Flynn is AIA’s director, digital content.