Career StagesEducator/Practicing Network

This page offers a list of links to mentoring programs in alphabetical order. The list is by no means exhaustive. Please help us collect more links to valuable architecture-focused mentorship programs by e-mailing mentoring@aia.org.

AIA Chapters with Mentoring Programs

Schools of Architecture with Mentoring Programs

Other Mentoring Programs

AIA Chapters with Mentoring Programs

AIA Alabama
The Alabama chapter of the AIA supplies volunteers who act as mentors to interns.

AIA Atlanta
The AIA Atlanta Mentoring Program is managed by Bill Abballe, AIA. A kick-off event is held each fall to orient new members to the program.

AIA Arizona
A mentoring program is currently being created. Contact Charnissa Moore at Charnissa@aia-arizona.org for more information.

Boston Society of Architects
The BSA has a mentoring program initiated by Fellows of the AIA.

AIA Charlotte
AIA Charlotte and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte College of Architecture have partnered to maintain this mentoring program since 2003. A "Women Mentoring Women" (Architects to Interns) program launched in August of 2007. For more information on mentoring contact Jennifer Sisak at (704)331-0109.

AIA Colorado
AIA Colorado has established a mentoring network of volunteer registered architects who offer to meet with architecture and design students and interns to share real-world experiences and offer guidance as they prepare for careers in the design professions. AIA Colorado is partnering with the University of Colorado at Boulder and Denver, as well as many firms in the metro area, to provide this unique opportunity to young professionals across Colorado. To express your interest, please e-mail: mentors@aiacolorado.org.

AIA Kansas City
AIA Fellows meet with local Young Professionals.

AIA Michigan
AIA Michigan has a mentoring program which was started and is maintained by Tom Mathison, FAIA. There is no charge to participate and it is aimed at architecture college students. Tom's mentoring model is revered by several other AIA chapters who have set up similar programs.

AIA New York
AIA New York holds Speed Mentoring events as a means of connecting women in the profession. This version of Speed Mentoring involves women architecture professionals at various career stages being paired together to exchange ideas. The events provide immediate mentoring (”How do I handle this difficult client?”) as well as the opportunity for longer-term mentoring relationships among participants (”Let’s do lunch!”). Contact Lisa M. Chronister, AIA at lchronister@verizon.net for more information. Also, Emerging NY Architects organizes a group mentoring program. The program duration is one year and it is offered biannually.

AIA Oklahoma
AIA Oklahoma matches interns with volunteer mentors. Contact Oklahoma's IDP State Coordinator, Daryl Bray at darylb@scottgoble.com for more information.

AIA San Francisco
Contact the AIASF Mentorship Committee at mentorship@aiasf.org for information on the mentoring program.

AIA Seattle
Grace Kim, AIA, manages a "Laddership" Program, a type of group mentoring, in Seattle. Contact Grace at grace@schemataworkshop.com for information.

AIA Southern New Mexico
AIA Southern New Mexico has active mentoring program. Contact nmdirector@aianewmexico.org for more information.

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Schools of Architecture with Mentoring Programs

University of California at Berkeley
The College of Environmental Design Alumni Association manages a mentorship program.

University of Minnesota
The College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (CALA) Mentor Program at the University of Minnesota is one of the largest architecture mentor programs in the nation, with more than 300 participants each year. Contact Lucy Reile, Mentor Program Coordinator, at cdesmentor@umn.edu for more information.

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Other Mentoring Programs

Speed Mentoring
The AIA has created a podcast on Speed Mentoring. Strong mentoring relationships are active, collaborative partnerships that benefit both parties while also yielding communal benefits. In this podcast, Grace Kim, AIA, a principal at Schemata Workshop in Seattle, and Lee Waldrep, PhD, associate dean of the School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation at the University of Maryland, explain the importance and benefits of having—and being—a mentor. iTunes | MP3

American Institute for Graphic Arts (AIGA) New York
The New York Chapter of AIGA, the professional association for design, has an exemplary mentoring program.

ACE Mentor Program
A national program for high school students interested in architecture, construction, engineering and related areas of the design and construction industry.

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