At-large representatives to the AIA Strategic Council named

Andre Brumfield, Assoc. AIA, and Gwen Fuertes, AIA, were named At-large Representatives to the AIA Strategic Council for the 2023-2025 term.

Each year, the AIA Strategic Council has the opportunity to elect as many as five At-large Representatives to the Council, to serve two-year terms. The intent of these At-large positions is to bring diverse viewpoints to the Council that might not be otherwise represented. This includes people from allied professions, futurists, educators and other professionals that would not typically become members of the Council through the standard regional election process.

Brumfield is a Principal and the Global Director of Gensler’s Cities + Urban Design practice, and is a member of the firm’s Board of Directors.

He said he was interested in this role and serving on the Council to advance AIA’s Strategic Plan, “specifically as it relates to justice and equity.” He is trained and educated as an architect but has been practicing in the field of urban design and master planning for most of his career.

Brumfield has a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Washington with a Graduate Certificate in Urban Design and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He would like to “explore ways that the Strategic Council can craft strategies to revitalize neighborhoods and ultimately create communities of choice for all residents regardless of race, income, or gender.”

Fuertes is a Senior Associate and building scientist for Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects where she heads the sustainability and postoccupancy research efforts. Fuertes served on the AIA 2030 National Working Group from 2017-2021, and served as co-chair from 2019-2020.

She is focused on balancing climate action, research and policy, teaching, and designing for underserved communities, and she said she “would be very interested in engaging and bringing these perspectives to bear with the Strategic Council.”

Fuertes has a Master of Architecture from University of California, Berkeley, a Master of Building Science from University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Arts, Architectural Studies and Music from Brown University.

As a member of the Strategic Council, Fuertes says she would be “interested contributing methods for the AIA to help advance the profession on topics relating to equity and climate action in meaningful ways.” She claims her experience in the field and on other national committees will provide the needed perspective for this role as At-large Representative.

Learn more about AIA’s Strategic Council here.