In honor of the many influential women in the field of architecture and design, the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation (BWAF) is hosting its Fourth Annual Leadership Awards Gala on March 7th. This special event will also celebrate the 90th birthday of organization founder, Beverly Willis.
Taking place at the Prince George Ballroom in New York City, this special event recognizes women who have helped to both inspire and advance women in the architectural field. BWAF will also honor those who have made significant strides in changing the culture of the built environment to recognize women’s work. Among the recognized individuals are Iris Weinshall, COO of the New York Public Library, Langan’s Michele O’ Connor, and Karen Fairbanks, chair of the Department of Architecture at Barnard College. (A full list of recipients follows.)
According to Cynthia Kracauer, executive director of BWAF, this year’s honorees have helped the foundation further promote their mission of recognizing the work of women in architecture.
“While we have seen steady improvement in the field over recent years, women are still highly underrepresented in the architecture and design communities,” she said. “With our annual gala, we have an opportunity to recognize and thank those leaders who have helped promote our cause of continuing to support women practitioners and women-led firms.”
Proceeds from the awards gala directly supports BWAF’s annual programming, Kracauer adds, including the Industry Leader’s Roundtable and the popular Emerging Leaders Series. During this event, attendees will also have the chance to view the trailer for the foundations latest film called “Unknown New York: the City that Women Built.”
Who: The Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation
What: 2018 BWAF Leadership Awards Gala
When: March 7th, 2018 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Where: The Prince George Ballroom, 15 E. 27th St., New York, NY
2018 Honorees:
Iris Weinshall (COO, New York Public Library)
Jill Lerner (Partner, KPF)
Michele O’ Connor (Principal, Langan Environmental & Engineering Services, Inc.)
Karen Fairbanks (Chair, Department of Architecture, Barnard College)
Julia Murphy (Associate Director, SOM)
Eugenie C. Havemeyer (President, Metropolis)
Susan Szenasy (Director of Design Innovations, Metropolis)
To buy tickets or make contributions to the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation, visit gala.bwaf.org.
About BWAF
The Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to recognizing and advancing the recognition of women’s contributions to architecture. BWAF both commissions and curates research that pertains to women working at all levels within all fields of practice including architecture, engineering, construction, design, landscape, preservation, and planning. In 2017, BWAF launched the award-winning website of Pioneering Women of American Architecture, preserving the legacies of historically significant women born before 1940, who contributed to creating the American built environment between 1880 and 1980.