Women’s Advocacy Group Honors Six Leading Female Professionals in Architecture, Construction and More

Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation has announced six exceptional women in architecture, engineering, construction and allied fields as honorees to be recognized at their 2022 BEVY Leadership Awards Gala on October 19th.

The annual event, which brings together leading women in varied professions from around the nation, focuses on the widely admired mission of Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation (BWAF) to “bring attention to the work of contemporary women in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, development and construction.” The 2022 honorees include one of North America’s most influential engineers, the dean of a top architecture school, a prominent executive in real estate development, and the managing partner of a celebrated international architecture firm.

Throughout the evening gala event at the Bryant Park Grill, each of the women will be cited for beneficial impact in a specialized area and in fields where women are increasingly visible and impactful. The categories of recognition include innovation, mentorship, academic leadership, media engagement, organizational excellence, and emerging leadership — all linked to Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation’s core mission of changing the industry of design and construction, for women, through education and research.

“Since 2014, we have raised awareness of women showing great progress in fields historically dominated by men through this highly respected awards program, and by celebrating their achievements at our annual gala,” says Cynthia Phifer Kracauer, AIA, executive director of the Beverly Wills Architecture Foundation.

Among the applauded honorees for 2022 are engineer Fiona Cousins, for her widespread impact as Chair of the Americas for the global engineering and design giant Arup, and architect Elaine Molinar, managing partner of the U.S. practice for Snøhetta, an acclaimed 100-person interdisciplinary architecture, landscape, and interior design studio with a focus on well-being.

Also honored this year for academic excellence is J. Meejin Yoon, dean of Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art, and Planning and one of the founding partners of the architecture and design firm Höweler + Yoon. For innovation excellence, the award goes to Judy Kessler, a highly accomplished real estate development executive known for leading large-scale building projects as well as supporting housing for low- and moderate-income residents including the formerly homeless.

Other honorees for this year’s BEVY Leadership Awards include an emerging leader award for Adrienne Hepler, founder of owner’s representative and project management firm Envoie Projects, and mentorship laurels for construction executive Brennan Gilbane Koch of Gilbane Building Company, a company frequently named atop lists of the best places to work.

Gala Chairs and Sponsors

In addition to the six honorees, the two event co-chairs Jennifer Stone and Ebbie Wisecarver further the representation of innovative leadership that underpins the spirit of the awards gala. Jennifer Stone, AIA, partner at Robert A.M. Stern Architects, is an advocate for high- quality design and collaborative problem-solving, with a talent for bringing together the diverse voices of academic, administrative, and community stakeholders to envision and build a shared future. In addition to her standing as a seasoned architect and business leader, Ebbie Wisecarver is senior vice president and head of global design at WeWork, serving as a strong advocate for gender equality as well as the executive sponsor of the company’s employee resource group, Women of WeWork.

Sponsors of the 2022 BEVY Leadership Awards are law firm Zetlin & De Chiara, the engineering firms Thornton Tomasetti and Arup, along with the four architecture firms SHoP, Robert A.M. Stern Architects, Dattner Architects and Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM), as well as real estate developer and manager Brookfield Properties.

“On the heels of winning prestigious grants for our podcast audio documentaries about great women in architecture and design, New Angle: Voice, we are very thankful for the strong and steadfast support from our gala sponsors and chairs,” adds Kracauer. “Our movement is growing momentum and attention, and women leaders like our 2022 honorees are creating new ways to make that possible.”