This Is DesignIntelligence

David Lau is an accomplished leader and serves as a Senior Instructor with the FLETC Leadership Institute. He is a combat veteran and regularly speaks on resilience, wellness, anti-fragility, and post traumatic growth. On this edition of This Is DesignIntelligence, he talks about his life changing deployment to Afghanistan, the examples of leadership that continue to influence him, and how a traum...

Like a bullet from a gun, the speed and focus of business at the start of the year gauges the velocity of the overall business for the overall year.  Are you following the plan you set in place before the starting gun of the new year began? 

Eric Cesal is a designer, educator, writer and noted post-disaster expert.  He has been called “Architecture’s First Responder” by The Daily Beast for his work leading Architecture for Humanity’s post-disaster programs from 2010 to 2014. On this edition of This Is DesignIntelligence, he talks about the red thread running through his multi-faceted career, the event that caused him to realize the tr...

As a leader you have to give those following you the benefit of the doubt and press in to get to the truth rather than respond from your own fear of rejection.  After all, rejection is perhaps the most difficult dynamic between humans, and leaders face it every day.

Known for seamlessly interweaving sustainable landscapes, art, and architecture, Andrea Cochran is the founding partner of Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture and a recipient of numerous awards, including the 2023 Design Futures Council Lifetime Achievement Award. On this edition of This Is DesignIntelligence, she talks about the path that led her to the profession, the relationship between art...

As a leader, it’s important to be aware that others depend on you for direction, confidence, self-discipline, and genuine care.  When your demeanor communicates these things, people are more apt to embrace your authenticity.

Ella Hazard is the Managing Director of Arktura Ventures, a venture studio wholly backed by Armstrong World Industries that focuses on accelerating and incubating advancements in architecture, engineering and materials science in building and construction. On this edition of This Is DesignIntelligence, she talks about the trial and error of her nonlinear career path, how the stumbles she’s made al...

How much time, effort, and money are you investing in your growth? The people that follow you as their leader depend on you bettering yourself on a regular basis.

Make no mistake about it, 2024 will be replete with challenges. DesignIntelligence is committed to staying focused on our community of built environment professionals and firms to support you with insight empowered foresight, pragmatic and strategic advice to weather whatever comes, and provisioning the perspectives you need for the decisions that matter.

How are you spending or investing the precious asset of time you have? 

Rick Archer is a founding partner at Overland Partners Architecture + Urban Design and served as Overland’s CEO from 2016 to 2023. He is an active leader in community initiatives around the globe, with a focus on education, sustainability, social equity and design that inspires human flourishing. On this edition of This Is DesignIntelligence, he talks about what he learned from his time at the Ame...

You might recall the words of F. Scott Fitzgerald who said, “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.”

Randy Deutsch is an educator, author, international keynote speaker, AI researcher, and licensed architect. He is a Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council and currently serves as Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Architecture. On this edition of This Is DesignIntelligence, he talks about the benefits and opportunities of AI, the risks inhere...

Transformation is no longer an option, but rather, a mandate for resilience. Few will count the costs or pay the price to authentically transform, but they will be the vanguard of the new built environment over the next few years.

Evelyn Lee is head of workplace strategy and innovation at Slack Technologies. With a background in both architecture and business, she is a widely published columnist and featured speaker at national design and architecture conferences. She served as the first-ever female Treasurer to the AIA National Board in 2020-2021 and will serve as the AIA National President in 2025. On this edition of this...

Time and resolve are two essential factors for transformation. Leadership who determines to transform themselves as well as the organizations they lead will give it the time to form coupled with unwavering resolve to see it through.

Dr. Vini Nathan currently serves as Auburn University’s Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. In 2011, she joined Auburn University as Dean and McWhorter Chair in the College of Architecture, Design and Construction (CADC), and prior to that she held teaching positions at Virginia Tech, the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, New York Institute of Technology, and P...

A board is a fiduciary responsibility. A board is placed by shareholders who are placing confidence and trust in the board to best represent their interests for sustainable, long term results. 

Mancini Duffy is a national design firm with a 100+ year old history and a tech forward approach. William Mandara Jr is the firm’s CEO & Co-owner, and Bolanle Williams Olley is the CFO & Co-owner. On this edition of This is DesignIntelligence, they talk about the history of the firm, the transition to the current generation of leadership and diversified work typologies, and why creating a...

When one ascends to leadership, the natural centricity of self will be challenged as responsible leadership decision-making replaces self as the center with the organization being led. Said another way, Me becomes We in responsible leadership decision-making.

Veronica Schreibeis Smith is the Founding Principal of Vera Iconica Architecture as well as the CEO of Vera Iconica Wellness Kitchen & B-Corp Vera Iconica Developments. She is a global pioneer in Wellness Architecture and has been featured world wide in  distinguished publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Forbes. On this edition of This Is DesignIntelligence, she talks about what dr...

Trustworthiness is assembled and maintained through the consistency of what a leader “does next” after they fail or disappoint or disillusion those they’re leading.

Rico Quirindongo has been working for over 25 years to revitalize and reimagine some of Seattle’s most historic landmarks and neighborhoods and currently serves as Director of the Office of Planning and Community Development for the City of Seattle. On this edition of This Is DesignIntelligence, he talks about what led him to become an architect, why it’s important for architects to be involved in...

The heart of effective leadership is a commitment to the others one is leading. It's this "others" mindset that sets the effective leader apart from the pack...

Andrew Kitchner is the Founder and CEO of New Wave Solutions, an extraordinary firm with an extraordinary leader, specializing in helping organizations retain top-tier talent. On this edition of This Is DesignIntelligence, he shares the workplace habits and expectations that have changed as a result of the pandemic, the three different types of employee commitment, and what firms should be focusin...