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CSI Celebrates Women's History Month—Lakisha Woods

By Peter Kray posted 04-05-2022 02:13 PM

  
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) wanted an experienced professional with a proven track record as its new executive vice president/chief executive officer (CEO). Lakisha Ann Woods, CAE, who stepped into the position January 31, easily fits that description. Woods has held several significant leadership roles in the design and construction industry, most recently as the president and CEO of the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), where she expanded the organization’s programs and markets while also growing its relationships with members, clients, partners, and public agencies, including the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and United States Army Corps of Engineers.

Woods and her accomplishments are the subject of the following interview, the fifth and final story about notable women in the build community that CSI is sharing throughout March. The 2022 Women's History theme, “Providing Healing, Promoting Hope,” is both a tribute to the ceaseless work of caregivers and frontline workers during this ongoing pandemic and a recognition of the thousands of ways that women of all cultures have provided both healing and hope throughout history.

Could you please share some of the professional achievements and special projects that have the most significance to you personally?

Absolutely. The most recent was leading NIBS. There, we were able to create a Women Executives in Building Summit, which was specifically targeted to women in the C-suite within the built environment. Here at AIA, we have a leadership summit for women in architecture, but a specific event targeted to the C-suite didn't exist. There are unique challenges for women in the C-suite within this space. To have that platform to have an opportunity to share their concerns or some of their victories was very inspiring, important, and engaging for the group.

It was important to not only have this space to share with each other, but also to share what came from those conversations so others can learn. This is a community we want women to join and it so important to recruit women into the workforce. It’s also what made me so excited about coming to AIA—their strategic plan and its two goals, climate action, and racial and gender equity, are key passion points for me.

What first intrigued you about a career in the AECO industry and how does it continue to both challenge and reward you?

I started in this industry right out of college. I never would’ve thought I would have a career in the construction space, but I really loved the people. I loved the passion at all areas. I was at the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, AGC of America, The National Association of Home Builders, then NIBS, and here at AIA. So, from all spectrums—from the subcontractor to the general contractor, to the home builder, to the architect—everyone really loves what they do. They have such an appreciation for the built environment, the places where we live, work, learn, and play. Who doesn't want to know that they have a safe space to live in and a great building to work in? I’m so thrilled I had an opportunity to get involved. And the passion of the members is what’s kept me here.

What advice might you share with women just beginning their careers or that you wish you could have given yourself?

Advice I would give is to recognize your power, recognize your strength and your skills and the value that you bring, and stay strong and keep pushing forward. So often people don’t get their seat at the table. They don’t make their voice heard. Several years ago, I spoke at a conference for women in residential construction. They’d asked me to speak about a LinkedIn article I’d written called, “Please Stop Apologizing.” I kept hearing women apologize for things that weren’t their fault and who would diminish their opinion in order to get acceptance from other people at the table.

A woman came up to me who had just announced her retirement and was training the new woman who was going to replace her. She said, “I’m so glad you spoke about this because I was taught early on by the man who trained me that if you want to share your opinion, start by saying, ‘I know this isn't important.’” And 30 years later she’s training the next woman to do the same thing. I have a book that will be out in a couple of weeks. Within the book, I have a chapter titled, “I Am Who You Made Me.” It’s about the fact that, as women, often we are our own worst enemy, because we’ve been trained by men to not see women as leaders. Sometimes when we sit on a panel, we tend to pick the man as the leader and not the woman, because that’s what we we're trained to do. So, we have to claim our space, recognize the value of our voice, and be heard.

What is the title of the book?

Never Get Their Coffee, Empowering Fearless Leadership.

Are there specific opportunities—or roadblocks—you see for other women in the industry right now?

Yes. Not to be too simplistic, but the roadblocks can be divided into four broad areas. The first two are operational and quantifiable: smaller and less connected networks and inflexible workplace schedules that disproportionately burden women. Because even today we bear more of the home and caretaking responsibilities. The other two are a direct manifestation of cultural gender and inequity in society: the continued prevalence of negative restrictive gender stereotypes, and bias and discrimination in the workplace. All these things work to perpetuate a persistent and pernicious power imbalance, which continues to prevent far too many women from realizing their full potential in architecture, the wider industry, and in the broader society,

So how do you keep working to ensure diversity and inclusion in this industry?

With AIA, I think what’s really great is they did the background research that's important. They did a joint effort with the Center for WorkLife Law at UC California Hastings College of the Law, which is a qualitative and quantitative study of bias based on gender, race, ethnicity, and the practice of architecture. The report gives thorough first-person accounts of and captures stories on how bias plays out in the practice of architecture, how it affects workplace processes, and how it affects outcome measures. I think the great thing about the report is it really separates things into four areas to move beyond anecdote, to build awareness, to start conversations, and to amplify the voices.

https://worklifelaw.org

That is important because we want to look at our baseline data of where we are as a profession and then as an organization and create tools to make improvements. One of the resources that AIA has is our second edition of the Guides for Equitable Practice, which we’ve done in partnership with the University of Washington, University of Minnesota. Our AIA Equity and The Future of Architecture committee is helping to make the business and professional case for ensuring that organizations and firms meet the career development, professional environment, and cultural awareness expectations of current and future employees and clients. It’s a vital part of AIA’s long-term commitment to lead efforts to ensure that the profession of architecture is as diverse as the nation we serve. And we’ve got a ways to go.

The theme for Women’s History Month for 2022 is Women Providing Healing and Promoting Hope. How can or do CSI members do that right now?

Last fall I had the opportunity to speak at the CSI National Conference, and your members really showed an interest and an excitement in making an effort to change. So, my response would be that the short answer is by showing up and leaning into your talent and ability by remembering that diverse perspectives on how to create and maintain the built world will be essential to finding positive, holistic and lasting solutions to the changes that we face at the end of the day. We all need everyone's voice. We need everyone's hopes and talents and experiences and perspectives to meet the challenges ahead.

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