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This year, CSI welcomed Mary-Alice Avila, FCSI, CDT®, to the CSI College of Fellows. She is one of only six distinguished professionals in the architecture, engineering, construction, and owner (AECO) industry named to the 2026 class. She was nominated through a rigorous application process, then elected by the Jury of Fellows for membership, one of the top honors given by CSI. Ahead of celebrating this achievement at the 2026 CSI National Conference, October 7-9 in Phoenix, AZ, we talked with her about her career and becoming a CSI Fellow.
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What does this honor mean to you?
Striving to learn and earn my place in the AECO profession has not been without many challenges. My family has always supported and encouraged me, and my CSI friends have graciously shared their knowledge and experience to help me serve and lead through my Chapter and Region. To have my peers value my efforts to share my knowledge, experience, and service is an astounding, emotional experience.
The AECO industry offers so many paths for professionals to distinguish themselves. What is it about your path that has been so rewarding for you?
Meeting CSI members at chapter, regional and national levels has opened up educational and leadership opportunities for me. While my original emphasis was on chapter service, since retiring a second time, my emphasis has been on education and sharing my years of experience as an Owner Team member to help others appreciate how projects originate and for whom, and to understand that a facility, especially for government entities, must last 50 to 100 years.
Do you have a few favorite memories of people or projects you would like to share?
I have many memories and am so grateful for the many people in the profession I have had the opportunity to share experiences. Gilman Hu suggested I hold a retreat for the Board and Committee members as I started the year as President of CSI Fresno Chapter. We developed a plan and budget for the entire year, and I used the Board meetings to make sure we were on track each month. My CSI sister, Sheryl Dodd-Hansen, has been a friend and mentor, along with her late husband, Dane. Patrick Comerford has always been a positive force encouraging me to share my knowledge and experience teaching others. However, I owe my involvement in CSI to Stuart Seiden, who encouraged me to join CSI and later took care of our children when I travelled to many CSI Conventions across the United States.
How about anything you wish you had done differently, or barriers you could have avoided in retrospect?
It was almost impossible to avoid barriers imposed by others, especially during the 1970’s and 80’s, when it was unconventional for women to be active participants in the AECO professions. Luckily, my mother raised independent daughters, and I have always had the support of my family who encouraged me to keep pushing forward.
What advice might you share with someone who is considering a career in the AECO industry right now?
Keep an open mind and be willing to take on new challenges. You never know when a bit of experience you gain will become extremely valuable to you in the future. My sister, Liz, was my college roommate, and wouldn’t let me get away with using jargon to explain my design projects. As a result, I learned to explain design concepts to those not in the AECO profession, which has served me on many occasions.
Early in my career, I worked for a telecommunications engineering firm, planning and engineering infrastructure projects on the Central California Coast. Years later, I was tasked with designing telecommunications for a new engineering building on a college campus. Partnering with the IT Department, we designed and built a system that met immediate and future needs, was easy to maintain, and could easily be expanded. Without my previous telecommunications experience, I would not have known where to begin.