Kimberly Nicole Dowdell, AIA, originally from

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, Michigan, is a

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

-based

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

real estate developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to others. R ...

, and educator. Dowdell is currently a principal at HOK's Chicago office, and she served as the 2019-2020 national president of the

National Organization of Minority Architects The National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) is a professional organization for individuals practicing architecture and allied professionals to advance justice and equity in communities of color. History In 1968, activist and executiv ...

(NOMA). On June 15, 2022, Dowdell was elected as first vice-president and president-elect of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

. She will be the 100th president of the

and the first Black woman to serve in the role.

Early life and education

Dowdell grew up in

. Dowdell received a

Bachelor of Architecture The Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) is a bachelor's degree designed to satisfy the academic requirement of practising architecture around the world. Australia Architectural education in Australia varies depending on the university offering th ...

from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

in 2006 and her Master in Public Administration from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 2015.

Career

When at

Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

in 2005, Dowdell co-founded the Social Economic Environmental Design (SEED) Network. After Cornell, Dowdell worked at HOK's New York office in 2008 before transitioning to focus on real estate in 2011. After graduating from

in 2015, Dowdell worked for Detroit's Housing and Revitalization Department and in 2016 transitioned to working with Century Partners on equitable revitalization of the city's vacant lots. Between 2016 and 2019, Dowdell taught architecture and urban planning at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. As a principal at HOK, Dowdell launched the HOK IMPACT program and co-chairs the Diversity Advisory across all of HOK's global offices.

Awards and honors

* Elected to Cornell University Board of Trustees, 2022 *

AIA AIA or A.I.A. or Aia may refer to: Aia * Aia, a small town in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, Spain * Aia, current Kutaisi, ancient capital of Colchis * Aia, another name for Aea (Malis), an ancient town in Greece * ''Aia'', the collected ed ...

Young Architects Award, 2020 *Women in Architecture Design Leadership - Activist Award, 2020 * 19th Annual Dunlop Lecturer at the

Harvard Graduate School of Design The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) is the graduate school of design at Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It offers master's and doctoral programs in architecture, landscape architecture, urban ...

, 2019 *

Next City ''Next City'' is a national urban affairs magazine and non-profit organization based in Philadelphia. First published in March 2003 as a magazine known as The Next American City, Next City promotes socially, economically and environmentally susta ...

Vanguard honoree for rising urban leaders, 2013 * Crain's Detroit Business “40 Under 40” honoree, 2005

Notable speaking events

* World Build Podcast: CSR, environmental stewardship, equity and inclusion, June 7, 2021 *TEDxDetroit : Home run Detroit November 2017

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dowdell, Kim African-American architects American women architects Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning alumni Harvard Kennedy School alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Living people University of Michigan faculty American women academics 21st-century African-American people Architects from Detroit Women architects 21st-century African-American women