In Washington, D.C. the AIA Board of Directors today named Carole Wedge the next AIA executive vice president/Chief Executive Officer.
Previously, Wedge served for 17 years as CEO of Shepley Bulfinch, a national architecture firm. Wedge was the 2020 recipient of the AIA Edward C. Kemper Award and played a pivotal role in founding the AIA Women’s Leadership Summit.
Wedge has had roles in AIA’s Board of Directors, Architects Foundation, the Large Firm Roundtable, Boston Society of Architects, Boston Architectural College (her alma mater), and Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles led the hunt for the new director, chaired by AIA 2024 President Kimberly Dowdell. The search committee included: Illya Azaroff, Graciela Carrillo, Yew Kee Cheong, Dan Hart, Anne Hicks Harney, and others.
“It is with tremendous excitement that AIA begins a new chapter with Carole at the helm,” 2025 AIA President Evelyn Lee shared in a statement. “This is more than a shift in leadership; it is a new opportunity to accelerate the impact architects make in communities across the country and internationally.”
Lee continued: “In Carole, we see a leader who will support our members, chapters, and AIA employees, strengthen the profession, and ensure that architecture is shaping a resilient, equitable, and sustainable future.”
Wedge follows Lakisha Woods, who served as AIA executive vice president/CEO between January 2022 and February 2025. Woods chose to step down from the role after a series of controversies at AIA, and rebukes of her leadership, as reported by AN. Stephen Ayers has been AIA interim CEO since Woods’s departure last winter.
“I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to lead AIA, an organization that has been an important part of my career as an architect,” Wedge said. “I am dedicated to serving our members by growing our community, championing design excellence, driving positive change, and expanding awareness of the critical importance of our profession and the role architects play in our communities.”
Ayers will continue as interim CEO until January 1, when Wedge’s term will begin.
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