Help us endow the Sho-Ping Chin Fellows program and support the leadership development for women in the profession of architecture!

Make a difference for women in the profession.

When I first became a Principal in a firm in Boston in 2006- I was invited to join the newly formed Women's Principal Group - it was a great opportunity to meet other female leaders in our amazing design community in Boston. Fast forward three years, our group was strong and the relationships we made were an invaluable support for our own daily experiences within firms where female ‘architect’ principals were very much a minority. We asked if groups like ours had formed in other cities. How could we help each other and promote the design work and leadership of women in the profession? The AIA supported our query and in 2009 a group of us from the Boston Society of Architect's Women's Principal Group, led by Sho-Ping Chin, FAIA, shaped and developed the inaugural Women's Leadership Summit (WLS) in Chicago. In 2015 Sho-Ping sadly passed away all too early. She was a fearless advocate for women in the profession - especially leaders who had proven they "had" what it took to make it and make a difference in the profession and the lives of others.

As a part of the legacy of the founding of the WLS and the idea of always "paying it forward," in Sho-Ping's honor, we developed the Sho-Ping Chin Leadership Fellow program helping to defray costs and allow the opportunity for mid-career to senior level women attend the Women's Leadership Summit. In 2017 the first class of Sho-Ping Fellows attended the WLS. The impact of their attendance can be felt across the country. Three members of that first class of Sho-Ping Fellows are incoming AIA Chapter presidents! Thanks to a challenge grant launched by Judy Nitsch, Founder of Nitsch Engineering and (friend of Sho-Ping's), we successfully raised enough money to double the number of grant recipients this for 2019 - ELEVEN Sho-Ping Fellows were in attendance at the AIA WLS in Minneapolis.

This is where you come in! Please join us and support inspiring the next generation of leaders in our profession by in endowing this program in perpetuity. The Architects Foundation is our partner supporting this effort.

Think of the mentors in your own career and those who helped inspire you. Please consider "Paying it forward" and offering inspiration to the next generation of women in the profession!