In honor of Women’s History Month, Wold Architects and Engineers is celebrating several women leaders on our team who are paving the way for others. Throughout the month, we are asking the women of Wold important questions about their experiences as female leaders at Wold and across the architecture, engineering and design industries.
In our first installment of the series, Government Leader Aimee LaLone shares her proudest accomplishment, her 2022 mantra and how she currently makes an impact in her role. Aimee helps lead the strategic thinking, assessment, and coordination for government projects across the state of Colorado. Her expertise ranges from long-range planning to complex renovations, additions and new facilities.
Tell us about your current role and how you’re making an impact.
In my role as a Government Leader in the Colorado office, I have the wonderful opportunity to help clients get their projects off the ground and work with a talented team of people dedicated to creating good work within our community. While I have many years of experience working on Government and Educational projects, our industry is changing every day, and there is always more to learn! I make an impact by passing on what I know to colleagues and young professionals that desire to grow in our industry. I’m always looking for opportunities to share my learnings with others, whether it's a client, community member, peer or team member who is just starting out in the field.
What is your proudest accomplishment and why?
My proudest accomplishment is raising children who are becoming caring and thoughtful adults and doing good within their communities!
What do you believe is the biggest challenge (and thus, greatest opportunity) for women in your field, and how might you approach the solution?
The greatest challenge/opportunity for women in architecture and construction is the lack of diversity. Like many professions, architecture has long been a white, male-dominated field. While there are signs of improvements, data still shows lower percentages of female and minority college graduates in architecture. There are fewer women holding positions in firm leadership and academia as well.
We do a disservice to our communities if we don't have all voices at the design & leadership table. It is more important than ever to be able to reflect the same diversity of experience as the world we're designing for. As part of the solution, I'd encourage everyone to think about how this shows up in their daily lives and start making changes. There are so many ways to move the ball. We can look for unconscious bias in our own thinking, mentor or sponsor a young leader in our firm, and continue the conversation within our own teams.
