LSF’s Elliot Brown has successfully completed the AIA Georgia chapter’s Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program (CKLDP). The CKLDP aims to train the next generation of leaders in architecture through a series of eight sessions. The curriculum focuses on honing skills such as entrepreneurship and firm management; teamwork and collaboration; negotiation skills; client development; industry trends; business development; equity, diversity, and inclusion, community engagement, and civic leadership.
This competitive program accepts 16 emerging professionals each year to collaborate, learn together and develop as leaders in architecture. This program is ideal for members who are eager to advance in their career and either have not yet become a licensed architect or have been licensed for ten years or less. Christopher Kelley, AIA was an active member of the Washington, DC architectural community. After his sudden passing in 2012, this program was created by the D.C. AIA chapter to continue his legacy of leadership and activism.
Over the course of the program, each participant leads a session – Elliot and a fellow CKLPD Scholar, Jon Gould of Cooper Carry – The Center for Connective Architecture, led a session for their class focusing on the emerging issue of increasing awareness and support for architecture education in high school settings and ways to improve the pipeline from high school to Architecture School. They focused on minority representation in the architecture profession by reaching out to area high school students and generating awareness of architecture as a profession. “Engaging students at the high school level will allow the CKLDP cohort to experience first-hand the challenges and issues facing students who are interested in becoming architects. We will be able to encourage the students through listening and engaging them regarding their designs for the AIA Atlanta High School Student Design Competition. The session intends to bring the CKLDP Scholars into the classroom for an intense discussion with High School architecture students regarding their designs for the AIA Atlanta HSDC, and empowering the students to pursue architecture as a career. The CKLDP Scholars will be listening and learning from the high school students regarding emerging issues that they are facing and the scholars will identify strategies to engage these issues.”
Congratulations to Elliot and his classmates!