Anina Mbilinyi

​As the second black woman in Wisconsin to become a licensed architect, I have devoted my 29-year career to working on award winning and complex projects that serve to improve health and save lives across the world. In my position as a Senior Project Architect and Project Manager, I take pride in leading and collaborating with internal and external teammates to meet clients' visions. I am a champion of sustainability, and am extremely passionate about environmental justice and social responsibility. It is my belief that leaving a positive social and environmental footprint in communities is just as important, if not more so, than bringing a project to completion. Over the course of my 3-decade career, I have had the opportunity to work on over fifty projects of varying project types, including K-12 and collegiate level buildings, independent research labs, vivariums, healthcare facilities, office and workplace accessory structures, and hybrid research/education facilities for world renowned scientists and professors. At my current firm, I hold the role of Lead/Senior Project Architect, where I not only oversee the design and execution of multi-building projects, but also act as Project Manager for these projects' accounts. At the moment I lead and coordinate an entire project team, tasks which include but are not limited to conversing with clients, organizing the internal architecture and interior design personnel, and coordinating external consultant work. This effort includes consulting engineers and manufacturers, contractors, and suppliers, orchestrating all parties from Programming, Pre-Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, Building Permit, Construction, and Occupancy phases. My present work also includes being a LEED consultant, ensuring all credit requirements and deliverables for each building on the multi-structure campus are met, holding each discipline accountable for meeting their LEED required milestones. Above all, I am responsible for ensuring that my clients' requirement are met for programming and logistics, while also making sure that the designer's intent and our sustainability initiatives are achieved on time and on budget. Although I believe that the professional work that I am doing is important, I also have a passion for giving back to the Architecture and Design communities in my area. I co-founded and currently co-chair the Wisconsin Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Challenge with the Wisconsin chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (WiscoNOMA). This collaboration with AIA Wisconsin focuses on Wisconsin's level of inclusivity for Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) individuals in Design, Construction, and Engineering fields. The program challenges companies that have offices in Wisconsin to take a critical look at their internal systems to identify ways in which they can foster a deeper level of inclusivity and a sense of belonging for their BIPOC employees. The ultimate goal is for the DEI Challenge committee to serve as an ally and advocate to help these entities find solutions to achieve DEI in everyday work experiences. The Challenge is intended to play a constructive role in leaving behind a "Legacy of Humanity'' for future generations of designers in a field that has historically been very elite and exclusive.