Episode 157: Sho-Ping Chin
Sho-Ping Chin was a Taiwanese-American architect, mentor, and visionary leader whose influence continues to shape the architecture profession today. After immigrating to the United States, she earned both her Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture from Princeton University during a time when women were still carving out their place in architectural education and practice. She later joined the Boston-based architecture firm Payette, where she became a principal and led the firm's healthcare practice, transforming it into one of its strongest areas of expertise. Known for her thoughtful design approach, Sho-Ping believed great architecture could be both beautiful and practical, as exemplified by her redesign of a hospital project in Haiti to make it more affordable without compromising quality.
Beyond her impressive portfolio, Sho-Ping was admired for her generosity and commitment to mentoring others. Colleagues often remembered her inviting younger architects to "come sit down," creating opportunities for honest conversations, guidance, and professional growth. Recognizing that women firm leaders often lacked a supportive peer network, she founded the Women Principals Group through AIA Boston in 2006. That local initiative quickly gained national attention and ultimately inspired the first AIA Women's Leadership Summit in 2009, bringing together women architects from across the country to focus on leadership, mentorship, and the advancement of the profession.
Although Sho-Ping passed away in 2015 after a battle with cancer, her legacy has only continued to grow. The Women's Leadership Summit has evolved into one of the architecture profession's most influential annual events, while scholarships established in her name continue to help women pursue architectural education and leadership opportunities. In 2024, she was posthumously awarded the AIA Edward C. Kemper Award in recognition of her lasting impact on the profession. Through her leadership, mentorship, and unwavering belief in lifting others up, Sho-Ping Chin created opportunities that continue to inspire generations of architects.
Caryatid: Carole Wedge, FAIA
Carole is a nationally respected architect, firm leader, and longtime advocate for the profession. Throughout her career, she has served in numerous leadership roles, including with the AIA, the Boston Architectural College, the Large Firm Roundtable, and the AIA Foundation. A familiar face at the AIA Women's Leadership Summit, Carole has both shaped and witnessed many of the organization's defining moments. In 2024, she was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), continuing her commitment to advancing the profession on a national scale.
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This transcript was prepared during the development of the episode.
Final recorded episode may deviate slightly from the content presented below as changes, edits, or improvements may be made during the recording and editing process.
Jessica: Hi! Welcome to season 15 of She Builds Podcast, where we share stories about women in the design and construction field, one lady at a time.
Lizi: This season's theme is: Collective Impact. Exploring AEC organizations and professionals shaping a more inclusive and innovative built environment.
Norgerie: Quick disclaimer: we are not experts, we are just sharing stories about the information that we find, as friends having a fun conversation. If you find an error, send us an email and we will all continue learning.
Jessica: Today, we want to shine a spotlight on Women’s Leadership Summit and one of it’s most beloved creators Sho-Ping Chin.
Jessica: Hi, I’m Jessica Rogers celebrating world emoji day - by saying that my favorite emoji is the pair of eyes based out of Miami, FL
Lizi: Hi, I’m Lizi Raar, my favorite emoji is the melting face emoji coming to you from Chicago, Illinois!
Norgerie: And I'm Norgerie Rivas, thinking about the emoji with the sunglasses, in Houston, Texas.
Jessica: Okay ladies, with this season of collective impact I’m actually excited to talk about an event! Like Women’s Leadership Summit or known to most WLS.
Norgerie: Oh that's an interesting take on the theme! I'm glad you thought of this. WLS holds a special place in my heart cause, it was a really great event, I got to see you and another friend, and part of the energy of that conference inspired me to think about She Builds Podcast.
Jessica: I was thinking about all of the groups and organizations that we’ve talked about this season and I was thinking about the people that might live in locations that a group might not be local to them like NOMA, RIBA, or one they don’t identify with like Riding the Vortex or Latinas in Architecture, or heck their closest AIA chapter might be in the next city. Or their local component might not have a Women in Architecture group. Or maybe homegirl is not a joiner. There are several people that are just not club people.
Norgerie: Definitely.
Jessica: With that said, I love the idea of someone that would fall under any of those groups to attend WLS - rather it’s national or local.
Norgerie: Yeah, there really is something for everyone right? WLS in 2019 for me was a great experience because it was inspiring to be surrounded by almost 1000 women who all had a passion for their profession in architecture. The speakers, the networking, it was a great conference that I recommend to all Women in Architecture at any stage in their career.
Lizi: Absolutely. When we spoke at the WiA Committee event for AIA LA, it was really cool to get to speak to so many women and meet them and discuss the various topics we all experience.
Jessica: Well I helped plan the WLS 2019 in Minneapolis which was great, attending the one in LA was awesome - I mean, just being invited was an honor. This past year 2025, I was invited to attend my local WIA Miami's WLS and that was special. For one I was invited to represent Marion Manley, our episode 72 lady - because she was the first female architect and president of AIA Miami. And during that summit we were celebrating the anniversary of the WIA group and the first 10 presidents of AIA Miami. Each presented their story - and I presented Marion.
Norgerie: What a great honor Jessica, that you got to represent a lady close to our hearts, specially to yours. #proud.
Lizi: Yes! I loved that you got to join and be part of that and be our girl Marion’s representative.
Jessica: Yeah, it was great. Besides speaking - it was great attending just because Miami is my city, so learning more about my city was great. Like I found out the one of my favorite cocktail lounges, was a former speakeasy that black artists used to perform at, AND it was renovated by a women power duo.
Norgerie: Really!? What lounge? Who is this power duo? Sounds like a cannot miss archventure.
Lizi: That’s SO COOL. We need to go next time we visit you.
Jessica: Yes the place is called Mad Radio and it located at the Selina Miami Gold Dust Motel - a historic hotel. That was renovated by a firm called Vagabond Group - the two ladies Natalia Cebollero and Amanda Bonvecchio - I met the both of them at the WIA Miami WLS - one of is Puerto Rico - I think it was Natalia -
Norgerie: Oh hey, ¡una boricua! ¿Qué la que?
Jessica: Alright so now that we got to why this season is awesome and this topic let’s talk about the lady that helped start this whole shebang and how her legacy is still an impact today. Let’s talk about miss Sho-Ping Chin.
Norgerie: Welcome to the show Sho-Ping!
Lizi: Woo!
Jessica: Sho-Ping was born in Taiwan and at some point she would immigrate to the US.
Norgerie: Ooooo, I don't remember if we've covered a Taiwanese architect before. Let me look that up. Listeners remember we have a search button on our website. If you go to episodes and type Taiwan, or anything, the website will lookup that keyword through all the shownotes. Well, it appears the closest we've gotten to Taiwan was episode 35 Carol R Johnson who taught at a school in Taiwan. How lovely that we get to learn about a Taiwanese-American today!
Lizi: Exciting! Love adding a new place to our list. Also I love the ‘at some point’. That might be the most vague birth date we’ve ever had. Not even a decade or a range haha.
Jessica: She received her Bachelors of Architecture at Princeton in 1975 and continued to get her Master’s in Architecture from Princeton in 1977. One of her classmates recalled that Princeton had started accepting women only a few years ago and in hindsight the school and the architecture program specifically would reflect what they were going to experience in the real world.
Norgerie: Oh boy, what's gonna happen?
Lizi: Yeah that sounds ominous. Also that’s pretty late even for most schools in the US to start accepting women no?
Jessica: well Princeton - started accepting women in 1968 along with other ivy leagues schools. But fun fact - in 1972, NIxon passed the Title IX law - that prohibited sex-based discrimination in education.
We fast forward to Sho-Ping working at Payette, an architecture firm based out of Boston.
Norgerie: So when she went from New Jersey to Boston. Ok she stayed in the Northeast.
Lizi: Staying in the area. Also Payette is a big deal, seems like she landed well after college.
Jessica: Sho-Ping becomes a Principal at Payette. Specifically a leader in design and Healthcare was her primary sector.
Lizi: Way to go Sho-Ping! Working her way on up.
Norgerie: Ohhh Healthcare! Great and important sector, specially in Boston I'm sure. That's a big one here in Houston too.
Jessica: The firm Payette has a video tribute to Sho-Ping that I’m referencing because it has a lot of her colleagues sharing stories about her which are really sweet. Like one of her colleagues shares the story of how Sho-ping would have these interesting candies at her desk and her colleagues would go and try them - some tasted not so great. The joke would be that she would encourage the colleague to try a new piece and he would try and smile, taste and say ooh interesting and then try to spit it out. And it was just this ongoing joke.
Lizi: hahaha. She sounds like a bit of a jokester making people try her Bertie Botts every flavor candy.
Jessica:In the video they talk about her work - before Sho-Ping took on the healthcare portfolio, one of the principals mentioned that it was in decline but with Sho-Ping leading it, it had significantly grown. One of her notable projects was a hospital in Haiti. Because of its design, it was becoming a challenge to build based on funding - meaning there wasn’t much. But when Sho-Ping took over she was able to redesign it so that it was cost effective and beautiful for Haiti.
Norgerie: That's awesome! Haiti deserves a cost effective beautiful hospital for its people to receive proper Healthcare and heal. Glad Sho-Ping was able to deliver.
Lizi: Agreed.
Jessica: One designer shares the story of how Sho-Ping encouraged her, especially her being young in her career, to take ownership on a project . Sho-ping was one to always look to help others notoriously saying “come sit down”.
Norgerie: Oh so she was a great mentor too! Love this
Lizi: That's so nice! Sounds like she was intentional with her mentoring too, not just a let me word vomit advice at you, but let’s sit down and have a conversation type thing.
Jessica: in 2006, Sho-Ping created the Women’s Principals at her local Boston AIA Chapter. The group was primarily focused on women leaders and principals. We talk a lot about women being the only one in the room - but it gets even lonelier at the top.
Norgerie: I can imagine. What a great initiative for women to be able to meet and support each other at a stage of their career where they probably found it hardest to get that community they needed.
Lizi: Totally. I am sure that they all really needed that space.
Jessica: A quote from the video is from her colleague and Associate Principal saying that Sho-Ping said “I need some company and I don’t have it around me. I need to understand what my peers are going through.” Another one saying that this group became a support group for these women leaders.
Norgerie: Of course!
Lizi: That’s so awesome. I am glad she understood what she needed and went out and built it.
Jessica: So this Women’s Principals group would meet once a quarter, it brought women leaders from all around the Boston area. They talked about things in design and issues that they believed were important as architects, but also about how firms are organizing and how to advocate for future leaders in their firm.
Norgerie: Great topics. I wanna learn more about that even to this day.
Lizi: Yes, I think these are great topics for all architects, but glad they had a safe space to discuss it as women in a predominantly male atmosphere.
Jessica: like with any group - for them since they had a connection of being principals and leaders of their firm, it was significant for them - not every architect becomes a principal - and by them being perhaps the only principal in their firm it had its own set of challenges - that only another principal could understand and this group was meant for them to get together to discuss this.
Lizi: I bet.
Jessica: This group was now becoming nationally recognized. in the sense that other women were hearing about this group and wanted to join.
Norgerie: I wanna join right now, but first I need to become a Principal, which is not something that happens in my small firm, and then I need to move to Boston, which is not gonna happen. Shucks, I really hope they offer a solution to my problem soon.
Lizi: hahaha.
Jessica: So we fast forward to 2008 when the AIA Conference is going to be held in Boston. This group thought it was a great opportunity to bring together all of the women principles from across the country who are going to attend this conference .
Norgerie: Like a conference pregame but in a Professional way.
Lizi: hahaha. Definitely the same thing.
Jessica: This initial impromptu gathering in 2008 would lead to the first Women's Leadership Summit, WLS in 2009. Hosted in Chicago organized by AIA Chicago, some support from AIA National, and Sho-ping at the helm.
Norgerie: YES!!!
Lizi: WOO!!!
Jessica: There were 150 attendees, leaders from across 23 States. This two-day conference had sessions focused on leadership development, mentorship, sponsorship, and visibility of women architects. This event was the first of its kind!
Norgerie: YES, YES, YESS!!!
Lizi: AMAZING.
Jessica: The summit confirmed that there was a need for community, representation of course, and pathways to leadership.
Norgerie: DUH!
Jessica: The Summit took place every other year - with local chapters leading the charge with AIA National’s support. In 2019, the 10th anniversary of WLS, the formula was flipped, where now AIA national took more of the helm and the local chapter contributed. Like we were discussing earlier- this is the conference Norgerie attended - and I was planning from the AIA National side.
Norgerie: OH I didn't know that was the first time AIA was running the show, and you got to be a part of that?! You're a part of history Jessica!
Lizi: Yeah I didn’t know that either! So cool!
Jessica: The Summit now isn’t just about someone’s position in a firm but about leadership specifically for the professional development of women architects and designers.
Norgerie: Yeah when I attended I was 4-5 years into my career, not in any leadership position by any means but I was drawn to the professional development and growth in that leadership topic that is so important to me. So my firm was like heck yeah we'll support you to attend that. And it was exactly that, two days about women developing their careers, discussing strategies, experiences, everything in between.
Lizi: I remember you talking about it after you attended and how inspired you were Norgerie, and obviously it was part of the catalyst for us starting this podcast.
Jessica: After a long battle with cancer, Sho-Ping would pass away on June 13, 2015. To this day - many folks associate WLS with her. In 2024, posthumously, Sho-Ping would receive the Edward C Kemper Award. Which is a high award given to her because she “changed the practice of architecture at the national level and advanced the role of women in the full spectrum of architecture, urban design, sustainability, and social responsibility.”
Lizi: Yeah she did!
Norgerie: Very well deserved! And this award sounds very important. I want to look into it and past winners now. I'll put that on my to-do list.
Lizi: Very sad that she passed away, what I assume was fairly young based on when she was in college. But she made such a HUGE impact in the time she had.
Jessica: So let’s talk about her official legacy made in honor of her. I think I read that Payette created the Sho-Ping Chin Academic Scholarship - funded by her partners at Payette to help women attend architecture school. Each year, Payette gives $10K to female students to help with their studies (Bachelor’s or Master’s)
Norgerie: Wow!! Listeners spread the word about this scholarship!
Lizi: That’s amazing, and sounds like the kind of thing Sho-Ping would have wanted to spearhead.
Jessica: When she passed, friends and family that knew her created a memorial fund in her name to help more women, specifically mid- senior level architects - attend the WLS.
Norgerie: I wonder if this is what Graciela Carrillo won, she always talks about winning a scholarship that helped her attend the conference.
Jessica: She did! Graciela was also a keynote at that WIA Miami WLS that I mentioned earlier and in her Keynote - she mentions how this conference, made possible with this scholarship, was a pivotal point in her career.
Lizi: That’s so cool to hear first hand, how that made such a difference for her.
Jessica: In 2019, Payette would be named firm of the year. The Architects Foundation would make this memorial fund a permanent endowment. The goal is to raise $125K to grant 10 ladies to attend WLS - which includes registration and travel. The Sho-Ping Chin Memorial Leadership Fund is now a legacy tied to WLS - keeping her name with the group forever.
Norgerie: This is so fitting! It's wonderful to learn that we will always honor and remember Sho-Ping through this scholarship and that her initiative and mission lives on.
Lizi: Agreed! I’m so glad that both her firm and WLS are linked to her so clearly, and pushing the initiatives she started.
Jessica: Since 2022 WLS is now a yearly event. Second to the AIA National Conference, WLS is very much becoming a household name for must go to events.
Norgerie: I know people that have told me if they have to choose between the AIA National Conference and WLS they pick WLS without hesitation. Of course if you can go to both even better but sometimes a person can only pick one for a lot of reasons and there's an energy that they get out of WLS that they don't get anywhere else.
Lizi: Yeah it does seem like it’s really gained momentum in the last decade. I have never attended WLS, so hopefully I will get that opportunity to have these awesome experiences everyone keeps talking about!
Jessica: well this year, WLS takes place at the beginning of November in Kansas City, Missouri - so now is you r chance… Listeners - be on the look out on our social media to see if you see one of us there!
Jessica: Alright, now we have reached the second half of our episode the Caryatid, this is where we select a woman living today who is doing her thing, furthering the profession, and whose work continues to hold the profession up just like the caryatids or columns shaped like women found on greek style buildings.
Jessica: Carole Wedge
Whoo
Jessica: Alright so Carole Wedge, is an architect - and the former President and CEO of the firm Shepley Bulfinch. She was based out of Boston where her work focused on healthcare, education, research environments. Carole holds a bachelor of arts degree from Brown University, and a Master's from Harvard GSD. She is known to be a strong advocate on collaboration, sustainability, and advancing women in leadership.
Norgerie: oooo that's so cool that we are learning about a former CEO of Shepley Bulfinch. This is one of the oldest running architecture firms in the US.
Lizi: Wow. Very cool. Boston. Healthcare. I’m feeling a connection.
Norgerie: We sure are!
Jessica: There are several reasons why I wanted to choose Carole as this week’s caryatid. First, Carole has been a very active volunteer at the AIA, nationally and locally. She’s been on the board of Trustees for the Boston Architectural College, Large Firm Roundtable, and the AIA Foundation. In the story of WLS - Carole was in the room where it happened - and she is in that tribute video that I referenced earlier.
Lizi: Aww. She was with Sho-Ping through the early days.
Norgerie: How special.
Jessica: Besides her countless leadership roles, folks might recognize her because she has also spoken at WLS a couple of times and for being a prominent leader of her successful firm. But she is now more recognized because in 2024 - Carole was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the AIA.
Lizi: Wow! Congrats Carole.
Norgerie: Yeah!!!
Jessica: I am so excited for her in this role. I haven’t heard from my AIA fam to see how this is going for them , considering the past couple of years have been tumultuous to say the least. But with Carole at the helm I think we are in good hands. When thinking about this episode I felt like Sho-Ping built WLS and spaces like it and Carole is the result of that and I can just see this pattern continuing on and on and on.
Lizi: It is really great to see the fruits of Sho-Ping’s labor and how she created opportunities for women like Carole to move up and lead.
Norgerie: Yeah one thing leads to another, we can see the effects of this wave of positive change Sho-Ping, WLS, and Carole bring.
Jessica: Before we say goodbye we want to say thank you to CMYK for the music, John W our technical advisor. And most of all thank you for listening!
Lizi: Remember to check out our show notes for links to all of our resources on this episode as well as pictures of projects we’ve talked about.
Norgerie: We hope you enjoyed learning about today’s lady and caryatid along with our banter, and that you are inspired to find out more about them and other amazing professional ladies. Again, thank you.
jessica: She Builds Podcast is a member of the Gābl Media podcast network. Gābl Media is curated thought leadership for an audience dedicated to building a better world. Listen and subscribe to all the shows at gablmedia.com. That’s G A B L media.com.
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References
American Institute of Architects. "Edward C. Kemper Award 2024: Sho-Ping Chin, FAIA." The American Institute of Architects, 13 Dec. 2023, https://www.aia.org/design-excellence/award-winners/edward-c-kemper-award-2024-sho-ping-chin-faia. Accessed 13 July 2026. (aia.org)
Architects Foundation. “Payette Sho-Ping Chin Memorial Academic Scholarship - Architects Foundation.” Architects Foundation, 13 Nov. 2025, architectsfoundation.org/opportunities/payette-sho-ping-chin-memorial-academic-scholarship.
Payette. “Maternity Ward and Neonatal Care Unit - Payette.” Payette, 13 Dec. 2024, www.payette.com/project/maternity-ward-and-neonatal-care-unit.
---. “Video: Sho-Ping Chin FAIA.” Payette, 7 Nov. 2018, www.payette.com/culture/video-sho-ping-chin-faia.
“Sho-Ping Chin ’75 *77.” Princeton Alumni Weekly, paw.princeton.edu/memorial/sho-ping-chin-75-77.
WLS 2029 Photos shot on an iPhone by podcast host Jessica Rogers IRL!!!!
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