Dive Brief:

• In her first public appearance since leaving the White House, former First Lady Michelle Obama spoke about design and development during a Thursday keynote address at the American Institute of Architects Conference on Architecture 2017, in Orlando, FL.

• In a Q-and-A session with AIA President Thomas Vonier, Obama said that in her early career in Chicago, she was involved with city planning and economic development and, in a way, speaking at an architecture conference was "coming full circle" for her.

• Obama emphasized the importance of encouraging members of underrepresented groups to join the industry, as well as designing for all communities and income levels. She also advised women in the male-dominated industry to ask for what they want and to use their leverage to "push for those women who don't have it."

Dive Insight:

Diversity in the AEC industry is a growing concern, as women and minorities make up a small fraction of the workforce — and an even smaller share of leadership roles. 

A survey last year by the AIA San Francisco Equity by Design committee found that women and minorities were significantly underrepresented in industry leadership positions. The report added to an earlier AIA diversity study in which respondents identified work-life balance as the main reason women are underrepresented in the industry today.

In response to Vonier's question regarding the lack of women in the industry and the elusive goal of work-life balance, Obama said, "[Women] have to start asking for what we need, and we need employers to be more open to what work life can look like."

Obama also advised industry professionals to start building the pipeline of future leaders by reaching out to young people and exposing them to architecture. "You can’t start recruiting from a pool that doesn’t exist, so you have to build that pool," she said. "Find ways to go to schools where underrepresented minorities exist. You don’t have to be first lady or president to have influence."