In June 2022, Kimberly Dowdell became the first Black woman to be elected President of the American Institute of Architects, a role she officially begins in December of this year. For her, it’s the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. From age 11, Dowdell knew she wanted to design buildings and creative healthier cities. Cycling through downtown Detroit, she saw the decrepit buildings in her neighborhood and wondered why they hadn’t been turned into into housing or community-driven spaces for recreation and play. “Originally, I wanted to be a doctor, but I realized that I wanted to be an architect so that I could heal the buildings,” she says. “I thought healing the buildings could have a healing effect on people who use the buildings. One of the biggest challenges that we face as a nation is the health gap. There’s a strong correlation between where you live and your life expectancy. That’s something architects can’t solve alone, but we need to be at the table to develop solutions with other professions.”