We’re excited to congratulate Yanel de Angel and Joelle Jefcoat for their recent induction into the American Institute of Architects’ College of Fellows.
This honor is awarded to members who have made significant contributions to the architecture profession. Every year, a jury meets to assess which AIA members have furthered the practice of architecture and benefited society as a whole.
Meet our newest AIA fellows:
Yanel de Angel, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, CPHC, PHIUS
With influence spanning global, civic, and professional communities, Yanel de Angel brings simplicity to complexity while unifying and motivating community leaders, clients, and policy makers to reimagine and enact new social and environmental archetypes. As a principal in our Boston studio, she co-leads the global residential practice while managing large mixed-use projects. She is a founding member of the firm’s Project Delivery Board, whose mission is to develop strategy for complex project processes and facilitate nimbleness in our delivery of services. In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Yanel co-founded ResilientSEE, a global platform of design professionals, nonprofits, and academic institutions that provides pro bono resilient planning and design services to Puerto Rico. A devoted mentor and advocate, Yanel strives to advance women and minority leadership in the design profession. She is a member of the firm’s Diversity Council, co-chairs the Boston Society of Architects (BSA) Women in Design (WiD) Excellence Awards committee, co-founded the BSA WiD Mid-Career Mentorship committee, and is a member of CREW Boston.
Joelle Jefcoat, FAIA, Esq.
Early in her architectural career, Joelle Jefcoat recognized that emerging technologies would permanently alter the way buildings are designed, documented, and constructed. Joelle was determined to ensure that architects would, despite the forces of change, remain vitally important to, and legally protected in, the design and construction process. She decided to become an attorney—not to leave the profession of architecture, but to lead it. According to The Jefferson Society, Inc., there are only 88 AIA members in the United States who are also attorneys. Of that small group, Joelle may be the only “Jeffersonian” who has over a decade of project experience in today’s era of digital practice.
As an architect and attorney, Joelle is “bilingual”—fluent in the languages of architecture and law. She translates risk management challenges into practical insight that can be fully understood by architects, owners, contractors, and even other attorneys. She applies her firsthand experience delivering complex projects via BIM and through alternative delivery processes where it is needed most, counseling the Institute and its members on the AIA Risk Management Committee. She is uniquely positioned to lead architects navigating changes within the profession now and in the future driven by technological innovations and evolving practice methods.
