WASHINGTON, D.C., May 09, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Yiselle Santos Rivera, AIA, NOMA, LSSYB, LEED AP, WELL AP, has been inducted into Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Since 2019, Ms. Santos Rivera has flourished as Principal and Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (J.E.D.I.) for HKS Inc., a global architectural and design firm with more than 1,400 employees, which was recently ranked No. 4 on Fast Company's World's Most Innovative Companies list. With national and international experience on a broad range of healthcare, sports, science & technology, high-end residential, institutional, and commercial/mixed-use projects, Ms. Santos Rivera thrives on designing for inclusive communities and empowering the next generation of leaders in the design industry. As a firmwide leader, she focuses on creating workplace environments that promote psychological safety, build belonging, and mirror the communities served.
In addition to developing company-wide initiatives that support J.E.D.I., she conducts research to determine the most effective strategies for amplifying underrepresented voices within HKS. Ms. Santos Rivera also regularly participates in panels, podcasts and national presentations that are related to building a more compassionate and inclusive culture throughout the architecture and design industry as a whole. In 2020, Ms. Santos Rivera served on the AIA National Board and the 2020 AIA COVID-19 Health Impact Task Force. As a member of that task force, she led the creation of the Additional Considerations section of the AIA Alternative Care Site Preparedness Assessment Tool V2.0 providing measures in support of ethnically diverse and marginalized populations, which is now translated into three languages. During this time, she also served a two-year term on the AIA Equity and the Future of Architecture Committee, supporting the development of the AIA Guides for Equitable Practice Executive Summaries.
Prior to her success at HKS, Ms. Santos Rivera excelled for seven years as a senior design professional for HOK in Washington, D.C. While there, she played a vital role in the design and development of more than 10 major facilities in the U.S., Chile, Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. Ms. Santos Rivera obtained a Bachelor of Science in environmental design studies from the University of Puerto Rico and a Master of Architecture from the School of Architecture at Syracuse University.
In 2017, Ms. Santos Rivera founded the Women Inspiring Emerging Leaders in Design (WIELD) event, which celebrates women and people of color in the architecture and design industry. Two years later, WIELD received the Diversity Recognition Program Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA). She currently serves as the AIA D.C. chapter board 2022 vice-president/2023 president-elect and the chairperson of research and development for the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). Going forward, Ms. Santos River will focus on encouraging architecture and design firms to create structures that reflect the cultural, social, and environmental needs of their surrounding communities.
About Marquis Who's Who®
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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