AIA Philadelphia announced that Rebecca Johnson will serve as the new executive director of the chapter and the Philadelphia Center for Architecture, the educational center that the chapter supports.
Prior to joining AIA Philadelphia and the Center for Architecture, Johnson served as executive director of the Fairmount Community Development Corporation (CDC), where she advised developers on commercial and residential projects. She also led initiatives to grow the Greater Art Museum Business Alliance (GAMBA) in the Fairmont community. Johnson, a Philadelphia resident for the past 12 years, has served as a land-use and zoning attorney at Scenic Philadelphia (formerly SCRUB), and other law offices in the greater Philadelphia area, where she worked on land development projects, land use legislation, building codes, and design standards.
“Rebecca is a dynamo,” said President of AIA Philadelphia Antonio Fiol-Silva in a press release. “She is a strategic thinker and leader with a solid foundation in business, real estate law, design standards, membership services, finance, and nonprofit leadership.”
Johnson will replace John Claypool, AIA, who announced his departure from the position in February 2014. Claypool had served as executive director since 2001. He headed the relocation of the chapter in 2007 and opening of the Center for Architecture in 2008.
