David Salafia/courtesy Shepley Bulfinch
Carole Wedge, FAIA
Today, Carole Wedge, FAIA, announced her retirement from Shepley Bulfinch after a 37–year tenure. Having ascended the ranks from mail room worker to designer to architect during her time at the firm, the Boston–based pro ultimately became the national outfit’s first female president and CEO in 2004. Most recently, after passing the leadership baton to Angela Watson, FAIA, in 2021, Wedge has held the title of principal. Her last day at the firm will be April 30.
“The impact of Carole Wedge’s leadership of Shepley Bulfinch will be felt for generations,” Watson said in a press release announcing the architect’s retirement. “The culture that she nurtured here, and within the broader architectural community, has changed the industry for the better.”
With Wedge at the helm, Shepley Bullfinch—which specializes in education and healthcare buildings, among other non–residential typologies—completed work on such high–profile projects as the Harvard Innovation Lab, the Austin Public Library, and Boston Children’s Hospital. More broadly, though, the architect has lent her talents to advocacy work, championing issues including diversity, equity, and inclusion in the profession. In 2019, Wedge’s wide–ranging efforts, including spearheading The American Institute of Architects’ first Women’s Leadership Summit, earned her the Edward C. Kemper Award.
“When someone challenges your values, intellect, creativity, academic qualifications, inclusion on a team, gender, race, sexual orientation—the list goes on—it often indicates ignorance, an unchecked bias, an inflated ego, or an insecurity,” Wedge wrote in an ARCHITECT op-ed earlier that year. “And yes, you can address it.”