The American Institute of Architects has announced that former first lady, writer, and lawyer Michelle Obama will speak at this year’s AIA Conference on Architecture in Orlando, on the event’s first day—April 27. Over the course of the last eight years as first lady, alongside her husband, former President Barack Obama, she established a reputation as a role model and leader by implementing initiatives aimed at helping women, families, and young people. These programs include “Let Girls Learn,” “Reach Higher,” “Joining Forces,” and “Let’s Move!,” which target a series of different challenges including childhood obesity, wellness, education, and employment opportunities.
Obama joins other keynote speakers, such as Pritzker Prize laureate Alejandro Aravena, Francis Kéré, Michael Murphy, and Elizabeth Diller, who will speak together at “Anticipate Need: Design that Cares.” Other keynotes will include “Anticipate Change: Design that Evolves,” with Harvard professor Amy Cuddy; “Anticipate Change: What’s Next in Architecture,” with Nóra Demeter, Intl. Assoc. AIA, Cheryl McAfee, FAIA, Michael Ford, Assoc. AIA, and author Frances Anderton; and “Anticipate Challenge: Design that Overcomes,” with Eve Edelstein from Perkins+Will’s Human Experience Lab, NASA visual strategists David Delgado and Dan Goods, and designer Michael Bierut.
The Conference will take place on April 27 to 29.
