The Women in Architecture Awards recognize licensed women architects within AIA Connecticut who showcase exceptional design skills, advocate for fair and sustainable practices, and positively impact the industry.
2025 Nominations Open: International Women’s Day, March 8
Nomination Deadline: April 11
Nominees may submit their own applications or be nominated by their firm.
Mandy Freeland, AIA
Mandy Freeland, Architect
Bakersfield CA
Jessica O’Donnell, AIA
Urban Practice
Camden, NJ
Elizabeth Whittaker, AIA
Merge Architects
Boston, MA
Trillium Architects Co-operative, Inc.
Elizabeth DiSalvo is the founder and CEO of Trillium Architects Cooperative, Inc., a 12-person employee-owned firm focused on designing highly sustainable, energy-efficient buildings. For over 20 years, she has led the firm as a recognized leader in the Northeast’s green building movement, with work concentrated in Fairfield and Westchester Counties. Trillium specializes in Net Zero homes, LEED-certified residences, Passive House design, and other sustainable solutions, earning multiple awards for both design and environmental performance.
Beyond Trillium, Elizabeth founded SEED Homes, which offers Net Zero modular homes at lower costs, and NetZ GenZ Homes, which provides affordable, energy-efficient mini apartment solutions. Raised in the building design industry, she began working in the field at age 14 and holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Master’s in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University. Her diverse experience spans Los Angeles, New York, off-grid projects in Colorado, and work with Centerbrook Architects in Connecticut.
Elizabeth is also a dedicated community activist, serving on local planning, housing, and energy committees, and co-chairing the AIA CT Small Firms Exchange. Her collaborative approach to architecture emphasizes full team participation, believing inclusive input leads to the best outcomes. A strong advocate for equity in the profession, she structured Trillium as a cooperative to share ownership and opportunity among its employees.
Principal, QA+M Architecture
Julia McFadden is a Principal with QA+M Architecture, co-leading the firm’s education studio. For the past 17 years Julia has led dozens of public and private education projects from early childhood schools to higher education. Through the transformative experience of designing the rebuild of the Sandy Hook School, Julia has become an advocate for the innovative ways school design can promote academic achievement, socio-emotional well-being, and a safe environment through biophilic design and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles. She has written and spoken both nationally and internationally on these topics, most recently for EdCrunch in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Throughout her career, Julia has promoted equitable practices and encouraged participatory collaboration with her team, consultants, and especially the client and users. In graduate school, long before the current JEDI focus of the profession, Julia organized a national symposium to address gender and diversity challenges in architectural education.
As a project leader and principal, Julia’s unique ability to facilitate dialogue and creative engagement with large and diverse client groups fosters enthusiasm and cooperation while building consensus around strong visionary goals. She inspires clients with her passionate articulation of their project’s potential and how the design will elevate their organization’s goals.
Through her speaking engagements and writing, Julia has become a sought-after expert and advocate for: sensitive, holistic, and sustainable K12 school design; design engagement for traumatized communities; and the integration and intersection of Feng Shui, wellness, biophilic design, and sustainability.
Nominee must be a member of AIA Connecticut and meet the following criteria:
The submission form will require a single multi-page PDF (max 25MB) with the following items:
Nominations will also require a headshot of the nominee.
If the nominee is recognized with an award, individual high resolution project photos in JPEG, JPG, or PNG format will be required from the submitter.
AIA Connecticut member: $100.00
Principal, Centerbrook Architects
Founder and Principal, Amanda Martocchio Architecture
Founder and Principal, Atelier Cho Thompson
Pickard Chilton
Svigals + Partners
Newman Architects
Patriquin Architects
Patriquin Architects
Patriquin Architects