Delegates to the AIA National Convention elected Katherine Lee Schwennsen, FAIA, to serve as the 2005 AIA first vice president/president-elect and 2006 Institute president.

Currently the associate dean of the Iowa State University College of Design and an associate professor of architecture, Schwennsen has served the AIA and its collateral organizations at all levels. She is a member of the American Architectural Foundation Board of Regents and the AIA Mentorship Task Force. During her time as regional director for the Central States, Schwennsen chaired juries for the AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education and the AIA Education Honor Awards. She also has been a member of the AIAS Studio Culture Task Force and the Editorial Advisory Committee of Architectural Record. She served on the AIA Gold Medal/Firm Award Advisory Jury, chaired the Advisory Group for Educators and Practitioners Net PIA, and was a member of both the NAAB Task Force to revise accreditation criteria, and the PIA Council.

Schwennsen was president of AIA Iowa, chair of the Iowa Architectural Foundation, member of the Iowa Board of Architectural Examiners, and IDP Educator Coordinator. She chaired Des Moines’ Architectural Advisory Committee and was a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission Task Force.

At Iowa State, from which she received her BA and MArch, Schwennsen teaches architectural design and professional practice courses. Her scholarly research and writing focus on the evolution of the profession and its image, as well as the relationship between practice and education. She has been a lecturer, moderator, and panelist. Her work has been published in ACSA Proceedings, Iowa Architect, AIArchitect, and Architectural Record. In 2002, she received the NCARB Presidential Medal for Distinguished Service. Schwennsen also practiced for 10 years as a senior project architect for Bloodgood Architects and Planners and as a senior associate project architect with Engelbrecht & Griffin Architects.

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