Three Gensler Architects Elevated to AIA College of Fellows in 2025

SAN FRANCISCO — Gensler proudly announces that Lisa Cholmondeley (DC), James Crispino (NY), and Mark Thaler (NY) have been elevated to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) College of Fellows, a distinction that recognizes their exceptional contributions to the architecture profession and society.

The AIA College of Fellows honors members who have made significant contributions on a national level, representing the highest membership honor. Only about 3% of AIA members are recognized as Fellows, requiring a minimum of 10 years of AIA membership and demonstrated impact in at least one of the following areas:

• Advancing the science and art of planning and building through architectural education, practice, or training.
• Elevating the aesthetic, scientific, and practical efficiency of the profession.
• Coordinated the building industry and the profession of architecture through leadership in the AIA or other related professional organizations.
• Improving living standards through an enhanced built environment.

Lisa Cholmondeley, FAIA, Director of Gensler’s Center for Research on Equity and the Built Environment advances inclusive practice across cultures, disciplines, and project types by leading complex global teams. She builds a diverse profession that rises to meet emerging challenges and promotes equitable design through research. Passionate about space and design, she is motivated by the challenges of making ideas reality. A trained architect, Lisa has spent almost half of her career working on interiors and strongly advocates for the development of spaces that have a shared story between the exterior and interior experience. Now based in Washington, D.C., Lisa brings a global perspective from her work in Gensler’s London, Doha, Abu Dhabi, and San Francisco offices, contributing to complex, large-scale developments. She has taught architectural design at both Howard University and the University of Tennessee and serves on Gensler’s Global Inclusion Committee.

James Crispino, FAIA, Gensler’s Global Health Sector Leader, redefines healthcare design through human-centered, technology-integrated facilities for academic medical centers and research institutions. Jim’s clients include the Mayo Clinic, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Hospital for Special Surgery, and many global leaders in Academic Medicine. Based in New York, he is a frequent speaker at global healthcare design conferences. Jim has sat on the AIA Board of Directors for both Pennsylvania and New York State. He is also a visiting critic at institutions including Parsons and MIT DesignX. Additionally, he sits on the Design Advisory Board for HealthCare Design and Gensler’s Practice Area Management Committee.

Mark Thaler, FAIA, based in Gensler’s New York office and a Global Education Practice Leader, with more than 30 years of experience designing learning environments that shape the student experience from K-12 to higher education. His projects, including the Dwight-Englewood School Hajjar STEM Center, Jewish Leadership Academy, and the D’Angelo Center at St. John’s University, have received multiple awards from organizations such as the AIA and the Society of American Registered Architects. A leader in Gensler’s Education Research Program, Mark frequently presents at conferences including SXSWEdu, SCUP, Association for Learning Environments (A4LE), and STEMTech. He serves on the National Board of Schools That Can, where he chairs its impact committee.