Finding acceptance at the women's leadership summit

by Abigail Brown, AIA, LEED AP BD+C

Interviewee bio:

EB Kinkel Srygley
Srygley started her architectural career path in a way familiar to many architects: developing a childhood passion for the built environment, earning a BArch from Virginia Tech, and continuing on to start her practice at DHPY, a medium-size, multi-family firm in Washington, D.C. While there, she started the path to licensure and joined the AIA|DC Emerging Architects Committee. Shortly after, life delivered a series of unplanned events: recession of 2009, bouncing between traditional firms, retail sales, and other filler jobs, and an opening into parallel architectural paths. Over time, Srygley learned she had a passion for the business and product side of architecture, ultimately arriving at a career that combines her architecture foundation and passion for research, the environment, and business development. Now, as the Mid-Atlantic Business Development Manager for Pliteq, an industry leader in research and product creation using recycled post-consumer rubber for sound attenuation in buildings, Srygley continues to support health, safety, and welfare from a different vantage point.

Abigail Brown (AB): Reframe. You have a background in architectural practice but are currently on what many call a non-traditional career path. Walk us through how you pivoted your career and what you are doing now.

EB Kinkel Srygley (EBS): Although I love the built environment, I always felt like a black sheep in traditional architectural practice. It caught my parents off guard when I wanted to pursue architecture; both my parents and two sisters are in business, sales, and entrepreneurship. It wasn’t until I entered architectural practice that I learned how natural certain business concepts came to me, and I saw these gaps in my experience as an architect. At one point, I considered going back to school to achieve my MBA, but through relationships I had built over the years, I was able to enter the sales world and gain real-world experience and insight into sales. My first full sales job was being a liquor rep for Southern Wine and Spirits. Although it gave me a great step into the sales world, I learned more about what I didn’t want in a career. I wrote out my career values and started job searching. I found having both architecture and sales experience on my résumé was a unique combination and opened up paths in the architectural sales world. I’ve been very selective with the companies I’ve worked for, assuring that they met my goals of doing more than simply “selling.” I’ve learned so much over the years and love that I now get to be innovative with products, eliminate waste in our environment, solve complex acoustic needs, and help be an enforcer for architectural design intent. I’m currently working on over 100 projects, from early design consulting with the architects and acoustic engineers through sales with contractors and subcontractors and finally reviewing installs on site. It’s a joy to have such variety each day and bring expertise to solving impact sound issues (fitness, mechanical, IIC, IBC 1207 code, etc.).

AB: Rethink. One of the challenges for women in practice is the delicate balance between work and outside commitments, especially for those who have started families. Have you found that your position makes it easier for you to balance your responsibilities as a professional and as a mom? Or does it have its own challenges?

EBS: Yes and yes! The beauty of working for Pliteq is their great trust in their employees. I work from home, dictate my own schedule, and am truly independent in my day to day. This frees me up to be able to drop my son off at school, be home if he’s sick, and attend special events at his school. As the saying goes, “with great power comes great responsibility.” I still have sales goals to hit, meetings to attend, and a network of customers and clients to build. Working from home means I never leave the office, so I never truly turn work off, and my days are never-ending. I’ve had to learn to set limits and simply do as much as I can in the allotted time I give to work, and then, once my family is home, I need to turn work off. It isn’t 100 percent foolproof, and there are plenty of times I’m working for hours after my son goes to bed. It’s a constant juggle.



AB: Rethink. How could the AIA and larger architecture community better support our colleagues who are working outside of traditional practice?

EBS: The WLS was the FIRST time I felt accepted by the architecture community since I started on this alternate career path. I’ve been told by plenty of architects over the years that “you’re just a salesperson,” “why do you keep trying to participate in AIA when you don’t belong,” “you’re not an architect,” etc. These comments have hurt, they have stunted my professional growth and passions, and have stalled my pursuit of licensure. I am one of the missing 32 percent. At the WLS, I met women in AIA national leadership who are in non-traditional career paths, there were survey options for “non-traditional architectural careers,” and people embraced the different perspective I have on the profession. For the first time, I felt I belonged. As a result, I left the WLS committed to finishing my license and no longer being one of the missing 32 percent. I’m sure there are many more out there like me. I’m shocked that as architects, we are taught to look at buildings and design problems from a variety of vantage points, but when it comes to our profession, we have a hard time accepting parallel paths as adding value. Because of my alternative path, I get to see the profession from a whole different perspective. I get angry as I watch design intent fall apart because of VEing only to learn that the alternate wasn’t less expensive, no one priced out what was originally spec’d, and arbitrary numbers were just plugged in. There is a huge opportunity for architects, if they partner better with reputable manufacturers, to increase design integrity. They can also help their clients save building costs. I’m sure other similar opportunities exist by working with other alternative career path professionals.

AB: Refresh. On the last day of the WLS, Debbie Millman asked if any attendees had a revelatory experience. You raised your hand. Tell us how the summit impacted you.

EBS: I think I mentioned it above. The WLS was the FIRST time I ever felt accepted, encouraged, and valued by the architectural community as someone in an alternative career path. The WLS gave me a renewed sense of passion for my contributions to the architectural community. I met women there who also had not finished their license, and together we’ve committed to all getting licensed by the next WLS. We have set up a path and regular check-ins to keep us accountable. There are so many things I learned at the WLS, and I feel so empowered to bring this new additive knowledge and energy to my day-to-day.

AB: Refresh. What advice do you have for other women who are on or thinking about switching to an alternative career path?

EBS: If it brings you passion, do it! Don’t listen to those who say you are “less than” because you are doing something different. There is someone somewhere who is doing it, too, and you aren’t alone; just go to the WLS, and you can find them! Don’t think that because you’re following a parallel path, you have to cut ties with architecture. Still get licensed, still be involved in the AIA, still respect the traditional foundation of the architectural practice, and know that you bring a perspective that will help strengthen the architectural community in new and exciting ways.

Author bio:

Abigail Brown, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Abigail is an architect at Hickok Cole in Washington, D.C. Brown received her M.Arch and BS in Architecture from the University of Cincinnati and is the Vice Chair of AIA National’s Young Architects Forum.