Nila R. Leiserowitz is a builder and entrepreneur—a pillar of both the design and business communities. For more than 40 years, at global companies like Gensler and Perkins+Will, she has championed mentorship initiatives, spearheaded talent development strategies, and pushed the limits of business performance.
Nila is all about creating user-focused environments that are a powerful combination of good business and good experiences for people to work in, inhabit, visit and remember. Through holistic design and a multi-disciplinary approach, she works to harness the power of design unlocking the importance of creating healthy environments.
To stay at the forefront of emerging trends, Nila has been actively involved in numerous civic, community and industry organizations, Chicago Architecture Center(CAC) Board of Trustees, World Business Chicago(WBC) Board of Trustees, International Women’s Forum (IWF) Chicago Board, the Marwen Foundation Board and the Young Women’s Leadership Charter School Board, and is a member of The Chicago Network (TCN) the Economic Club of Chicago (ECC), American Society of Interior Designers(ASID) and International Interior Design Association(IIDA).
Image: Nila R. Leiserowitz
Nila has been recognized with many accolades throughout her career, including the International Interior Design Association’s (IIDA) Leadership Award of Excellence, the American Society of Interior Designer’s (ASID) Designer of Distinction Award and is a Fellow of ASID and IIDA. Most recently she was recognized by the Chicago Architecture Center for her leadership in the design industry. Nila earned her B.S. in Interior Design from the University of Minnesota.
What is the role of a designer emerging from this pandemic crisis?
More than ever the creation of neighborhoods and communities of equity are critical. This pandemic has revealed what is working in our societies and what is not with brutal honesty. It has uncovered issues that we might have known about but were not aware of the extent of the impact. There is a heighten responsibility and role we play as architects and designers. We must have a stronger voice working with our city officials and business leaders than ever before. No more sitting on the sidelines and asking for permission. We need to align with them and have a stronger voice in driving the conversation.
How can we provide leadership or be a leader in moving yourself, your team, and your community forward?
Leadership moving into this new world is one of courage, commitment, and clarity of vision. You need to create your own POV, define how you want to lead and develop the definition of success. Once you do that you can lead others because there is clarity on the mission and partnership required to be successful team. Your team can be held accountable for their actions in driving success as well as they also have an opportunity to develop their leadership skills alongside of you. Moving forward as one will have greater impact in redefining our future communities.
What advice would you provide to recent graduates entering this profession?
I know anxiety is top of mind of the new graduates. I spoke recently to a group of graduates from the University of Minnesota College of Design. I chose to focus on the journey and the opportunity they have to redefine their journey. The graduate needs to build on the education and tools that they will always have available to them. Skills such as research, critical thinking, defining diverse teams and understanding the extreme importance of community. These skills are qualities in any workforce or environment. The graduates mental state of mind should be mindfulness thinking of the possibilities not mindlessness which is what could have been. Looking back at this time in history, we will all realize that we had absolutely no control over global events that changed the course of our lives. But as critical thinkers and designers who always see things most people do not see we can package ourselves, our passions, and unique capabilities to move forward.
How can we encourage opportunities for more diverse talent and why is diversity and inclusion important to our profession’s future?
Earlier I spoke about critical thinking as a tool that the new graduates have obtained. You align critical thinking with a diverse and inclusion talent base and the outcome is innovation. With the world as it is today, we need the diverse perspective and energy of all. We will move forward with a new definition of neighborhoods, cities and communities. We need leaders to complete the essential work during this extremely complicated and volatile time. Also, as current leaders, we must encourage more minorities to graduate from design schools so that we have a deeper talent base to grow and develop.
Is the architecture and design industry ready for this new future state?
Yes, we are ready! We have all the tools and capabilities to work through these difficult times. We need to be bolder with our thoughts and be accountable for the results. Creating partnerships with individuals and organizations differently will created unexpected results. Critical is looking beyond your past definitions of a team. Changing your mindset how a team is structured and who sits at the table will redefine future state. Sometimes stepping aside when someone has a better solution leads to new thinking. The key is we all need to be light on our feet and mind with the focus on possibilities and infinite opportunities.
Knowing what you know now—what advice would you give yourself earlier in your career?
I would have been more involved in the civic community which I have done later in my career. For me, it starts with the differences between community impact and civic responsibility. Community impact refers to how design impacts people's day to day lives. Civic impact is addressing the deeper issues that are happening in our communities. I knew my responsibility as a designer was improving the lives of everyone not just the select few. Something I did right early in my career was to broaden my definition of an interior designer. I stretched myself into areas of work and practice beyond my education and peoples’ definition of an interior designer. I thought bigger in terms of my role on projects and driving change thru design. Interior designers have a holistic and human experience lens for interior space which also applies to exterior spaces where people interact. The best team for designing space with civic responsibility in mind is a diverse team of architects, designers and city planners looking together at space relevant to the community at large.
To learn more about Nila, visit her LinkedIn profile.