2022 cohort member profiles
Kim Thompson-Smith, AIA, LEED AP BD+C Principal
VMDO Architects Charlottesville, VA smith@vmdo.com
As a first generation American, the first in her family to graduate with a profession al degree, Kim Smith is passionate about elevating women in the AEC industry. Throughout the years, Kim has committed herself to others through her mentorship, support, and advocacy for women in design. Kim was the first female Associate Principal of VMDO Architects, a thriving 80-person design firm with offices in Charlottesville, Virginia and Washington, DC. Her leadership is characterized by an attentive management style and commitment to in-depth problem-solving and follow-through at every phase of a project. Her roles at VMDO include leading VMDO’s Staff Development Advocacy Group and lead- ing a number of recruiting and mentoring initiatives for VMDO and beyond. Over the years, Kim has spearheaded a number of outreach, equity, inclusion, and pro-bono initia- tives. Currently, she is reshaping VMDO’s externship and internships participation – to fulfill the firm’s commitment to improve opportunities for people of color in the profession. In addition to recruiting undergraduates from UVA, VA Tech, JMU and graduate from beyond borders of Virginia, Kim helped create scholarships for students at UDC and Hampton University’s schools of Architecture. In 2009, Kim helped launched the “Women in Design” (WiD) initiative for the Virginia Society AIA. Her vision is to provide a forum for women architects and professionals from allied fields to come together for education, mentorship, camaraderie, networking, community outreach, programs, and research. As part of the WiD initiative, Kim has helped create networking and mentoring opportunities for women in design education at UVA, VA Tech and JMU with women in the AEC profession. In the early months of COVID quarantining of 2020, WiD directed their focus on women in design education -- all programming was created to bring female professionals and design students into a virtual mentoring and network. Equipped with a designer’s eye, a project manager’s efficiency and a mentoring soul, Kim wants to contribute to building a culture of women - skilled at getting what they want in their careers without sacrificing themselves.
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