Yiselle Santos Rivera, Howard University architecture lecturer, was recently elected to the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Board of Directors as 2026 president-elect at the institute’s annual conference, AIA25. 

Santos Rivera will serve her term as 2026 president-elect beginning on December 5, alongside the incoming 2026 AIA president, Illya Azaroff, FAIA, and then assume her role the following year as 2027 AIA president. 

Her election makes history as the first Latina to serve as AIA president, a role in which she will advance initiatives on inclusive design, community impact, and climate justice.

“I am honored to be elected as the 2027 AIA President and grateful to Howard University for the encouragement and support that has made this journey possible. Teaching at Howard has affirmed my belief that the future of architecture depends on centering equity, community, and innovation—values that Howard and I share deeply. Together, we are shaping a future-ready profession that reflects the diversity of our society and advances design as a force for dignity, care, and resilience,” said Rivera.

Recognized as a thought leader in architectural equity and advocacy, serving the architecture community at the national level seemed only natural, as she had already served as the 2023 president for AIA DC and on several national boards and advisory committees, including the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), the Women in Healthcare Industry Council, and the Lean Construction Institute DEI Advisory Group. 

Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Yiselle Santos Rivera joined Howard University in Spring 2025 with 20 years of experience in healthcare and wellness design, organizational leadership, and architectural education. Her teaching and research emphasize healthcare architecture, community well-being, and the integration of public health and social equity in the built environment. 

Her professional contributions have been recognized with multiple honors, including the AIA Young Architects Award (2022), the AIA Associate Award (2018), and the Washington Business Journal Diversity in Business Award (2024). She has been featured in leading publications such as ARCHITECT Magazine, Interior Design, and The Architect’s Newspaper, and is a frequent keynote speaker at national conferences, including the AIA Women’s Leadership Summit, Healthcare Design Conference, and IIDA’s Design Future events. 

Santos Rivera is the founder and principal of YSR, LLC, a multidisciplinary consultancy dedicated to healthcare and wellness architecture, intercultural experience design, and organizational change management. Her work spans large-scale civic and urban design projects such as the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital’s Surgical Pavilion.

In this capacity, she has led and contributed to numerous major healthcare projects, including the Nemours Children’s Hospital Advanced Delivery Care Expansion in Delaware, the Gary Shorb Tower at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, and the master planning of Mount Sinai Hospital in Asunción, Paraguay. As a leader in the industry, Santos Rivera founded Women Inspiring Emerging Leaders in Design, also known as WIELD, a celebrated platform for mentoring and elevating diverse voices within architecture.  

This year Santos Rivera received the AIA Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH) and the American College of Healthcare Architects (ACHA) HBCU Fellowship Award. Her initiative "Expanding the Healthcare Design Community: Making Healthcare Design More Inclusive Through HBCU Engagement" was selected for funding as her expertise directly aligns with the academy's mission to effect change within healthcare practice and pedagogy.

Santos Rivera holds a Master of Architecture from Syracuse University School of Architecture and a Bachelor of Science with a minor in Environmental Design from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. Her academic journey has included global design studies at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and currently includes pursuing a Ph.D. in leadership psychology at William James College, focusing on the neuroscience of leadership and its application to creative problem-solving and organizational innovation.