AIA International Mentorship Series - Career Paths and Understanding our Value
When: Wednesday 19 November 2025 @ 09:00 (Eastern US Time)
Where: Online
CES: Estimated 1.0 LU for AIA Members
Speakers:
Barbara Benesh, AIA, NCDIQ, WELL AP; Founder & Principal, B. Grace Design
Laura Gómez Hernández, Prof. Aff., AIA, LEED AP, WELL AP; Senior Sustainable Design Consultant, AECOM
Amanda Bryant, Assoc. AIA; Urban Designer, ECHO Urban Design
Description
Join the AIA International Global Mentorship Program’s November Mentoring session!
This year’s theme is Discovering Value in Your Career. In this session three professionals will share their journey and discuss how to build a career that truly fits you. Learn how to align your work with your personal values, gain confidence in exploring new directions, and define success on your own terms.
As always sessions are open to all. If you have questions, please contact Michelle Montgomery at emergingprofessionals@aiainternational.org.
Barbara Benesh is the founder and principal of B. Grace Design, a strategy-driven architecture and consulting firm advancing well-being through design. A Virginia Business Top 40 Under 40 honoree, she focuses on a human-centered approach to drive better health outcomes and economic resilience for organizations. With over a decade of experience in the U.S. and abroad, Babs mentors emerging leaders to design not just buildings - but better ways of working and living.
Laura Gómez Hernández is a Senior Sustainable Design Consultant at AECOM with over a decade of international experience in architecture and sustainability. As a LEE and WELL Accredited Professional and a licenses Architect both in the U.S. and Spain, she specializes in integrating low-carbon, health and well-being strategies intro projects ranging from building to urban scale developments. Prior to joining AECOM Laura contributed to high-end commercial, institutional, retail, and residential projects across the U.S. and Europe, with a focus on passive design and performance-driven solutions. With a global perspective and a deep passion for innovation, Laura remains committed to advancing resilient design through collaboration, contributing to projects that prioritize both human and well-being and low environmental impact.
Amanda Bryant is an urban designer at ECHO Urban Design in Rotterdam, Netherlands, with eight years of international experience in both architecture and urban design. Her work is grounded in a strong sense of social responsibility and a passion for integrating architecture within the public realm. Amanda is an active member of AIA Continental Europe, where she chairs the Emerging Professionals Committee and co-leads the chapter’s International Mentorship program. She earned her master’s degree from TU Delft in 2018, where her thesis on the spatial effects of automobile dependence was awarded the AIA Continental Europe scholarship.
