092: Eleanor Choi: Luck Isn’t Random: Building a Career Through Motion and Awareness
Eleanor Choi, AIA, LEED AP BD-C, is a Principal, architect, project manager, and staff manager at SmithGroup, with more than 25 years of experience leading cultural, civic, academic, and historic preservation projects across the country.
Based in Washington, DC, she has worked on nationally significant institutions including the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, and museum planning and feasibility studies for emerging cultural organizations.
Through her work on DC DGS and DPR projects and participation on the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, Eleanor also champions public art as an integral part of architecture and community building.
Beyond project work, Eleanor is passionate about mentorship, leadership development, and expanding opportunities for future generations of architects. An alum of the AIA|DC Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program, she currently serves as Treasurer of AIA|DC and is dedicated to fostering inclusive and supportive pathways into the profession.
We talk about:
- How being an “advanced generalist” across project types prepared Eleanor to specialize in museums and cultural architecture, where storytelling, representation, and community engagement shape design.
- The four types of luck and how Luck of Motion and Luck of Awareness can create career opportunities through curiosity, volunteering, mentorship, and putting yourself out there.
- Changing the architecture profession, from burnout and workplace culture to AI, evolving project delivery, and reinforcing the value architects bring to design.
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Connect with Eleanor:
SmithGroup (https://www.smithgroup.com/)
AIA|DC (https://dcarchcenter.org/)
AHCMC (https://www.creativemoco.com/)
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Thank you to our sponsor:
The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) is a not-for-profit technical institute for structural steel. The Architecture Center is an initiative of AISC, and was created for architects by architects. It provides resources to help architects save time and money, reduce risk, and achieve their project goals.
Website: www.aisc.org/architecture-center
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/american-institute-of-steel-construction
Instagram: www.instagram.com/aisc
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Connect with Architectette:
- Website: www.architectette.com (Learn more)
- Instagram: @architectette (See more)
- Newsletter: www.architectette.com/newsletter (Behind the Scenes Content)
- LinkedIn: The Architectette Podcast Page and/or Caitlin Brady
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Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay.
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