Elizabeth Padjen FAIA (2001)

Biography

Elizabeth Padjen FAIA is the founding editor of ArchitectureBoston, a quarterly magazine published by the Boston Society for Architecture. From 2003–2005, she was also the consulting curator of architecture and design at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. Previously a practicing architect and firm principal for more than 15 years, she is a nationally recognized writer and speaker. A past president of the BSA, Ms. Padjen has also served as the chair of the BSA Foundation.

Elizabeth Padjen FAIA
Women in Design Award of Excellence, 2001 winner

"All BSA presidents recognize the great honor of serving such an extraordinary institution. I have always enjoyed the company of architects—their optimism, idealism, and collegiality, their expansive thinking. My ties to the organization, having attended meetings as a teenager with my father, Oscar Padjen AIA, sometimes make me feel like a lifelong BSA member. But it was my year as president that made me appreciate other qualities shared by BSA members and staff alike: resilience, respect, compassion and, especially, humor. It was the best of times."

—Elizabeth Padjen FAIA, from A Tale of a Polar Presidency