DETROIT — Hamilton Anderson Associates, a Detroit architecture and design firm, announced that one of its architectural designers, Nicole Gerou, has been accepted into the inaugural class of the Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program.
The American Institute of Architects Detroit chapter selected 16 young professionals for its first year of the leadership program for emerging architecture and design professionals in the Detroit area.
Gerou will participate in the scholar program with other architect and design young professionals to explore how architects can collaborate with each other and discuss the best approach to the design and architecture challenges facing the Detroit area, while also engaging the community. The program will guide scholars through an intensive, team-driven series of workshops on topics selected to develop and to refine a broad set of leadership skills essential to early career advancement and broader community impact.
Nicole Gerou (Hamilton Anderson Architects photo)
“We are excited for this acclaimed program to make its way to Detroit and have one of our very own included in the inaugural class,” said HAA founder and CEO Rainy Hamilton Jr. “Programs created for young professionals to lead the growth of design and architecture in Detroit is how we invest in our city and lay the groundwork for a bright future.”
Founded in 2013, the leadership program was developed by AIA Washington D.C.’s Emerging Architects in memory of the late Christopher Kelley, a recipient of the Young Architects Award in 2010. The program honors his legacy and supports the next generation of leading architects.
Since joining HAA in April, Gerou has worked extensively on construction administration and project architect support for the firm’s work in Detroit’s Greektown neighborhood. Her involvement with AIA began when she interned with the Detroit chapter in the summer of 2012. Gerou also served as the Midwest director of the American Institute of Architect Students (AIAS), one of the five collaterals that make up the profession of architecture. Additionally, she served as the AIAS representative of the 2015 honor awards jury — made up of design professionals from all over the world — to select the year’s top architecture projects for the Institute Honor Awards.
Gerou has her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture from Lawrence Technological University. She is also certified in building information modeling and computer visualization and technical and professional communications.
Hamilton Anderson Associates, a minority-owned business, was founded in Detroit in 1994. It provides services in architecture, landscape architecture, planning, urban design, strategic planning, interior design, and graphic design.