Graciela Carrillo, Nassau BOCES Facilities Services Department Senior Manager and President of the Long Island Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), has received an award for being one of the Top 50 Women in Business, Class of 2021 by the Long Island Business News. The award recognizes Long Island’s top women professionals for their business acumen, mentoring and community involvement. Ms. Carrillo was selected by a judging committee and recently received a unique crystal memento at a dinner attended by some of the Island’s top business leaders.
Ms. Carrillo manages the agency’s operational and capital projects, while also using her professional expertise as President of the Long Island Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
“I’m honored to be inducted into the 2021 Class of the Top 50 Women in Business in Long Island. Giving back to the profession of architecture and mentoring young professionals and students is very near and dear to my heart,” said Ms. Carrillo. “As a Senior Manager at Nassau BOCES, I have the opportunity to help in shaping the future of education.”
Originally from Bogota, Colombia. Ms. Carrillo immigrated to the United States in 2003. While in Colombia, she worked as a registered architect at Bogota's Institute of Urban Development, a government-owned institution in charge of city planning and infrastructure construction. She came to Long Island to work as an intern architect at Cashin Associates P.C. and, in 2013, obtained her professional architecture license. She went on to lead urban design, planning, and architectural projects for Cashin Associates, including leading municipalities to integrate sustainability features within their projects and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design project administration and commissioning services.
Ms. Carrillo has provided a decade of volunteer leadership service to the American Institute of Architects. She has been involved with the AIA at the local, state, and national levels. In addition to currently serving as the AIA Long Island president, she co-founded and co-chairs the chapter's Women in Architecture group. Additionally, Ms. Carrillo is the past New York Regional Director for the Young Architects Forum.
Ms. Carrillo is also the co-founder of the Immigrant Architects Coalition, a group committed to providing resources for immigrant architects to achieve a prosperous career in the United States. Through her volunteering with the AIA, Ms. Carrillo has been able to take advantage of an abundance of career enrichment and professional development opportunities. Her goal is to provide a voice for immigrant professionals established in the country to encourage and support them in their path toward licensure and professional development. Since she experienced first-hand the challenges of being educated in a foreign country and working toward acquiring a professional license in New York State, she can relate to the challenges immigrants are facing in that process. Last year. Ms. Carrillo founded the Powerful Speeches platform to champion women architects and to help them advance in the architectural profession. In 2019, Ms. Carrillo was the recipient of the AIA New York State Young Architect Award.
Ms. Carrillo obtained her Bachelor of Architecture in Colombia and her master's degree in Environmental Management Systems from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. She is a LEED accredited professional and a certified New York State code enforcement official.
