NJIT Professor and 2 Alumni Rise to Fellows at the American Institute of Architects

The American Institute of Architects is celebrating a New Jersey Institute of Technology professor and two alumni for their professional excellence and societal impact.

Professor of Design Georgeen Theodore and alumni Bryan C. Lee Jr. and Michael Hanrahan were elevated to organization’s College of Fellows — a recognition that less than 3% of its members achieve. Just 83 members across the U.S. became fellows this year.

“Georgeen, Bryan and Michael exemplify the best of our Hillier College of Architecture and Design,” said Gabrielle Esperdy, dean of the college. “Their exceptional achievements inspire our students to strive for excellence and tackle meaningful projects in their communities.”

Theodore teaches at the college, known as HCAD, where Lee earned a master’s in architecture and Hanrahan earned a both a bachelor’s and master’s in architecture.

Accomplished professionals 

Theodore, who joined NJIT in 2004, works at the intersection of architecture and urban planning and teaches in HCAD’s master of urban design program. She’s a co-founder and principal of Interboro Partners in Brooklyn, whose past projects include developing a strategy to vitalize vacant land in neighborhoods of Detroit.

Lee, who earned his NJIT degree in 2008, is the design principal at Colloquate Design in New Orleans and Portland, Ore., which focuses on “expanding community access to and building power through the design of social, civic and cultural spaces.” In addition, he’s president of the National Association of Minority Architects.

Hanrahan, who earned his NJIT degrees in 1996, is a principal at Clarke Caton Hintz in Trenton, N.J., where he specializes in the preservation and adaption of historic buildings, including Morven, the former governor’s mansion in Princeton that’s now a museum and garden.