Lori Cappuccio

There was little doubt about the career path Lori would choose. She grew up drawing house designs and sketching ideas for an elaborate futuristic city, where people traveled via pneumatic tubes like the ones she saw at the bank. "I always saw architecture as a way to positively influence the way people live, work, and learn," she explains. For now, Lori, who leads the Higher Education studio at our Washington, DC office,  has set aside her futuristic city to design and plan higher education projects. One of her favorites remains the American University Washington College of Law. "It was an all-around amazing team that contributed to the design, and the end result is a beautiful, innovative facility," she remarks. "It’s gratifying to stop by and see how well the building is being utilized." Lori also devotes time to mentoring young architects, having lacked female role models early in her career. Her own role models include Madeleine Albright—and the strong, sassy character of Rizzo from Grease, whom Lori dreams of playing in a never-ending Broadway run.