Rosa Sheng
Vice President, Director Justice Equity Diversity Inclusion
SmithGroup
Rosa T. Sheng, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C is a Vice-President at SmithGroup serving multiple roles as Higher Education Studio Leader in Northern California and national Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion. Founder of Equity by Design [EQxD] in 2014, Rosa served as AIA San Francisco President in 2018, the first Asian American Woman to serve in the organization’s 136 year history. Recognized as an industry thought leader, architect, strategist, and advocate, she is known for developing new processes and design solutions with transformational impact in the built environment. When asked "What type of Architecture do you do?" Her answer, “The kind that’s never been done before." This mindset has resulted in a variety of award-winning and internationally acclaimed projects including the aesthetically minimal, highly technical glass structures for Apple’s original high-profile retail stores - revolutionary workplace of the future in the Pixar Animation Studios Steven P. Jobs Building.
Rosa’s most rewarding work to date is focused on design justice - creating equitable and sustainable design outcomes for student belonging and persistence at public higher education institutions in California. These include the award-winning UC Davis Teaching and Learning Complex, SF State Science and Engineering Innovation Center, and the Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business at Mills College / Northeastern, as well as STEM projects for the California State University system and Community Colleges that prepare students for future ready resilience.
Rosa has presented her work both nationally and overseas including "Why Equity Matters for Everyone: A New Value Proposition for Architecture" and in 2020 -The J.E.D.I. Agenda – An Intersectional Approach to Designing a Just Future”. Rosa was honored in by Metropolis as a 2019 Game Changer. She has been featured in Architect Magazine, Architectural Record, The Wall Street Journal, TEDxPhiladelphia, SxSW, KQED/NPR, and the Cannes Lions Festival.
Rosa’s most rewarding work to date is focused on design justice - creating equitable and sustainable design outcomes for student belonging and persistence at public higher education institutions in California. These include the award-winning UC Davis Teaching and Learning Complex, SF State Science and Engineering Innovation Center, and the Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business at Mills College / Northeastern, as well as STEM projects for the California State University system and Community Colleges that prepare students for future ready resilience.
Rosa has presented her work both nationally and overseas including "Why Equity Matters for Everyone: A New Value Proposition for Architecture" and in 2020 -The J.E.D.I. Agenda – An Intersectional Approach to Designing a Just Future”. Rosa was honored in by Metropolis as a 2019 Game Changer. She has been featured in Architect Magazine, Architectural Record, The Wall Street Journal, TEDxPhiladelphia, SxSW, KQED/NPR, and the Cannes Lions Festival.