In continuation of #womenshistorymonth, we are shining a spotlight on our good friend and colleague, Katherine Bajor. She knows that work/life balance is a constant challenge for many of us throughout our careers. She also believes that you can have it all.

“Planning for the future, especially for businesses, is crucial. Without a road map to help navigate the long-term, businesses risk being left in the dust of a rapidly evolving world.” — Continuum Innovation

During #womenshistorymonth, I’ve been telling stories about women in leadership within the A+D realm. Initially, I focused on the design professions, and then I profiled one of my long-term friends and business partners, Nancy Egan of New Voodou. Today, I’m shining my #spotlight on Gail Gabriel, who has been both a close friend and business partner for more than 50 years.

As a coda to our recent stories about Weld Coxe and SMPS, let us all celebrate the tremendous evolution that has occurred within our professional over the past four decades. In a 1973 survey of more than half of ENR’s Top 200 firms, only six companies reported having full-time marketers on staff. Today, SMPS is the network for more than 7,000 marketing and business development professionals representing 3,250 firms in the architecture, engineering, planning, interior design, construction, and specialty consulting business throughout the USA and Canada.

In celebration of #WomensHistoryMonth — What makes an exceptional pair, especially in business? We’ve been working on this story for more than 30 years.

As part of #WomensHistoryMonth, I’m shining a spotlight on a constellation of women in leadership roles in architecture and design. Kudos to Alan Chimacoff and his photograph, Light Game 7.

To celebrate #WomensHistoryMonth, I am shining the spotlight on one of my dearest friends, Ruth Gless FAIA, who I have known for more than 30 years. By her own definition, she is an architect who paints.

In December 2018, in the New York Times Opinion Section, Allison Arieff asked, “Where Are All the Female Architects?” In The Architect’s Newspaper, Julia Gamolina said, “We’re right here.”

As Gloria Steinem said, "Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning." We plan to use this space to scheme and dream, to give voice to our thoughts, and to share new ideas. We welcome your voice, too. Please let us know what you think. (A comments section will be added soon.)

My father, Clyde V. L. Pearson, would have been 100 years old in 2012. He was born on February 1, 1912, and unfortunately, he passed away in 1977, at the age of 65. He was a huge influence in my life and career. This is his story, and mine, too.