Graciela Carrillo, AIA, originally from Colombia, immigrated to the United States in 2003. She works as a Senior Manager at Nassau BOCES Facilities Services. Graciela has been involved with the AIA at the local, state, and national levels, currently serving as AIA New York State representative for the AIA National Strategic Council, the Past President of the AIA Long Island Chapter, and the Chapter’s Women In Architecture Co-Founder and Co-Chair. Graciela is also the Co-Founder of the Immigrant Architects Coalition, a non-profit organization committed to helping and providing resources for immigrant architects to achieve a prosperous career in the US. In 2019, Graciela was the recipient of the AIA NYS Young Architect Award, and in 2022 she was the recipient of the AIA Young Architect Award. In addition, in 2021, she was an honoree of the Top 50 Women in Business in Long Island. In 2023 Graciela was awarded the 2022 AIA NYS President’s Honor Award. Graciela is a national speaker, featured on various industry podcasts, and a featured author in the book “Latinas in Architecture: Stories of raising the 1% one Latina at a time”. In 2022, Graciela co-authored the book, ”City Shapers: Stories of Immigrant Designers” and "Prospering In U.S. A Handbook for Immigrant Architects."