LINDA SEARL, FAIA MEMBER EMERITUS

Linda received both her Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Arts in Architecture from the University of Florida. Prior to becoming principal of her own firm in 1985, she was an Associate Architect at Nagle Hartray and Associates. She now is enjoying life in retirement, returning to the office on occasion to work on select projects.

Her professional achievements include receiving the 2024 AIA Chicago Lifetime Achievement Award and membership in Architectural Digest's AD100, a list of the world's top architects and designers. Linda’s award-winning work has been published nationally in Architectural Record, Architecture, Chicago Magazine, and Interior Design to name a few. Exhibitions of her work have been held at the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Athenaeum, State of Illinois Building, Chicago Architectural Club, Chicago Historical Society, and the Chicago Architecture Foundation.

Linda is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. Her professional activities include serving as a past President of Chicago Women in Architecture, President of the Chicago AIA Chapter, and Vice President and Regional Director of the National AIA. She has participated on juries for AIA Distinguished Building Awards in a number of other cities and nationally and has served as Chair of the Design Committee of AIA Chicago.

Her community activities include having served on the Chicago Plan Commission for almost 25 years and as chair of the group from 2003 to 2012. Linda is a former member of the Steering Committee for Chicago’s Central Area Plan and was co-chair of the Urban Design Task Force. She has also served as Exhibition Chair and President of The Contemporary Arts Council, Chair of the Board of Trustees at Archeworks, and as a board member at Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois and the Graham Foundation for the Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts. She is currently a member of several organizations including the Economic Club of Chicago and the Chicago Network.

Her teaching experience includes visiting professorships at the Universities of Oklahoma, Illinois, Florida, Wisconsin, and Washington University. Linda was also a visiting lecturer on various architecture/design topics at Washington University, Pratt Institute, Notre Dame University, the Illinois Institute of Technology, and the Universities of Wisconsin and North Carolina.