Diane Georgopulos
Diane Georgopulos, B.A.E.D. '73, was awarded the 2005 Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Architecture by the American Institute of Architects. The Thomas Jefferson Award recognizes excellence in architectural advocacy and achievement. As a design review architect for the past 18 years, Diane Georgopulos, AIA, has evolved in her role at the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency (MassHousing), a public bank in Boston charged with the mission of building affordable housing.
Two programs exemplify her skills and adroitness at pursuing the public good.The first, The Demonstration Disposition Program, a federal initiative that "can best be described as a complex blend of housing, economic development, and resident empowerment," invested a $320 million budget by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the largest ever given to the State of Massachusetts.
Georgopulos coordinated the planning and design and/or renovation of some 1,850 units of rundown housing in 14 developments in three Boston neighborhoods-working with architecture firms and resident associations to cut through red tape.Her second major undertaking, The Elder Choice Program, found Georgopulos serving as the project's design team member. She actively participated in creating 1,500 units of housing for healthy seniors at a wide range of income levels who might otherwise have been placed inappropriately in nursing homes. Georgopulos was able to employ her user-based and behavior-based design studies while a student at SUNY/Buffalo and MIT on this project.
"Georgolpulos' commitment, dedication, and talent have been consistently applied to achieving successful results," wrote her nominators. "She has striven to advance the quality of design in serving the higher purpose for eliminating blight and improving the condition of those most in need of safe, decent, and affordable housing."
