Annelise Pitts, AIA, has joined Cameron MacAllister Group as a principal consultant. A passionate architect, researcher, and advocate for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI), Pitts will work with design, architecture, and engineers companies to conduct assessments and develop strategies designed to advance JEDI as an authentic element of an organization’s culture.
Cameron MacAllister Group provides diversity, equity and inclusion consulting, sustainability, leadership, management, marketing, people skills, public relations, social media, and communications consulting services to design, architecture, and engineering companies. Pitts’ addition brings a new layer of JEDI expertise and thought leadership in architectural practice.
“I’m deeply committed to doing whatever I can to promote a more just and equitable profession,” said Pitts. “With more and more firms expressing commitments to take action in support of these values, I’m excited to be able to work with clients to understand the dynamics currently shaping their culture and to devise strategies for creating conditions in which every member of their teams can grow and thrive.”
Before joining Cameron MacAllister Group, Pitts was an associate in the New York studio of architecture firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. She led key initiatives and served as an integral part of the firm’s leadership team as they expanded their presence in New York. She also championed the new studio’s efforts in JEDI, marketing, new business development, staffing, and talent development and retention.
“We are thrilled to have Annelise as part of Cameron MacAllister Group,” said Saskia Dennis-van Dijl, principal consultant at Cameron MacAllister Group, who also leads the firm’s diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting practice. “In today’s environment, many leaders are thinking about diversity, equity, and inclusion in their companies and communities. Annelise is a leader in the field of JEDI, and her expertise, passion, and progressive ideas will be a tremendous asset to our clients.”
Pitts is a frequent public speaker at conferences and workshops worldwide, sharing findings and evidence-based strategies for taking action to promote a more just and equitable profession. She is research chair for Equity by Design and leads the Equity in Architecture Research Project, where she helps them explore equity in architectural practice through national surveys on architectural professionals’ career perceptions, experiences, and aspirations. Pitts is also a member of the organizing team for the Equity by Design Symposium, which brings together thought leaders worldwide to engage with innovative ideas and develop a shared agenda for advancing JEDI in architectural practice. She has also served on the AIA’s Equity & the Future of Architecture Committee, advising on the development of the AIA Guides for Equitable Practice.
Pitts holds a bachelor of arts degree, with honors, from the University of Chicago and a master of architecture degree from the University of Virginia.