Sheila Cordova, AIA, NOMA is an architect and instructor. She is co-owner of Cordova Architects (an evolution of ChoyAssociates, Architects). Her firm has worked in a variety of commercial and community projects, winning community awards for positive impacts on neighborhoods and an AIA award. She is an advocate of collaborative community engagement and human centered design.
Sheila teaches critical investigative skills for contemporary practice. Her class projects examine contemporary issues using collaboration, research, and empathy. Sheila is committed to bringing social issues into the classroom where her courses research and explore opportunities in design, innovation, and community engagement. She has taken her students to construction sites, volunteered classes for build sites at Habitat for Humanity, developed student projects to help shelters, and is a champion of human-centered design. Sheila believes collaboration, action, and social justice awareness are opportunities for students to engage with each other in real world situations and connect within their community.