Iker Gil to Step Down as Executive Director of the SOM Foundation

“It has been an honor to play a small but impactful role in the history of the SOM Foundation. In the more than seven years I will have been leading the Foundation, we have collectively taken many steps to strengthen every aspect of the organization and supported 115 fellows,” Iker Gil said. “I am very grateful to the board for the opportunity to be part of the SOM Foundation at this pivotal moment and contribute to its illustrious history of almost five decades. With their support and the support of others that were part of the editorial and administrative team, we were able to achieve great things. I am proud that it is part of my identity and legacy and look forward to seeing more great work being supported by the SOM Foundation in the coming decades.”

During his tenure, Gil has focused on advancing the awards program that addresses critical issues of our time and supporting an emerging generation of designers; organizing public programs to deepen the impact of the fellowships and creating new opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing; and uncovering and celebrating the work done since 1979 to build a strong foundation for the future. Gil led the direction for the Research Prize and the launch of several new awards supporting faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, as well as high-school students, including the European Research Prize, Robert L. Wesley Award, Researcher-in-Residence, and Gordon Bunshaft Award; the establishment of multi-year collaborations with institutions such as the MAK Center for Art and Architecture in Los Angeles and the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning, as well as companies such as Black Spectacles; the organization of public events in multiple cities, such as the William F. Baker International Research and Design Forum and other public lectures and gathering of past and current fellows; the engagement with the more than 375 fellows that have been supported by the SOM Foundation since the awards programs was established in 1981; as well as the administrative, financial, and management tasks of the SOM Foundation.

In parallel, during this time Gil has strengthen the digital and physical presence of the SOM Foundation, launching a robust website that captured the history, work, and initiatives of the Foundation, establishing a publicly accessible digital archive. This includes articles highlighting key aspects and people of its history, such as the Miró Chicago sculpture, Charnley House (now Charnley-Persky House Museum), John Whiteman, and Janet Abrams. Simultaneously, a new physical archive and research space has been created in Chicago to make the final reports and research available as well as to display small exhibitions related to the work supported by the SOM Foundation throughout the years.

The SOM Foundation board will formally announce the search for Gil’s successor in the coming weeks, and plans to name a new Executive Director by the time of his departure in August.