Name: Jane Greenwood

Title: Principal

Company Name: Kostow Greenwood Architects

Years in your current field: 30

What professional organizations or associations are you a member of? AIS, NCARB

What was your greatest professional accomplishment in 2017? 

To be recognized as a “Woman of Influence” by the New York Business Journal and as an “Influential LGBTQ Person of the Year” by OUT Magazine on their annual OUT 100 list.  To have my professional accomplishments and my personal, career-long advocacy on behalf of women, minorities and LGBTQ professionals recognized in the same year means that there really is no separation anymore between what I firmly believe as a person and my vocation. 

What was your most notable project 2017? 

After designing spaces for Sirius XM Radio over the last several years we were invited back to complete a number of projects this year that resulted in unique work environments and improved technical spaces that support their on-air needs.  By restacking floors and consolidating both creative and support spaces we were able to redesign their workflow, upgrade technology and provide a space that enhances the creative culture of Sirius XM Radio.   It is always a great compliment to be re-engaged by a client and have the opportunity to do something great for them one more time.  

If you have had a mentor in your career, who was it and what did they teach you? 

Surprisingly, or maybe not, most of my mentors were men, beginning with my father who taught me business acumen and perseverance.  While in school I started working as an architectural intern, my first boss during this period reinforced the notion that talent has no gender.  His mantra was – “Go for it and don’t sit in the passenger seat.”  That advice has motivated me from the beginning and encouraged me to share my own trajectory with up and coming young professionals.

When I am not working I am…

Riding my horse through Rockefeller State Park or waxing my snowboard for the next black diamond.