Faculty Profile

Jill Lerner  is a Principal at Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) in New York and has been a practicing architect for over 30 years. KPF is an internationally recognized design firm with projects throughout Europe, Asia, the U.S. and the Middle East. At KPF for almost 15 years, Jill has been a leader in diversifying KPF's body of work into new building types, particularly in academic and institutional design. Lerner has led numerous award-winning projects and competitions, and is responsible for all aspects of the project as the primary client contact — from initial programming and conceptual design through project completion. Although her experience includes a range of building types, her primary focus has been on complex institutional buildings for both private and public clients. Lerner is currently leading major academic and research projects at the University of Michigan, Arizona State University, UCLA, and for the City University of New York (CUNY) in Manhattan, as well as a new research institute and clinical expansion Methodist Hospital in Houston. Past work includes an urban master plan for the United States Postal Service in downtown Boston; a major expansion of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; and Huntsman Hall for Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania. Lerner also led the project team for the 800,000 award-winning mixed-use facility at CUNY's Baruch College in New York City. Lerner received her bachelor of architecture from Cornell University where she graduated with honors and received the Alpha Rho Chi Medal in Architecture for Leadership, Service, and Merit. Lerner's recent activities at Cornell include the membership on the Board of Trustees, the Buildings and Properties Committee, the Campus Design Review Committee, the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning Alumni Advisory Council, and the President's Council of Cornell Women. She has taught Professional Practice to architecture students in AAP's NYC program since 2006. Lerner is a native of the New York area and is licensed in New York, Pennsylvania, and many other states. She is a Fellow of the  AIA (FAIA) and has served on the Board of Directors of the New York City Chapter and the Center for Architecture Foundation. In 2001 she co-chaired the Memorial Process Committee after 9/11 for New York New Visions. Lerner was a contributor and coeditor of Construction in Cities: Social, Environmental, Political, and Economic Concerns, published by CRC Press in 2001, and is a frequent lecturer at conferences of the Society of College and University Planners (SCUP).

• Journey from Sibley: Jill Lerner '75 (video)