February 10, 2020

AIA New Jersey Introduces AIA Newark and Suburban 2020 President Andrew Thompson, AIA

Andrew Thompson, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP BD+C

County Architect- Passaic County New Jersey

President 2020- American Institute of Architects Newark and Suburban Chapter

I was raised in Brooklyn, New York and I am a proud product of the New York City Public School system. I grew up in East Flatbush and lived adjacent to Brownsville. My neighborhood underwent change as entire buildings went vacant or became burnt out shells through acts of arson. It was the attempts at revitalization that piqued my interest in architecture.

I received my Bachelor of Architecture Degree from Pratt Institute in 1991 and in 1993 Graduated from Columbia University with a Masters in Architecture and Urban Design. I also hold an Associates Degree in Mechanical Engineering from New York City College of Technology from the City University of New York.

My first major job was working with the Office Space Services Department and later the Engineering Department of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. I worked on various projects including One World Trade Center renovations and various airport facilities during my ten year tenure. I later became involved in the initial planning and design of the Air Train project at John F. Kennedy Airport and transportation hubs located at Howard Beach and Jamaica Station.

I served as the Chief Architect in the Design and Construction Department Facilities Management Division for Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) for 12 years. I supervised a staff of in-house designers and managed out sourced architects on a variety of multi-million dollar healthcare projects including an infill project of 21 new operating rooms.

In 2006, I was cast as a participant on Archi-TECHS, for a pilot episode on the History Channel that explored various apparatus and systems to evacuate occupants from high rise structures in the event of catastrophe and to get emergency service personnel and equipment to the scene effectively and efficiently.

I left MSKCC and became Director of Campus Operations for the New Community College at CUNY now the Stella and Charles Guttman Community College. My responsibilities included the fit-out of a 7 story building in midtown Manhattan for the College’s inaugural student body. The Stella and Charles Guttman Community College is the first college in the City University of New York (CUNY) system in over 40 years. CUNY is the largest urban university in the United States.

I am currently the County Architect for Passaic County in New Jersey. I work with County government on County projects and renovations. Projects range from the recently completed rehabilitation and renovation of the historic Dey Mansion in Wayne, NJ- (one of the headquarters of George Washington during the revolutionary war), restoration of a historic courthouse in Paterson, to working on a new centralized Department of Public Works Facility for Passaic County in Wayne, NJ, which will function as a main hub for the County’s fleet of trucks and buses.

I served as a Visiting Professor from 1995 to 2000 at Pratt Institute’s Undergraduate School of Architecture. My curriculum included digital media and construction documents using CAD.

Andrew is a well respected leader in AIA New Jersey. He has been laying the groundwork for a strong year as AIA Newark and Suburban President for the last year and will be installed this weekend at the AIA Newark and Suburban 2020 Presidents Gala, Saturday night at the Wyndham Hamilton Park in Florham Park, NJ. Registration is open for tickets HERE. 

Speakers Ben Lee, AIA, Andrew Thompson, AIA and Stacey Ruhle Kliesch, AIA, at the AIA NJ Equity in Negotiations Seminar

Mr. Thompson has served as a guest speaker for the AIA New Jersey Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and a volunteer at the 2019 NOMA National Convention in New York City. He serves on the AIA NJ College Relations Committee, acts as a visiting juror and volunteers for the K-12 Committee Outreach Programs in NJ public schools. 

By Stacey Ruhle Kliesch, AIA, AIA NJ Advocacy Consultant | Posted in AIA Newark and Suburban, AIA-NJ News, Diversity, EquityInArchitecture, K12 Architecture Education | Tagged: #AfricanAmerican, #AfricanAmericanShowcase, #AIANewarkandSuburban, #AIANS, #AndrewThompsonAIA, #BlackHistoryMonth, #BlackHistoryShowcase, #BrooklynNY, #ColumbiaU, #diversity, #equity, #Inclusion, #K12Education, #NJ-NOMA, #Pratt, NOMA | Comments (0)