News: Elizabeth Chu Richter has become the 2015 president of the American Institute of Architects following a ceremony in Washington DC.

Richter, architect and CEO of Texas firm Richter Architects, succeeds Helene Combs Dreiling to become the 91st president of the AIA – a position she is expected to hold for one year.

The inauguration ceremony took place beneath the Norman Foster-designed glass roof of the National Portrait Gallery, where the Chinese-born architect laid out her primary objectives for the term – to address the challenges of a global economy that is increasingly urbanising; to ensure the public is well informed about architecture; and to offer support to emerging professionals.

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"As architects, we use our creativity to serve society — to make our communities better places to live," she said. "Through our profession and our life's work, each of us has shaped and re-shaped the ever-changing narrative that is America in both humble and spectacular ways."

She added: "As a profession, each of us has an obligation to help all the bright, passionate, and creative young women and men to succeed. They are the profession's future."

Elizabeth Chu Richter was born in the Chinese city of Nanjing but grew up in both Hong Kong and Dallas, Texas. She received her Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin in 1974 and joined Corpus Christi-based Richter Architects, formerly Kipp Richter & Associates, in 1989.

Richter served as President of the Texas Society of Architects in 2007 and has recently represented Texas on the AIA's National Board of Directors.