Behind the Screens: Gracia Maria Shiffrin, JD, FAIA

“Behind the Screens” is a series developed by AIA Chicago’s Editorial Advisory Committee to highlight the members of the chapter. Throughout the year, the series will showcase Fellows, Architects, Associates, and Affiliate members.

Name: Gracia Maria Shiffrin
Affiliations/Credentials: Attorney, FAIA, Certified Fraud Analyst
Title: Financial Analyst
Company: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of General Counsel, Enforcement Center
Degree: Bachelor of Architecture, Louisiana State University; Juris Doctor, DePaul University
AIA Chicago involvement: Trustee and Secretary, AIA Chicago Foundation

You are currently serving as the AIA Chicago Foundation Secretary. What advice can you give to others for why they should be involved with the AIA Chicago Foundation?

Being on the Board of Trustees of the Chicago AIA Foundation allows you to contribute in a meaningful way to make architecture a more welcoming professional path, it gives you the chance to recognize and nurture new talent in the Chicago area, and it gives you a sense of belonging. The Foundation is always seeking to enlist AIA members to join the board and take a leadership role along with the other Trustees and the dynamic staff of AIA Chicago.

The AIA Chicago Foundation makes a tremendous impact in the lives of young designers. What is your favorite impact story?

My favorite impact story is Maria Hidalgo, who was one of our inaugural recipients of the Diversity Scholarship in 2019. With the Foundation’s help she finished her studies at IIT, she’s enjoyed the mentorship of a dedicated AIA mentor, and she’s expanded her professional network. For several years now, she’s been an Architectural Associate at Urban Works, a leading Chicago firm. During our most recent round of applications for the Diversity Scholarship, we invited her to join as a member of the 2024 jury, and she was a joy to work with. At this early stage in her career, she is showing a commitment to give back by getting involved and keeping the doors open for those after her. She was engaged in the interviews and provided meaningful insight into the discussions. It’s been enjoyable seeing her name pop up in various social media as she grows into the profession.

You received both your J.D. and achieved Fellowship in the AIA. What advice to others can you provide on how to achieve two highly-desired credentials?

My advice is to follow your curiosity and once you set a goal, put your head down, focus your efforts, and plow through. If the work feels compelling and keeps you engaged, you will manage the obstacles that will come. Along the way, you will discover so many things about yourself, especially when you put your talents to use for the benefit of those in need. I have also found not to be mesmerized by titles, it’s the journey that counts. Another piece of advice is to surround yourself with a support system of cheerleaders, meaning your family and friends, who will stand by you when the load is long and heavy.

What advice would you give to a younger version of yourself?

I’d tell myself not to take things so seriously.

Where do you find inspiration?

I find peace and inspiration in nature, most often in the endless motion of Lake Michigan and the Pacific Ocean (I grew up in El Salvador and lived in San Francisco for many years). There’s both serenity and power in the water. And it highlights our smallness as human beings.

What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day starts with coffee with my husband while watching a recording of last night’s Colbert Report and flipping through the screens of The New York Times and The Chicago Tribune. My workday begins with checking email and calendar, signing on and inevitably changing passwords in the countless systems I use at the office. There are often morning team meetings. Then, there’s the steady review of financial statements, mortgages, regulatory documents, and other business agreements, coupled with research of applicable rules and regulations.

Then I spend a lot of time collaborating to find ways to tell a dry story of non-compliance into a coherent piece of plain English that is understandable and animates the other side to cooperate. There are often seminars about construction, new housing regulations, or finance. I also write lots of correspondence asking for documents, payments, or filings from property owners, accountants and agents. Similarly, I spend a lot of time reviewing ongoing matters with my clients who are charged with operating the various HUD programs I’m helping them to enforce. Every so often, I get to travel and visit properties or agencies under HUD’s oversight. There is a lot of satisfaction in getting parties to comply with HUD programs so that HUD can achieve its mission to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities, while providing quality affordable homes for all.

What gets you out of bed in the morning?

The sound of the coffee grinder and the strong coffee that my husband makes. Add to that, blue skies and sunshine, the need to check up on my elderly parents in El Salvador, the hope to hear from my daughters (one lives in Romania, the other is away at college), and the daily challenges at the office.

What is one item on your desk that you cannot live without?

I find it hard to work without music. Sonos and my headphones are always around. I cycle between classical, Latin standards, and jazz.

What or who has inspired you to become an architect?

My father inspired me to become an architect. When I was growing up in El Salvador, my dad was the head of the country’s Social Trust for Housing. His agency pooled funds from workers, employers and the national government to create a trust for the development of affordable housing. He’d take my siblings and I to groundbreakings and openings of large developments of single-family homes all over the country. He had wanted to be an architect, but he was already married with kids when he started college and they didn’t offer architecture at night, so he became an economist. Growing up, our house was full of his paintings and sculptures, and he was constantly making improvements to our house. The smell of concrete is one of my favorite smells, always brings me back to my childhood days.

What has been the most valuable resource to you in your career?

In my early days in architecture the most valuable resource I had were the friends I made during architecture school. We didn’t have mentors, but we learned together, and we pushed each other as we got jobs, became licensed, moved around the country, and grew into ownership and management. As a new attorney, one of my supervisors took an interest in me and she’s been a mentor and friend for over 25 years. I owe a lot to these individuals who have been a sounding board and support for the many professional adventures I’ve had over the years.

What is the most effective step you’ve taken in your work toward a more equitable built environment? 

I try to empower others by letting them shine.

What change would you like to see in Chicago’s built environment?

I would like to see more and more historic preservation and adaptive reuse of existing structures. It’s hard not to get excited about these effective forms of sustainability while preserving Chicago’s architectural heritage.

The views and opinions expressed herein are solely those of Gracia Maria Shiffrin in her personal capacity and do not represent the official position of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) or any other federal agency or the United States government.