The National Institute of Building Sciences has received two nominations to its board of directors by President Joe Biden.

The appointees are award-winning design professional Evelyn M. Fujimoto and Lori Peek, Director of the Natural Hazards Center and Sociology Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Lakisha A. Woods, CAE, President and CEO of NIBS, welcomes the board nominations.

“NIBS was chartered by the U.S Congress to convene industry and government, bringing together experts in planning, design, construction, supply and technology,” Woods says. “We are thrilled with the President’s nominations, and we wish these smart and talented women a smooth confirmation.”

Fujimoto has designed more than nine million square feet of building interiors throughout North American, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Her projects have received industry recognition for design excellence, including adherence to sustainable design practices, value creation for the business community, and demonstration of leading engineering and construction methods.

Peek studies marginalized populations in disaster and is the author of Behind the Backlash: Muslim Americans after 9/11, and co-editor of Displaced: Life in the Katrina Diaspora, and co-author of Children of Katrina. Peek helped develop school safety guidance for the nation, which resulted in the publication of FEMA P-1000, Safer, Stronger, Smarter: A Guide to Improving School Natural Hazard Safety.

The National Institute of Building Sciences Board of Directors

The NIBS board is comprised of 21 members. The President of the United States, with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoints six members to represent the public interest. The remaining 15 members are elected from the nation's building community and include both public interest representatives and industry voices.

Six members of the NIBS board were appointed by President Barack Obama. If confirmed by the Senate, the board terms of Fujimoto and Peek would begin October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2024.

NIBS was established by Congress in the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, Public Law 93-383. NIBS leads efforts to ensure the nation’s buildings and communities remain safe by seeking consensus solutions to mutual problems of concern.