LPA’s Ellen Mitchell Named Chair of AIA’s Committee on the Environment

Sustainability leader will help guide national efforts to provide better design tools and resources to address climate action and climate justice.

LPA Design Studios’ Director of Sustainability + Applied Research, Ellen Mitchell, has been named 2026 chair of the American Institute of Architects’ Committee on the Environment (COTE) leadership group, the organization’s national effort to advance healthy, sustainable and equitable design.

As COTE Chair, Mitchell will help guide the committee’s efforts to equip architects with the resources needed to help clients and communities develop better-performing projects.

“COTE represents the collective power of architects to make real progress on the climate crisis,” Mitchell said. “Our work is about translating passion into practice — creating the systems, tools, and examples that help every architect deliver projects that are meaningful outcomes for people and the planet.”

Mitchell is a nationally recognized advocate for high-performance and socially responsible design. Since joining LPA as Principal in 2022, she has helped shape the firm’s integrated approach to sustainability, overseeing the in-house research team and guiding initiatives that prioritize building performance, wellness, and community impact.

Mitchell’s leadership has been instrumental in shaping the strategies that helped LPA earn the 2025 AIA National Firm Award, which recognized the firm’s “No Excuses” approach to sustainable design and measurable performance outcomes across its portfolio.

“Ellen’s appointment to lead COTE is an extraordinary recognition of her influence and expertise,” said LPA President and Chief Design Officer Keith Hempel, FAIA. “Her work bridges research, design, and real-world outcomes, making sustainability the baseline for great design.”

Mitchell has served on the COTE committee since 2024. Comprised of 13 architects who have been nominated to serve by their peers, the committee’s mission is to promote design strategies that “empower all AIA members to realize the best social and environmental outcomes with the clients and the communities they serve.”