Yolanda Cole

Biography: Yolanda Cole, FAIA is a Senior Principal and Owner of Hickok Cole Architects, a 100-person architecture firm specializing in commercial office, housing, mixed-use, interiors, and branding for real estate products. Ms. Cole has over thirty years of base building and interior design experience in projects ranging from large-scale, mixed-use developments to small commercial interiors, around the world and in the region. She is widely recognized for spearheading research and innovation in the profession through the cultivation of a multi-disciplined, collaborative practice. In 2024 Ms. Cole received the AIA|DC Centennial Award for significant contribution to the profession. She is a past Chair of ULI Washington and has been an active member of ULI for over 20 years. She has served as Chair of the Governance Committee, Vice Chair and Chair of Mission Advancement, the TAP Committee and the annual Trends Conference. Ms. Cole is a Past President of AIA|DC and served many years on its Board of Directors. She was also a long-time Director at the Greater Washington Board of Trade (BOT) where she chaired and served on a number of committees. In 2013, Ms. Cole was one of the Washington Business Journal’s 25 “Women Who Mean Business” and in 2017, one of Washington's "Power 100." Ms. Cole is a frequent speaker at the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Trends Conference in Washington, D.C., and the NeoCon World Trade Fair in Chicago. She has presented at numerous real estate organizations over her career, including NAIOP, the DC Building Industry Association (DCBIA); the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS); Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW); the Real Estate Lenders Association (RELA) and others. In 2008 she moderated a panel at the 2008 AIA National Convention in Boston and has presented at several AIA Design DC conferences. In 2008, of the 68 seminars offered, attendees ranked her as the #1 speaker. She has also been sought out as a speaker for AIA regional conferences in Georgia and Wisconsin. She is a registered architect, Fellow of the American Institute. Ms. Cole is a founder and Board President of the DC Concert Orchestra Society and former Principal Flutist.