Thompson
E. Penney ’72, M ’74
Summer 2003
Architect Thom Penney,
FAIA, president and CEO of the Charleston-based firm LS3P Associates
Ltd., has taken office as president of the American
Institute of Architects (AIA). The professional organization includes
nearly 70,000 members nationwide.
Penney first became an AIA member as a student at Clemson, where he earned
bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture. In 1990,
he was named to the College of Fellows, and over the years he has received
numerous state, regional and national awards for design excellence. Throughout
his career, he has served in leadership positions in the national organization
including president of the local, state and regional chapters.
Under Penney’s leadership, LS3P has become one of the fastest rising
firms in the top-500 design firms in the United States as recognized
by ENR magazine.
Penney believes that design is one of the most visible signs of our core
values as individuals and as a society and that providing the world with
proof about the real-life effects that a building has on its inhabitants
would create a new perception of architecture and design. Or as he says, “We
could design education into our schools, curing into our hospitals and
dignity into low-income housing.”
At Clemson, he’s served two terms as president of the Clemson Advancement Foundation for Design + Building, and in 1999, he received the University’s Distinguished Service Award.