Elizabeth Cox, AIA

Elizabeth Cox, AIA

She began her career in the San Francisco studio of The Design Partnership, a small, veteran-owned firm recognized for its compassionate approach to caregiving spaces. There, Cox was a vital contributor to projects at University of California, San Francisco and buildings for the Veterans Affairs Medical Centers. Those early experiences taught her to design through the eyes of patients, families, and staff.

In 2013, she moved to Boston to join Payette to work on projects for some of the most respected and highly ranked hospitals in the world. Cox designed projects of all scales, from small radiology spaces to multi-campus master plans. Today, she is a senior associate and healthcare leader at HOK’s recently formed Boston office. Drawn by HOK’s commitment to complex health and wellness projects for a wide range of clients, she crafts spaces that dignify users and transcend codes and guidelines to consider specific cultural or functional requirements. 

A Girl Scout for more than 11 years, Cox’s commitment to community service began at an early age. While studying at University of California, Berkeley, she delivered food to the unhoused and pursued city beautification projects with her church. In the profession, she has helped systematically excluded people achieve success through the NOMA HBCU Professional Development Program and the ACE Mentor Program. At HOK, she currently mentors two emerging professionals, a continuation of her formal and informal efforts at Payette.

Since 2012, Cox has been an active AIA leader and founded the Boston Society of Architects Revit Users Group, which she chaired for two years. She began serving the broader AIA community in 2015 when she was elected as the Young Architects Forum regional director for New England. In 2021, as AIA New England’s president, she championed the allocation of funds for emerging professionals’ development and helped plan the chapter’s design awards program.

Eager to embrace complex projects with her trademark dedication, Cox harnesses architecture to improve the lives of those she serves. Her leadership knows no bounds, much to the benefit of those she tirelessly advocates for.