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Blueprint for Success
Architect Tom Vecchione (B.Arch. '88) is building quite a reputation for himself. Indeed, the NYIT alumnus recently appeared on Fast Company magazine's list of "Fast 50" innovators for 2002.
Vecchione is a vice president and design director at Gensler…Architecture, Design and Planning Worldwide (www.gensler.com) in New York. He joined the award-winning firm in 1988 after studying structural engineering at NYIT and architecture at Cornell University.
Fast Company recognized Vecchione as a leading "Social Entrepreneur," because he developed several programs that bring professional design strategies to New York's youth.
For instance, he spearheads an annual architectural program at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (http://ndm.si.edu/). The program is a hands-on workshop that helps local high school students to discover how design impacts their daily lives.
"The program pushes students to conceptualize systems both comprehensively and in detail, and challenges them to imagine the future," says Vecchione. "These skills are applicable to a broad range of professions, not just those in design and architecture."
Vecchione's efforts are part of a broader education initiative at Gensler, which also runs teacher externships, youth advocacy programs with the New York City Public School System, and workshops with the National Arts Education Association.
When he's not busy reaching out to New York's youth, Vecchione is a driving force within Gensler, which was recently ranked No. 1 on World Architecture's survey of international interior design firms. In 2000, Gensler was named Architecture Firm of the Year by the American Institute of Architects.
As a member of the Fast 50 list, Vecchione finds himself among very distinguished company. Other movers and shakers on the list include Craig Conway, a CEO who transformed PeopleSoft Corp. into one of the world's leading software companies; Microsoft Corp. database pioneer Jim Gray, who strongly influences Chairman Bill Gates' strategic decisions; and Dale Brill, General Motors Corp.'s dean of e-commerce.
High Praise
Vecchione and other members of the Fast 50 "had the vision to see ways of improving our world-and the persistence to accomplish their goals," says Fast Company co-founder and co-editor William C. Taylor.
Members of the inaugural Fast 50 list (http"www.fastcompany.com/fast50) were selected by an independent panel of experts, including astronaut Sally Ride, management guru Tom Peters, noted futurist Watts Wacker, Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Kevin Roberts, and Markle Foundation President Zoe Baird.
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