As Principal and Managing Director of the Boston studio of Perkins&Will, Yanel leads with a spirit of empowerment that continuously pushes teams to be agents of change—for the well-being of our communities, our planet, and each other. A dedicated mentor, she finds joy in helping others elevate their own voice, become genuine leaders, and craft a meaningful career path.
With a reputation for simplifying the complex and building consensus among stakeholder groups, Yanel has been instrumental in the growth of her firm’s global Higher Education practice, as well as the execution of large mixed-use projects in Boston and internationally. She has leveraged her expertise to spur significant initiatives such as ResilientSEE, a global platform of design professionals, private industry, and academia that offers comprehensive, pro-bono resilient planning and design to communities around the world. She is the Vice President of Practice for Boston Society of Architect (BSA) / AIA Board, co-chairs the BSA Women in Design (WiD) Excellence Awards committee, co-founded the BSA WiD Mid-Career Mentorship committee, and is a CREW member.
Yanel has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design from the University of Puerto Rico School of Architecture, a master’s degree in Architecture 1 from the Syracuse University School of Architecture, and a master’s degree in Design from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design with a concentration in History and Theory of Architecture. She has taught at Syracuse University, Maryland Institute College of Art, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, and Northeastern University. Yanel was elevated to the AIA College of Fellows in February 2020. Today she serves on the Advisory Boards of various institutions including PROTECHOS, the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Cultures, the Boston Society of Architects, Sociedad Latina of Boston, and the Syracuse University School of Architecture Advisory Board.
