Dr. Carol Sakata, FAIA

Dr. Carol Sakata was a major player in planning for the 1982 AIA National Convention in Hawaii, the only time the convention was held here. She was chair of the National AIA Women in Architecture Committee in 1988, and produced the exhibit: “That Exceptional One: Women in American Architecture 1888-1988.” In 1989 she was the first female president of the AIA Hawaii Society, during which she coordinated the transition from a Statewide Society to one that recognized two chapters (Maui and Honolulu) under the Hawaii State Council, which is the format the AIA in Hawaii functions under today.

Carol is probably best known for her leadership in setting production standards for architectural practice. She led two efforts, the first in 1990, that created, then updated, the “Guide to Production Procedures,” a publication referenced in the National CAD Standard. She was inducted into the AIA College of Fellows in 1993, partly as a result of her pioneering efforts in establishing production standards. Carol served two four-year terms from 1995-2003 on Hawaii’s Board of Registration for Professional Engineers, Architects, Landscape Architects, and Land Surveyors (EASLA). Carol served on EASLA’s Rules Committee from 2007-2021. As a result of her experience, she was appointed as an advisory committee member to the State of Hawaii Regulated Industries Complaints Office (RICO).

She has lectured many times on professional practice at the University of Hawaii School of Architecture and was an adjunct professor at the School from 1993-2003. Dr. Sakata was awarded her architectural doctorate in 2000, the inaugural year of the program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s School of Architecture. Her doctoral project developed the curriculum and evaluation tools for the School’s Practicum Studio. She was instrumental in changing Hawaii’s licensing laws to recognize the School of Architecture’s Doctorate, which was the first in the United States. She spent 26 years, from 1996 to 2022, on the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) Committees related to the Architectural Licensing Examination (ARE).

Additional areas of service for Carol include as chair of the City and County of Honolulu’s Building Board of Appeals, YWCA of Honolulu’s Board of Directors, Hawaii Girl Scout Council Board of Directors, and as Secretary and President of the Rotary Club of Honolulu.