When you talk about leadership that endures, you're really talking about influence—and few have influenced SDA's national community quite like Nikki Pierce, CDFA, LEED AP. This year, the Society for Design Administration proudly honors Nikki with the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing her two decades of dedication to elevating design firm operations, empowering peers, and shaping SDA's educational legacy.

A Journey of Growth

Nikki's story is one of steady growth, grounded in curiosity and service. She began her career at Clark Nexsen in 1999 as a receptionist—a role that quickly became a springboard for her natural leadership abilities. Within a few years, she had advanced to administrative lead in the Charlotte office, and by 2020, she became the firm's Knowledge Manager, helping integrate people, processes, and technology across the organization.

Her colleagues describe her as someone who doesn't wait to be asked.

"When Nikki sees something that needs attention, she takes care of it—or makes sure someone does," recalls one longtime coworker.

That instinct to serve and improve has defined her leadership for more than two decades.

Her SDA Impact

Nikki joined SDA in 2005 through Canstruction's "Canstruct-a-Member" initiative and immediately became active in the Charlotte Chapter—serving as President, Past President, and Treasurer. When the chapter dissolved, she continued her commitment as a Member-at-Large, promoting SDA's mission of education and excellence.

She earned her Certified Design Firm Administrator (CDFA) credential in 2008, joined the National Certification Committee in 2009, and later chaired it from 2012 to 2016. Under her leadership, the Certification Guidebook was extensively revised and the exam strengthened to better reflect the evolving needs of the A/E industry. She returned as Co-Chair from 2020 to 2022 and continues to serve as a valued committee member.

Beyond certification, Nikki has contributed to the National Education Services Committee, Membership Committee, and numerous SDA publications and forums. She has also encouraged colleagues at her firm and across the country to pursue SDA membership and certification, broadening the organization's reach and impact.

Leadership Through Influence

Nikki embodies leadership through influence rather than authority. She mentors generously, collaborates widely, and approaches every challenge with humility and purpose. Her ability to connect people and ideas has shaped SDA's programs and inspired countless professionals to grow their own leadership potential.

As she once reflected in her SDA Secretary application:

"Over time, I have found inspiration in my SDA colleagues. Their articulation and accomplishments have motivated me to push beyond being comfortable in my career and seek out assignments and accreditation I may never have entertained if I had not been exposed to these talented professionals."

That commitment to continual learning and encouragement is the hallmark of her influence.

A Legacy of Leadership

From her years of Canstruction involvement to her role in advancing SDA's certification standards, Nikki's leadership has left a lasting mark on both the organization and the A/E industry. Her influence multiplies through the colleagues she has mentored and the systems she has improved—proof that true leadership isn't about position, but about the difference you make.

SDA is proud to celebrate Nikki Pierce as the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, honoring a career built on integrity, education, and service.

Join the Celebration

Join us in congratulating Nikki Pierce, CDFA, LEED AP, on this well-deserved honor! We invite members and colleagues to share their stories, memories, and messages of appreciation in the comments below.

Amplifying SDA’s Voice: Jennifer Greene’s Leadership Earns 2025 GEM Award

Behind every strong professional community is a leader who ensures its message is heard, its value is clear, and its members feel connected. For SDA, that leader is Jennifer Greene, CDFA. Through her exceptional leadership as Chair of the MarCom Committee in 2023–2024 and Co-Chair in 2024–2025, Jennifer has helped shape the way SDA communicates, grows, and engages. Her service was formally recognized with the 2025 GEM Award—SDA’s highest honor for volunteerism—presented on May 22, 2025. A longtime SDA member, Jennifer exemplifies the commitment and professionalism that define our community. 

Leading the Way

The GEM Award (Going the Extra Mile) is awarded annually by SDA to honor individuals who demonstrate extraordinary dedication through volunteer leadership. Jennifer Greene, CDFA, earned the 2025 distinction for her ongoing role leading the Marketing & Communications (MarCom) Committee during two pivotal years. As Chair and then Co-Chair, Jennifer worked to strengthen SDA’s messaging, increase member engagement, and elevate the organization’s visibility across the AEC industry. Her efforts directly supported SDA’s mission to empower operations professionals by ensuring that resources, achievements, and opportunities were communicated clearly and consistently. Jennifer’s contributions reflect not only her talent for strategic outreach, but also her unwavering commitment to the professional development of others. 

A Career Built for Marketing

Jennifer Greene who is the Director of Marketing at Ronnette Riley Architect’s in New York, New York has dedicated years of leadership and thoughtful collaboration to SDA. As a Certified Design Firm Administrator (CDFA), she brings a deep understanding of both firm operations and professional communications—skills she has used to guide SDA’s MarCom team’s efforts with clarity and vision. Her ability to bring structure, creativity, and strategic thinking to SDA’s messaging helped enhance outreach, unify branding, and better inform members across the country. Jennifer’s leadership style is marked by reliability, inclusiveness, and a clear passion for supporting others. Her efforts have not only made SDA stronger—they have created a more connected, informed, and inspired member community. Her recognition with the GEM Award is a well-earned testament to her impact. 

A Continued Leader

Jennifer’s work within SDA has strengthened the organization’s communications infrastructure—an often-invisible but essential part of supporting member engagement and retention. By championing clear and consistent messaging, Jennifer has played a critical role in SDA’s continued growth and visibility within the AEC industry. Her influence will continue through the tools, strategies, and content she helped develop.

Jennifer’s GEM Award honors not only her service—but her ability to inspire, connect, and lead with purpose. SDA is proud to celebrate her outstanding contributions and lasting impact.

How one little dash can throw your automations, templates, and filenames into chaos

During our most recent First Friday Virtual Coffee, a seemingly simple question kicked off a surprisingly lively debate:

“How do you name your project files—year/month/day, year/day/month, or month/day/year?”

As members compared formats, the conversation turned to punctuation. One person said their firm was told not to use periods (.) in filenames. Another said they always use underscores (_). Someone else swore by hyphens (-).

And then someone asked, “Wait—does it matter which dash we use?” That question stopped us in our tracks.

Because as it turns out, yes—it matters a lot more than most of us realize.

Why It Matters

Your computer sees a world of difference between a hyphen (-), an en dash (–), and an em dash (—)—even if your eyes don’t. Smart punctuation settings in Word, Google Docs, or macOS can “helpfully” replace a plain hyphen with one of the longer versions.

Those subtle swaps look harmless in text—but when used in filenames, automations, or templates, they can quietly break things.

An en dash or em dash in a file or field name can cause integrations to fail, automations to stop working, or exports to misread the label entirely. So if your workflow ever breaks for no apparent reason… your punctuation might be the hidden culprit.

Quick Fixes That Actually Work

• Hyphen (-) → ✅ Safe for file names and automations. Use it for joining short words or labels.
• Underscore (_) → ✅ Also safe. Common in code or legacy systems.
• En dash (–) / Em dash (—) → ❌ Save these for writing, not for filenames or templates.
• Periods and spaces → ⚠️ Avoid when possible; they can break URLs, links, or scripts.

Bottom line: boring punctuation is reliable punctuation. The plain hyphen will almost always win.

A Member-to-Member Tip

This entire post came out of SDA members sharing real experiences during First Friday Coffee—the kind of everyday troubleshooting that makes our community so valuable.

So if you’ve ever spent hours rebuilding an automation that “mysteriously stopped working,” double-check your punctuation before you panic. Sometimes, one tiny line is the whole problem.

Want to Dig Deeper?

If this kind of detail makes your inner systems nerd light up, you’ll love SDA member, Elizabeth Harris’s full guide on Substack.

The Extremely Niche, Mildly Unhinged Guide to Dashes (for Substack, Notion, and Zapier People)

It’s an entertaining deep dive into the world of dashes, underscores, and invisible formatting gremlins—with screenshots, examples, and even a “dash decoder” visual to help you spot the difference.

Keep the Conversation Going

Join us for our next First Friday Virtual Coffee to share what’s working in your firm—or to pick up a few new tricks from fellow members. You never know which casual question will spark your next great “aha” moment.