Geraldine Forbes Isais, the first woman dean of the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of New Mexico, passed away on September 25. She was 76 years old.
Forbes Isais earned her bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology from California State University, Fullerton. After starting graduate work in ethnomusicology, she decided to transition her studies to architecture, ultimately earning a master of architecture degree from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She went on to serve as a partner in the Los Angeles architecture firm Butler, Forbes, Jubany Architecture. Later, she became principal in charge of design at what was then Jubany Architecture.
Following her first teaching appointment at Rio Hondo College in Whittier, California, Forbes Isais joined the faculty of Woodbury University in Burbank, California, rising from assistant chair to chair, assistant dean, and founding dean of the university’s San Diego campus. Next, she served as a program chair at the University of Colorado’s Boulder and Denver campuses.
In 2005, Forbes Isais joined the University of New Mexico as director of the architecture program. Five years later, she was named dean of the School of Architecture and Planning, making her the first woman to lead the school. She conducted research on cultural cartography and the acequias of the Embudo Valley in northern New Mexico, exploring how digital tools could help communities document and strengthen their own cultural landscapes. She retired in 2019.
A leader in her field, Forbes Isais was the first Hispanic president of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA). She later served as chancellor of the ACSA College of Distinguished Professors and president of the ACSA Women’s Leadership Council.