IAOTP names Andrea Ingersoll Totte for Empowered Woman Award

The International Association of Top Professionals will honor Andrea Ingersoll Totte at its 2026 Annual Awards Gala at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. The recognition spotlights her two decades in laboratory planning and her work designing science and technology facilities.

Why it matters: - IAOTP recognition can raise a professional’s profile across the architecture and laboratory planning industries. - The award underscores the growing visibility of women leaders in science, technology and design-related fields. - Totte’s work supports laboratory and research spaces tied to cancer research, materials innovation and other sectors with broad economic and societal impact.

What happened: - Andrea Ingersoll Totte, a laboratory planner at HERA Laboratory Planners, was selected for IAOTP’s Empowered Woman Award for 2026. - IAOTP will honor Totte at its Annual Awards Gala at the Plaza Hotel in New York City in December 2026. - IAOTP also said Totte will be honored at the gala for being selected as Top Laboratory Planner of the Year.

The details: - Totte has more than 20 years of experience in the industry. - Her specialty is the design and planning of high-performance science and technology facilities. - At HERA Laboratory Planners, she designs laboratories that support work in cancer research, materials innovation and other fields. - HERA’s work spans physics, materials science, robotics, biotech, aerospace, engineering and pharmaceutical research. - The firm also serves medical, government, industrial, educational and commercial facilities. - Before joining HERA, Totte was a senior laboratory specialist and project leader at LPA, Inc. - At LPA, she held leadership roles in laboratory planning, project management and business development. - Totte earned a B.S. in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. - She also studied architectural studies abroad in Versailles. - Her areas of expertise include life sciences, commercial real estate, leadership, architectural design, design research, sustainable design, project management, strategic planning and communications. - Totte has also been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who of Professional Women and by Influential Women Magazine. - IAOTP said Totte will be considered for a feature in TIP magazine. - IAOTP President Stephanie Cirami said Totte was an easy choice for the honor and called her inspirational, influential and a thought leader.

Between the lines: - The award reflects a broader emphasis on leaders who combine technical expertise with community impact. - Totte’s mutual aid work suggests the recognition is not only about professional credentials but also about civic engagement. - IAOTP’s selective process appears designed to make each honoree part of a curated professional network, not a broad-membership program.

What's next: - Totte is set to receive the award at IAOTP’s gala in New York City this December. - She also expects to focus on supporting more women to lead, innovate and reshape design and collaboration in the industry. - More information is available on Totte’s HERA profile and at IAOTP’s award gala page.