Meet the 2026 Design Awards Gala Keynote Speaker

Barbara Bouza, FAIA, NOMA, IIDA 
Executive Director of Market Strategies and Growth – Live, Work, Play 
CannonDesign 

 

As CannonDesign’s first-ever Executive Director of Live, Work, Play, Barbara is an architect shaping real world experiences that bring people together at the nexus of culture and community. Through her work, Barbara drives important convergence across entertainment, sports, civic, workplace and residential environments.

Prior to joining CannonDesign, Barbara was the President of Walt Disney Imagineering where she led the global teams behind the creation of some of the world’s most iconic theme parks, resorts, cruise ships and immersive entertainment destinations. She empowered these teams to blend story, technology and design to immerse guests in experiences that make memories of a lifetime.

Barbara is a former president of AIA Los Angeles, the founding president of Architecture for Communities LA and currently serves on the SCI-Arc Board of Trustees and Fast Company’s Impact Council. She speaks globally on experiential design, innovation and leadership and has recently presented at SXSW, Harvard WECode, Essence Festival of Culture, Sports Business Journal’s Game Changers, Fast Company’s Annual Meeting, and the AIA National and International Conferences.
Barbara holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and studied in the Graduate Design Program at the Architectural Association in London.

 

To hear from this Keynote Speaker at the 2026 Design Awards Gala.