2026 Educator of the Year • Mark Broyles, AIA

The Award

Recognizes an individual with at least a decade of experience in architectural education who made significant impact on the profession. 

Presented by Erik Sommerfeld, AIA
ColoradoBuildingWorkshop at the University of Colorado Denver
2025 Educator of the Year

Mark Broyles AIA, Architect, Chair and Associate Professor, Architectural Technology at Community College of Denver

For more than a decade, Mark Broyles has helped students at the Community College of Denver turn an interest in buildings into a meaningful path toward architecture.

As Department Chair and Associate Professor of Architectural Technology, Mark teaches across the full arc of architectural learning—from drawing theory, history, and visual thinking to digital tools, commercial construction documents, and design development. He helps students understand not only how buildings are imagined, but how they are assembled, communicated, and made real. Drawing on 35 years of practice as an architect and urban designer, he connects classroom lessons to the judgment, collaboration, and technical responsibility the profession requires.

Mark’s impact is especially significant because he creates accessible pathways into architecture. Under his leadership, students can prepare for direct employment, develop stackable technical skills, pursue internships, or transfer into a four-year architecture program. His teaching balances design thinking with building science, sustainability, hand drawing, digital fluency, and professional readiness—giving students multiple ways to see themselves in the built-environment professions.

The jury recognized an educator whose influence is felt steadily and often quietly through the careers he has helped launch. For expanding opportunity, connecting education with practice, and preparing students to lead a changing profession, the jury is honored to recognize Mark Broyles as the 2026 AIA Colorado Educator of the Year.

Congratulations!

Why the jury selected Mark

• Has taught architectural technology at the Community College of Denver since 2013.
• Leads the program as Department Chair and Associate Professor of Architectural Technology.
• Teaches a broad curriculum spanning architectural drawing theory, construction documents, history, SketchUp, and design development.
• Brings 35 years of professional experience as an architect and urban designer into the classroom.
• Connects design ideas with the technical knowledge required to assemble, document, and deliver buildings.
• Helps students prepare for direct employment as architectural technologists and other built-environment professionals.
• Supports an articulated transfer pathway into the University of Colorado Denver’s architecture program.
• Advances an accessible, community-college pathway into a profession that can otherwise be difficult to enter.
• Balances building science, sustainability, digital technology, collaborative design thinking, hand drawing, and visual communication.
• Has made a sustained, quietly influential contribution by mentoring students and helping launch the next generation of Colorado practitioners.

The annual AIA Colorado Awards honor the outstanding work of members and their firms, reinforce the value of great architecture, and highlight member contributions to positive change.