Madeline Burke-Vigeland, principal of Gensler, a global architecture and design firm, will be the speaker at the School of Architecture and Planning’s 47th commencement ceremony on May 17.

More than 200 future architects, urban planners and real estate developers will receive their degrees at the ceremony, to take place at 5 p.m. in the Center for the Arts, North Campus.

Dean Robert Shibley will present Burke-Vigeland with the Dean’s Medal, the highest award bestowed by the school, in honor of her inspirational practice and outstanding contributions to the profession of architecture.

“Maddy is an inspiring and dedicated leader for Gensler and the profession of architecture and design overall,” said Shibley. “She brings the same level of acuity and passion as chair of the School of Architecture and Planning’s Dean’s Council. Her counsel and partnership have been integral to our efforts to raise the profile of the school on the global stage.”

An accomplished architect and project leader, Burke-Vigeland’s portfolio includes a number of high-profile collaborative projects. Most recently she served as project director for Gensler’s renovation of the iconic Ford Foundation, now the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice.

She’s the principal-in-charge of the expansion project for the Museum of Modern Art and served in a similar capacity for The Clark Art Institute, the New Museum in New York City and the Vagelos Graduate and Medical Education Center at Columbia University. Partnering firms and architects include Tadao Ando, Selldorf Architects, SANAA and Diller Scofidio+Renfro.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the Pratt Institute.

A native of Buffalo, Burke-Vigeland is a champion for the city and UB.

“The work of the students at the School of Architecture and Planning is incredibly impactful,” she said. “The school’s city-as-lab philosophy has significantly propelled Buffalo’s resurgence, and at the same time trained cohorts of design thinkers to be fully engaged in their communities — truly inspiring!”

Burke-Vigeland served as convener for the school’s “See It Through Buffalo” film screening at the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice in New York City earlier this spring. The event, which drew nearly 200 distinguished guests, featured a panel discussion with Shibley and leaders of the Harvard Graduate School of Design and Yale School of Architecture on the role of architecture and planning programs in regenerating the cities around them.