Interior Architecture & Design Alum Spotlight: Tory Winn

Tory Winn (BS Interior Design 1985) is Co-Managing Director of Gensler Atlanta

Tory Winn (BS Interior Design 1985) is Co-Managing Director of Gensler Atlanta, and a major force in her field. With over 30 years of experience, she’s overseen design projects for clients including the Coca Cola Company, Humana and Baker Donelson among many others.

But Winn has never forgotten her roots. Through the years, she has continued to give back to her community and her alma mater, recruiting interns from FSU, serving as a mentor to other women in the field, and constantly uplifting and supporting young designers.

After graduating from Florida State, Winn worked in Gensler’s Washington D.C. office, moving into the company’s senior leadership by her early 30s.

In the 1990s Winn started her own small firm to leverage the contributions of female design talent. A later return to Gensler’s Atlanta office positioned her to spearhead major changes regarding its designer employees and sharing the firm’s values with all their employees.

“Now, it is a totally different environment,” explained Winn. “We are more than 50% female, and we have the largest number of women in senior leadership as a whole.”

Winn (far left) is a member of the FSU Interior Architecture & Design Advisory Council

Winn started the Women’s Leadership Forum as a networking and talent development program for women. She enjoys mentoring women regardless of their level, age and experience.

Gensler’s Atlanta office also organizes weekly summer programs for middle school students and offers scholarships for high school students who show interest in arts and design.

Further, Winn serves as the sponsor for all University Outreach in Gensler, often representing the company at career fairs to recruit and encourage students to apply to Gensler, including the IAD Department’s annual Career Fair. She helps facilitate the recruitment process for other offices as well.

The organizations’ internship program allows students to become fully embedded in teams and projects, and each summer the interns conduct a pro-bono group project designed to have a positive impact on the community. Each year, many of those interns are FSU students. The Gensler Scholars Program is another way to work with students, pairing IAD Master of Fine Arts students with a mentor from various Gensler office across the country, facilitating design sector-specific support and resources to the students’ original research, such as access to datasets for empirical discovery.

“It makes me so proud how the FSU IAD program has continued to grow and evolve,” said Winn.

She now is a member of the Department’s Advisory Council, lending her experienced voice to its vision for the future. The Department is indebted to Tory Winn through her multi-dimensional engagement and long-term support of its students and programs.

Students can connect with Winn by emailing her at tory_winn@gensler.com.

Winn (bottom right) founded and lead the Women’s Leadership Forum for Gensler’s Southeast Region. She takes pride in mentoring women in the industry.