Helpern Architects.

Helpern Architects has named Maria I. Wilpon, AIA, as its newest principal. The announcement was made by David P. Helpern, FAIA, the firm's founding principal.

Wilpon joined Helpern Architects in 1988 and was named a senior associate in 2001. The firm's director of business development, she is an experienced interior designer. In recent years, she has been on the design teams for Congo Gorilla Forest at the Bronx Zoo; the Penn Club of New York; and several historic homes for Yale University.

Wilpon's organizational talent has led to her increasing involvement in the affairs of the Society of College and University Planners. Her recent appointments to chair the organization's International Committee and to join the board of the Noah Atlantic Council, followed her chairmanship of the successful North Atlantic 2002 regional meeting in New York.

Born in Madrid, Spain, and raised in Bogota, Colombia, Ms. Wilpon received her Bachelor of Architecture, cum laude, from the Universidad de Los Andes, and her Master of Architecture and Design from Pratt Institute.