MINNEAPOLIS, June 30, 2025—Nathan Anderson, AIA, an architect with Perkins&Will Minneapolis, and Debanjana Chatterjee, Assoc. AIA, an architectural designer with Leo A Daly, are the winners of the 2025 AIA Minnesota Next Gen Award.

The Next Gen Award is given to recent graduates of an accredited NAAB architecture program who have demonstrated early leadership potential or exceptional service to the AIA, the architecture profession, or the community at large.

Nathan Anderson, AIA, is committed to empowering the next generation of architects and designers through connection as they collectively shape the future of the profession. In addition to his work on Perkins&Will design teams, Anderson helped organize AIA Minnesota’s NextGen Strategic Task Force, co-chairs its Emerging Professionals Committee, and serves on its publication committee. He has a background in architectural photography, a skillset and a way of seeing that he uses to expand his professional opportunities and community advocacy.

“Nate exemplifies the spirit of collaborative leadership and two-way mentorship, actively engaging peers, mentors, and community members in co-creating a more dynamic future for our profession,” wrote Jennifer Christiaansen, AIA, managing director of Perkins&Will Minneapolis, in a letter nominating Anderson for the award. “Nate’s work is grounded in a belief that knowledge and inspiration flow in all directions—that mentorship is not simply about guidance but about mutual learning and shared vision. Whether through architectural design, photography and visual storytelling, or committee engagement, Nate creates space for others to be seen, heard, and empowered.”

Debanjana Chatterjee, Assoc. AIA, has leveraged a unique career path—she was an assistant professor in the Urban Planning department at Amity University in India before pursuing a Master of Architecture degree at Iowa State University—to grow her leadership as a young design professional. Chatterjee has won numerous awards and grants, coauthored research papers, and volunteered widely at AIA Minnesota and AIA Iowa. As the Sustainability Champion for Leo A Daly’s Minneapolis office, she is responsible for reporting the studio’s energy use data to support its AIA 2030 Commitment, and she led the effort to develop a firm-wide dashboard tool to promote internal sustainability efforts.

“Debanjana is also leading the LEED certification process for project design teams, ensuring the projects successfully meet the target goals for certification,” wrote Leo A Daly vice president and national director of engineering Kimberly Cowman. “She has a drive to advance the industry through leveraging her internal passion for sustainability. In short, Debanjana is actively helping us become a better firm.”

Serving on the 2025 AIA Minnesota Next Gen Award jury were AIA Minnesota member leaders Michelle Mongeon Allen, FAIA, Trace Jacques, AIA, Patricia Mutebi, Assoc. AIA, Ashley Vanden Bosch, AIA, and Dan Yudchitz, AIA.

Anderson and Chatterjee will be honored at an AIA Minnesota Awards Celebration on August 19, 2025, at the Room & Board showroom in Edina. Learn more about the AIA Minnesota Next Gen Award here.

The American Institute of Architects Minnesota, founded in 1892, is dedicated to strengthening our communities, improving our built environment, and providing exceptional design. For more information on the organization and Minnesota architectural firms, visit our website and subscribe to ENTER, our digital monthly newsletter that explores the people and ideas shaping a better built environment for Minnesota.