The Gail A. Lindsey Award is an honor bestowed to individuals or organizations in North Carolina that have worked in the architectural or an allied profession with the passion and commitment that is exemplary of Gail A. Lindsey. Advancing a cause; tirelessly working to improve the surrounding environment; performing work efforts with grace; and lifting the performance of all with whom one engages, are all qualities demonstrated by the award recipient(s). The American Institute of Architects North Carolina Chapter (AIANC) is pleased to announce this year’s recipient of the Gail A. Lindsey Award is Ben Cahoon, AIA.
Like Gail, the annual award winner should be individuals or organizations that anyone would be proud to have worked with and/or called their colleague(s). Although the recipient(s) may have affected change in the area of environmental sustainability, the essential criteria is excellence in the chosen area of work related to architecture or an allied profession.
He entered the NCSU School of Design in 1980 where he received his Bachelor of Environmental Design in 1984 and his Bachelor of Architecture in 1988.
His design skills were honed under the guidance of Norma DeCamp Burns, FAIA, at Burnstudio Architects, PA in Raleigh from 1984-1987. He moved to the Outer Banks in 1988 and served as an architect with Bissell Associates, PA.
In 1990 he began his practice in Nags Head, North Carolina. In 2000 Mark Kasten, AlA became his partner at Cahoon and Kasten Architects, PC. Their partnership has been responsible for the execution of hundreds of projects in northeastern North Carolina.
Ben places a high priority on public service, giving back to his profession, community, and church, as evidenced by his commitment to his communities and his role as Mayor of Nags Head.
“Mayor Cahoon has been a great leader as we think about how we recover from these hurricanes that we are seeing more frequently and more intensely” said one of Cahoon’s colleagues
“It is not always easy or expedient to advocate for sustainability and resilience in practice or in public life, Mr. Cahoon consistently and aspiringly makes such principals a part of his work in both arenas. He does it with passion and personal commitment” said Jessica Whitehead.