Sara Topelson is Under Secretary of Urban Development and Territory Planning alongside Maria Beatriz Zavala Peniché, Minister of Social Development for the Mexican Republic.

She is also principal and co-founder of Grinberg & Topelson Arquitectos with her husband José Grinberg. Their firm carries out social housing projects, as well as designing educational, cultural and recreational facilities.

Sara Topelson was elected President of the International Union of Architects (UIA) from 1996 until 1999.

She studied architecture at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, theory of architecture at the Instituto Politécnico National, and art history at the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes.

She has been teaching architecture since 1972, and was awarded the prize for academic excellence by the Anáhuac University, Mexico. In 1996 she was named Woman of the Year, the title officially conferred on behalf of the President of the Republic of Mexico.

Since 1982, she has been involved in international professional relations within the Federation of National Colleges of Architects of the Republic of Mexico and within the UIA as a Council member (1990) and Vice President (1993).

[last updated 30-Jul-08]