Dominican Republic: Margot Taulé

Born in 1920 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Margot Taulé was the first woman registered as an architect and engineer in the Dominican Republic (1948). She held a bachelor’s of engineering and architecture from the Universidad de Santo Domingo in Santo Domingo (1944). After graduation, she worked in both architectural practices and academia. She was a faculty member at the Universidad de Santo Domingo (1945), and appointed to the rank of full professor (1956). Along with her university colleagues, she was one of the founding professors and a member of the steering committee that established the Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña (UNPHU, 1966). Taulé continued her career in academia at UNPHU as a professor in the departments of civil engineering, architecture, and mathematics; she earned the title of Distinguished Professor (1985). She was the first woman to obtain the position of dean of the faculty of architecture at UNPHU; she also served as dean of the faculty of engineering. Taulé was also the first woman elected president of UNPHU (2003–2005). Taulé died in 2008 in Santo Domingo.