Advisory Council

Tidža Čaušević

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Originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tidža arrived in the USA in 1995 as a refugee to escape the war that broke out in former Yugoslavia and the religious persecution that ensued. After her home was destroyed, she spent more than two years in a refugee camp in Turkey. That is where she saw the value of architecture, as she helplessly watched how her country was being ruined.

 

With her family, she found asylum in Chicago. That’s where she finished high school as well as obtained her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Architecture from the University of Illinois in Chicago. She researched extensively in the area of Islamic architecture and the effect of religion on the built environment. She worked as a graduate assistant for The Office for Capital Programs at UIC. After graduating, she worked for Sacred Space International, as well as the architectural firm Nigro Architecture in Chicago.

 

In 2011 she returned to her homeland Bosnia and Herzegovina with her husband and two children, daughter Nur and son Harun. Since then, she has been actively involved in the work of many organizations and institutions on projects related to architecture, urban planning, art, environment, sustainable development, inter-religious dialogue, youth, and family, thus contributing to her local community. She taught at the Secondary Technical School in Bugojno as well as at the International University in Sarajevo, at the Department of Architecture. She currently works for the Municipality of Bugojno as Head of the Department for Reconstruction and Development.