Michael Arad is best known as the designer of the National September 11 Memorial, Reflecting Absence, chosen from over 5,000 international entries in 2003. He joined Handel Architects in 2004 to help realize the memorial and has since received numerous honors, including the AIA Presidential Citation and the Liberty Award for Artistic Leadership in 2012. His work on the memorial also earned Honor Awards from both the AIA and ASLA. In 2017, Arad was selected to design the Mother Emanuel AME Church memorial in Charleston, South Carolina. Most recently, he was recognized with the 2022 Alexander Hamilton Immigrant Achievement Award for his contributions to New York City.