2015 NOMA Conference Speakers List

See Seminars

Mary Anne Akers

Mary Anne Alabanza Akers is Dean and Professor of the School of Architecture and Planning at Morgan State University. She received a Ph.D. in Social Science-Urban Planning from Michigan State University. In 1991. Dr. Akers’ research focuses on the impact of the built environment on street vendors, college students, homeless people, and other populations, as well as the cultural and social aspects of design. She has over 50 publications including peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, and research/professional reports. She served on the board for the Environmental Design Research Association from 2005 to 2008 and is a reviewer for The Landscape Journal, Environment and Behavior Journal, and Cities Journal. In the past three years, Dr. Akers has managed over $1 million of grant funding for research and curricular activities. She was the co-Principal Investigator on the learning space study. She also led in conducting the statistical analysis, developing the outcome measures for the project and supervising student assistants.

Prescott Reavis NOMA | SEED | LEED AP

Prescott Reavis’s professional and academic work has focused on the development and enhancement of inclusive communities throughout the nation. Prescott is an experienced youth educator having taught over fifteen years with students from elementary school through high school on architecture, planning, culture and sustainability. Prescott is a Project Manager and Community Planner for the national recognized, nonprofit Asian Neighborhood Design in San Francisco where he provides community engagement and planning, design services and advocacy for non-profits, small business and community based organizations as well as linking design and workforce development projects. Prescott has served as the Co-Chair of the AIA San Francisco Mentorship Committee, Afounding member of the San Francisco Chapter of National Organization of Minority Architects (SFNOMA), the Vice President of SFNOMA, the NOMA University Liaison for the West, Chair of the NOMA Student Competition and of NOMA’s Project Pipeline. Currently Mr. Reavis is a Youth Plan Learn Action Now! (Y-PLAN) instructor, Co-Director of Project Pipeline San Francisco and advisor to Sustainable Urban Design Academy at Castlemont High School. Mr. Reavis earned his Bachelor of Architecture with a minor in Education from Howard University where he was honored with the Alpha Rho Ci medal for his dedication of youth educate and mentoring in the DC community. Prescott is currently enrolled in the Masters of Urban Planning program at San Jose State University where he is concentrating on Community Planning & Technology in Planning.

Travis Armbrister

My name is Travis Armbrister and I am a fourth year architecture major from Nassau, Bahamas. Currently, I am studying at the Robert R. Taylor School of Architecture at Tuskegee University and during my time there my love for architecture has grown exceedingly. In addition, I serve the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) as the elected NOMA Student Representative for the Executive Board of Directors (2014-2016 term) and I am responsible for aiding the regional liaisons in strengthening the connection between students and professionals. Also, I am a Resident Assistant for Housing and Residence Life at Tuskegee University.

Amma Asamoah

Amma Asamoah is a sustainable designer and intern architect from Philadelphia PA. She has been passionate about design and giving back to her community from a very young age. She graduated from Tuskegee with a BArch. While completing her undergraduate studies Amma studied abroad and interned in architectural and development companies in both Toeging , Germany and Accra Ghana. The exposure that Amma received abroad prompted her to return to Philadelphia and pursue a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Design at Philadelphia University. She holds professional credentials as a LEED Green Associate and is seeking her LEED AP in Neighborhood Development. In her research Amma has focused on developing holistic solutions to problems that plague the communities, where she grew up. Currently, she is acting as a consultant for commercial businesses and CDC”s looking to “Green” their practices and do business using a triple bottom line approach. Amma is a wife and full-time mother of two boys. She is dedicated to improving the quality of life for her children and generations to come through environmentalism, social equity and design.

Abimbola Asojo

Dr. Abimbola O. Asojo is a Professor at the Department of Design, Housing and Apparel at the University of Minnesota. She holds a Doctorate from University of Oklahoma. She holds a Masters in Architecture: Computing and Design from University of East London, England and Masters and Bachelors in Architecture from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria. Her teaching areas are lighting design; architecture design and human factors; computer modeling; corporate design; and commercial design. Her research areas are cross-cultural design; African architecture; computing and design; and lighting design. She has published articles in the Journal of Interior Design; Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review; Designing for the 21st Century journal; Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) journal; Journal of Design Communication; and Interior and Sources Magazine. She is a licensed architect in the state of Oklahoma and a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). She serves on the Journal of Interior Design (JID) Review board. She has worked on numerous design projects in United States, Nigeria and Kuwait.

Garfield Peart MBA, AIA, NOMA, LEED Green Assoc.

Garfield Peart is the Director of Engineering and Installation Support, Twenty-Second Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, overseeing all facility design, programming, funding and asset management. He is a registered architect in Georgia and Virginia.A career project manager and architect for both the public and private sector, he has personally developed, managed and negotiated over $600 million dollars in federal, state, domestic and international design as well as construction, and maintenance projects. Garfield also has a passion for youth and education advocacy, leadership development, the creative arts, and diversity. He has extensive experience with organizing, administering and facilitating professional and educational organizations for more than 18 years. Garfield is co-founder and past Chairman of the Board for The Atlanta Center for Creative Inquiry (ACCI), Inc., an educational non-profit organization started in 2004 that is dedicated to the education of high school youth through development of their creativity and design abilities. He received his Bachelor of Architecture Degree at Howard University in Washington, DC, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) Degree in Sustainability Business with a concentration in Green Development from Marylhurst University in Portland, Oregon.

Joel Avery

Joel Avery is Principal of CREATiVENESS, a unique design, technology and imaging consulting firm that has received honors in architectural design, graphic design, web design and photography. He graduated with his B. Arch from Andrews University and practiced in Philadelphia for six years before starting his own company. In 1999 his newly founded firm was recognized for its skills by garnering sixth place (out of 870 entries) in the international Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Competition. In 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 & 2008 Graphic Design USA recognized the firm with American Graphic Design Awards “for excellence in communication and graphic design”. In 2009 CREATiVENESS won Third Prize in the Landscape Architecture Category for the entry titled, "Reflections & Remembrance" at the International Design Awards held in Los Angeles. Joel regularly presents seminars on design, technology and photography at professional conferences throughout the United States helping others to push the boundaries of art & architecture further than ever using digital means. His messages have been well received at NeoCon East (2009 & 2011), Build Boston (2007) and every year since 2003 at the National Organization of Minority Architects Conference.

Lisset Avery

Lisset Avery, MEd, MLD, is a professional educator who has been inspiring some of the world’s most influential companies towards greater excellence for the last two decades. Lockheed Martin, The Project Management Institute, Vanguard and other businesses have relied on her training & development programs to improve performance at all levels of the organization. She is currently Senior Instructional Designer for Vertex, Inc. in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. Her emphasis on leadership gained greater focus in 2012 when she completed Penn State’s Masters in Leadership Development at the top of her class. In 2014 she spearheaded a grassroots effort in Coatesville, Pennsylvania to bring together various entities to promote positive change in the community. It was a resounding success, attended by pastors, artists, politicians, business owners, parents and police officers all working together to “create a circle of safety” for the citizens of Philadelphia’s farthest suburb. Lisset is a member of the Association for Talent Development (ATD) and received an “Excellence in Scholarly Practice” award from the Academy of Human Resource Development in 2010.

Azeez Bakare

Azeez Bakare Studios LLCAzeez Bakare is a visualization specialist with a background in Architecture and Photography. Bakare received his Bachelor of Science in Architecture from The Ohio State University, along with a minor in Visual Communication Design. In 2013, he ran the visualization department at HOK in Washington, DC. More recently, he was hired out of 200 as a CGI Designer, with emmy-award winning studio, DBOX. Now he runs his own visualization and photography studio out of Miami Beach, FL.

Jill Bambury

Jill Bambury received her PhD in the History and Philosophy of Architecture from the University of Cambridge in 2015, where she was awarded scholarships from the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.Jill’s research on African American Churches is inspired by her students and community at Southern University School of Architecture, a Historically Black University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she is an associate professor. Jill Bambury is a graduate of Dalhousie University School of Architecture in Halifax, Canada, holding degrees in Sociology, Environmental Design and Architecture. Her MPhil in Architectural History and Theory is from the University of Cambridge, where the research group with which she is associated, focuses on the study of Urban Conflict from within the Department of Architecture.

Megan Basnak

Megan Basnak, Associate AIA, CAPS, is an architectural designer and researcher at the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access at the University at Buffalo-SUNY. Her interests include investigating forms of architectural practice that aid typically underserved populations and understanding the impact of universal design on different user groups. Basnak’s experience includes the design of accessible home modifications, accessibility and universal design consultations with industry partners, and investigations into the current state of universal design education in the U.S. She has co-authored several papers and publications including a book chapter in the forthcoming textbook from Routledge titled Diversity and Design: Understanding Hidden Consequences and has presented at several U.S. conferences.

Gabrielle Bullock,FAIA, NOMA,LEED AP BD+C

Perkins+Will

Gabrielle oversees Perkins+Will’s firmwide Diversity Initiative. As a leader of global projects she has in-depth knowledge of the importance of diversity in advancing the architectural profession. In order to remain competitive and relevant within an ever-changing marketplace, Gabrielle advocates that the diversity of design professions should mirror the society they serve. Throughout her career, Gabrielle has been responsible for the strategic and financial leadership of Perkins+Will’s Los Angeles office. Gabrielle’s expertise is focused on the planning and management of large-scale facilities, guiding the projects from their conceptual and planning phases all the way through construction. She is recognized for expertly managing some of the most complex and program-intensive projects within the Los Angeles office including the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and the USC Zikha Neurogenetic Institute. Gabrielle is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). She has been inducted into the National Association of Women Business Owners’ (NAWBO) Leadership and Legacy Hall of Fame.

Dr. Carla Jackson Bell

Dr. Carla Jackson Bell is currently a faculty member and the Director of Multicultural Affairs in the College of Architecture, Design and Construction (CADC) at Auburn University. She is recognized as the first and only woman architecture faculty to receive tenure in the Department of Architecture at Tuskegee University and one of only 12 tenured African American women architecture faculty in the United States. Throughout her 22 years of professional experience in administration and teaching, Dr. Bell has received over $806,000.00 from research grants and small donations to support diverse initiatives for new learning environments which concentrate on under-represented students' cultural experiences in architecture, design and construction programs at Tuskegee and Auburn Universities. Her overall responsibility at Auburn is the recruit, retain, and advance minority faculty, staff, and students and seek funding for diversity programs in the college. Dr. Bell’s educational specialties, culturally relevant curricula content and teaching approaches, are structured and organized practices that she uses to accelerate student learning and academic growth for faculty. Her new book, Space Unveiled: Invisible Cultures in the Design Studio, which was published by Routledge Research in Architecture series in July 2014, is an example of putting her ideology on culturally competent curricula into practice, especially in design studios and seminar courses.

C.L. Bohannon

C.L. Bohannon, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture at Virginia Tech. He is an Emerging Engagement Scholar designated by the Engaged Scholarship Consortium. Dr. Bohannon’s teaching and scholarship emphasizes the collaborative nature of working with communities to address self identified needs through the lens of community engagement. His works focus on social identity and place, social justice, landscape literacy and food insecurity and health disparities in underserved communities. His research includes the development of engagement methods and strategies to increase community power and capacity in design and planning processes. Dr. Bohannon’s scholarship also examines the pedagogical impact of community engagement on design students educational experience. Assistant Professor, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech), College of Architecture and Urban Studies, Landscape Architecture Programs Ph.D., Landscape Architecture-Architecture Design & Research, Virginia Tech M.L.A., Landscape Architecture, Virginia Tech, BLA., Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville

Tim Bolding

Tim Bolding has over 30 years of experience in affordable housing. Tim Bolding is the founding Executive director of United Housing, Inc. (UHI). United Housing is a nonprofit affordable housing agency that serves the City of Memphis, Shelby County, and West Tennessee. UHI targets its services to families that are under served by the traditional homeownership industry. During his tenure at UHI, the organization has grown from a department of the United Way of the Mid-South to an independent organization, which provides homeownership opportunities to the residents of Memphis and Shelby County. UHI is a Neighborworks Affiliate, and a United Way member agency. Tim received his BA and MA from the University of Memphis and serves as an adjunct faculty member of the Department of Anthropology at the University where he teaches cultural anthropology. He also is an active faculty member of the Neighborworks Training Institute

Kofi Boone

Kofi Boone is an Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at NC State University, College of Design. He is a Faculty Fellow of the Institute for Emerging Issues, a member of the Academy of Outstanding Teachers, and serves as Co-Director of the College of Design’s Ghana Study Abroad Program. Through scholarship, teaching, and extension service Professor Boone works in the landscape context of environmental justice. His works emphasizes community empowerment through capacity building, asset mapping and cultural landscape documentation, and vision planning and the co-authorship of design strategies. His research includes the use of mobile technology, digital video production, and other new media tools as a means of increasing community power in design and planning processes. Associate Professor, NC State University, College of Design, Department of Landscape Architecture M.L.A, Landscape Architecture, University of Michigan B.S.N.R., University of Michigan

Tiffany Brown

LS Brinker Group

Born and raised in Detroit, Tiffany holds a B. Arch, an M.Arch, and an MBA from Lawrence Technological University. Tiffany was employed as an Intern Architect at Hamilton Anderson Associates for 11 years, working on a wide variety of projects in Detroit and Las Vegas, during which time she found great interest in Construction Management and Administration. This interest led Tiffany to the next chapter in her career as a Project Engineer at LS Brinker Group in Detroit, where she works on the construction management team building a $90M addition to DMC Children's Hospital of Michigan. She is currently studying for the architectural licensing exams. Tiffany has served as Vice President for NOMA-Detroit for the past seven years, as well as Co-Chair for NOMA's Annual Convention hosted in Detroit in 2012. She is now serving as University Liaison of the Midwest Region on NOMA's National Executive Board. She has mentored minority youth of Detroit since high school, striving to raise awareness that there are faces that look like theirs in technical fields like construction, architecture and design, and endeavoring to highlight the significant contributions women have made in male-dominated professions.

Tammy Eagle Bull

In 2002 Tammy co-founded Encompass Architects, p.c., a national firm headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. Encompass Architects is a Native American – Woman owned business offering full service architectural services to clients across the nation. Tammy strives to understand and express the cultural values of her clients in the communities that she designs. She received a Bachelor of Science in Design – Architectural Studies from Arizona State University and a Master of Architecture from the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis. She is a licensed architect with nearly 30 years of architectural design and project management experience and is the first recognized female Native American architect. Tammy is an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Nation. Her family is from Pine Ridge, South Dakota. She is married to Todd Hesson who is also a Principal at Encompass Architects and they have two children and a collection of pets.

Gabrielle Bullock

Teri Canada

Perkins+Will

As a Senior Associate and Senior Project Manager, Teri has 19 years of experience in the architectural profession with a concentration in project management. She has worked on a wide range of projects types for both public and private clients with a focus on the design of higher educational facilities and cultural buildings. Teri's notable projects include the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta and Historic Emancipation Park in Houston. Her areas of expertise are overall project design and project team management as she has guided projects from pre-design through construction and closeout.

Mirta Chavez

Mirta Chavez, Director of Multicultural Organizations, coordinates all multicultural student organizations and their activities. She spearheaded the investigation of center case studies for the university and the initial programming of the Center.

Charles Cross

Charles Cross, ASLA, is the Director of Landscape Architecture at the Detroit Collaborative Design Center; as well as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture. He was awarded the Certificate of Merit by the American Society of Landscape Architects New York City Chapter in 2002, and received the Most Supportive Faculty Member award in 2015 from the American Institute of Architecture Students. With a commitment to public Interest design, Mr. Cross maintains a firm belief that underserved communities deserve good design, and therefore should be the patrons of a collaborative process-not just the consumers of the end product. He just completed work on Detroit Future City and is currently working on several projects that use urban agriculture as infrastructure to build capacity within the community. He is currently conducting research on cultural assets as they relate to the Detroit River and its role in the Underground Railroad, ultimately seeking International Heritage Status designation through UNESCO. Director of Landscape Architecture, and Adjunct Professor Detroit Collaborative Design Center, University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture M.U.D. Urban Design, The City College of New York, (CUNY) B.L.A., Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, The City College of New York, (CUNY) B.S., Agriculture, Western Michigan University

Kwesi Daniels

Kwesi Daniels is a sustainability professional whose life's passion is creating sustainable communities. He has developed his abilities in design, project management, and financial feasibility analysis through more than a decade of teaching, architecture, affordable housing development, and community service experience around the country. He earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Tuskegee University in 2002, a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2003, and a Master of Science in Sustainability Management from Columbia University in 2013. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Urban Geography at Temple University, conducting urban sustainability research.

Charles Davis

Charles L. Davis II is an assistant professor of architectural history at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He received his Ph.D. in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, and his M.Arch from the University at Buffalo-SUNY. His academic research examines the historical intersections of race and style theory in nineteenth and twentieth century modern architectural debates. His current book manuscript, Building Character: The Racial Politics of Modern Architectural Style, surveys the integration of race and style theory in architectural movements in France, Germany, and the United States. Davis is also co-editor of Diversity and Design: Understanding Hidden Consequences (Routledge), a forthcoming anthology of historical and contemporary case studies that treats design as social praxis. He has received several awards to pursue his academic research, including grants from the Graham Foundation for the Fine Arts, the Canadian Centre for Architecture and a Postdoctoral Research fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to teaching and community outreach, Davis maintains a blog entitled “Race and Architecture” that examines the historical intersections of form and culture more broadly, from television shows and contemporary culture to everyday life.

Amy Green- Deines

Amy Green Deines, AIA Assoc. IIDA Associate Dean, College of Architecture and Design Executive Director, Detroit Center of Design and Technology Professor at Lawrence Technological University

James Determan, FAIA

Hord Coplan Macht

James Determan, FAIA is an architect and Principal with Hord Coplan Macht, Inc. in Baltimore, Maryland. Mr. Determan has designed education facilities for K12 and colleges/universities for more than 30 years. He currently leads design teams and is responsible for developing knowledge in the design of undergraduate learning environments. He has served on the American Institute of Architects National Board of Directors, on the Board Knowledge Committee and as liaison to the Committee on Architecture for Education. He is an active planner with the Learning Spaces Collaboratory, a national alliance of university scientists, planners and designers, which provides research and shares knowledge of the impact of space on learning. He was 2012 Chairman of the AIA National Convention in Washington DC, and guided design for the education of over 18,000 attendees. He has advocated for schools and architects at local boards of education, city hall and U.S. House of Representatives. He has a fifteen year relationship with Morgan State University where he taught graduate design studio, mentored Master-degree candidates, and currently leads a learning space research team. Mr. Determan was elected to the AIA College of Fellows in 2012.

Emile Dixon

Emile Dixon is an assistant professor of Architecture at Tuskegee University. He earned his Master of Architecture at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, Florida where his design thesis was: “Designing for the Forgotten: Eliminating the Stigma of Affordable Housing.” This was influenced by his study at Ball State University (BSU), in Muncie, Indiana. He later published his thesis in late summer 2015. It was during his undergraduate career and the influence of his incredible mentor and other professors in the BSU architecture program that he developed an understanding of a social justice paradigm within architecture and design. At the Robert Taylor School of Architecture and Construction Science, Emile co-teaches second-year design studio, teaches computer application courses, and serves as the information technology coordinator for personnel. Emile has since received awards for teaching and service, while participating in design collaborations with Tuskegee’s College of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture, and Nursing and Allied Health. Emile has coordinated field study tours of Indianapolis (NOMAS student design competition), and other field studies in Chicago and Birmingham. He has been involved with several design opportunities outside the University with the Town of Pike Road, Alabama in designing a performance Park, as well as conducted a design charrette with students for an Agricultural and Recreational Park.

Kathy Dixon

K. Dixon Architecture, PLLCMs

Dixon is a licensed architect with more than 22 years of experience involving various building types and facilities. She has been involved in every stage of the construction process and has experience in educational, commercial, residential and government projects. A graduate of Howard University’s School of Architecture, Ms. Dixon continued her secondary education at UCLA, matriculating with a Master’s degree in Urban Planning, with a focus on Housing and Community Development. During her career, Kathy has worked on a number of educational facilities in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area. She spent several years working on national contracts with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) including Potomac TRACON and several Air Traffic Control (ARTCC) facilities. Prior to moving to government and institutional projects, she worked four years with McDonald’s Corporation developing new restaurants, site planning, designing commercial kitchens, and creating child oriented play areas. Most recently, Ms. Dixon designed civic facilities and faith-based institutions including fire stations, churches, family life centers, schools and senior housing. Ms. Dixon has been certified by the USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environment Design Program (LEED AP), the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), as well as CSI’s Certified Documents Technologist (CDT) program. She is licensed in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, Georgia and New Jersey. Kathy served as National President of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) from 2013-2014 after serving for six years as the Northeast Region Vice-President. She was recently inducted into the NOMA Council (NOMAC) as an advisor to NOMA. Ms. Dixon is active in her church as a Trustee and is a board member for the Harambee Community Development Corporation which successfully opened a senior housing complex in Alexandria, VA. She is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urban Architecture and Community Planning at the University of the District of Columbia in Washington, DC.

Kimberly Dowdell

Kimberly is a recent graduate of the Mid-Career Master of Public Administration program from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, where she was a Sheila C. Johnson Leadership Fellow within the Center for Public Leadership. Prior to graduate school, she worked as a licensed architect and real estate project manager in New York. A native of Detroit, Kimberly grew up with an ambition to revitalize cities using real estate development and sustainable design as tools for renewal. Through her experience as an architecture student at Cornell and as a young professional in Washington, D.C. and New York, she has been working toward her goal to create transformative development projects in a variety of urban contexts. In July 2015, Kimberly will commence her work with the City of Detroit, in the office of Housing and Revitalization. In 2005, Kimberly co-founded SEED (Social Economic Environmental Design) to identify, measure and address “Triple Bottom Line” issues during the design process. SEED's mission is to “Advance the right of every person to live in a socially, economically and environmentally healthy community.” Kimberly became a LEED Accredited Professional in 2007, demonstrating her commitment to sustainability in the built environment. In 2008, Kimberly established the annual community service project for the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), which has now hosted projects in Washington, D.C., St. Louis, Boston, Atlanta, Detroit, Indianapolis and Philadelphia. Kimberly’s contributions to public service were honored with her recognition as one of the top 100 national leaders in Public Interest Design, 2012, by PublicInterestDesign.org (now named ImpactDesignHub.org). Her career was also profiled in the 3rd Edition of Dr. Lee Waldrep’s acclaimed book, Becoming An Architect: A Guide to Careers in Design, 2014. Kimberly’s overarching professional mission is to improve the quality of life for people living in cities.

Jacob Dunn

Jacob Dunn grew up in the Boise, Idaho in the Pacific Northwest (ASHRAE Climate Zone 5B) before recently moving to his new home in New Orleans (ASHRAE Climate Zone 2A). He holds a Master's Degree in Architecture from the University of Idaho and his professional background has pivoted between research, sustainability consulting, education, and architecture. After working for about a year in London for ARUP's Foresight Innovation and Incubation group, Jacob finished his degree and started working at the University of Idaho's Integrated Design Lab (IDL). At the IDL, he specialized in consulting through architectural simulation, conducted research on energy efficiency, and taught various graduate-level architecture courses. Jacob used simulation on a daily basis for both architectural and engineering analysis, and across a broad spectrum of building types in both new and existing structures. After four years of being a Research Scientist, he was recruited out of Idaho to Eskew+Dumez+Ripple (EDR) and tasked with enabling evidenced-based design and simulation analysis to their award-winning design firm. At EDR, Jacob currently works with design teams to explore the link between aesthetics and performance through simulation and a scientific approach to sustainability.

Gabriel Durand-Hollis, FAIA

Durand-Hollis Rupe Architects

Gabriel Durand-Hollis, principal, has been a practicing architect for 25 years, and a very active AIA Board member. His award-winning firm comes to this project with a real soul for social justice and multicultural sensitivity, beautifully expressed in the MSC design.

Carlton Eley

Carlton Eley is an environmentalist, urban planner, and lecturer. Working to normalize environmental justice during the planning process, he has become EPA’s leading expert on the topic of equitable development. Eley has coordinated national competitions that recognize communities for encouraging equitable development, and he has published multiple articles on the subject. Since 2005, Carlton has offered numerous lectures on equitable development, including presentations in New Zealand; British Columbia; and the United Arab Emirates. Carlton has a B.A. in Sociology/Social Work Curriculum from Elizabeth City State University and a M.S. in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Iowa.

Roderick Flucker

Roderick Fluker serves as Assistant Professor of Architecture at Tuskegee University. He is a Registered Architect and LEED Accredited Professional. His teaching has focused on environmental systems and technologies for buildings, senior level architecture design studios, and a historic preservation elective. He received a Masters of Architecture degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1995, and a Bachelors of Architecture degree from Tuskegee University in 1993. At Tuskegee, Rod has received faculty honors for teaching, research, and service, and has been a guest design critic at Columbia University, Georgia Tech, and Auburn University’s Rural Studio. He was the design architect for a series of low-cost, sustainable housing prototypes developed in collaboration with Fort Hare University (South Africa) and constructed in 2005-06. Rod is a past co-recipient of the prestigious NCARB (National Council of Architecture Registration Boards) Grant Award - one of six awarded in the U.S. in 2011 for creative integration of architectural issues central to practice within the academy. The project was entitled: “Preservation Tenets, Technology, and Stewardship of the Historic Tuskegee University Campus”. He’s led student design workshops in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, Maryland County, Liberia, and most recently Kagoshima, Japan.

Michael Ford

Michael Ford is a designer, born and raised in the city of Detroit. Ford received his Masters of Architecture degree from the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM), where he completed his graduate thesis titled “Hip Hop Inspired Architecture and Design.” He has worked as a designer at Hamilton Anderson Associates located in Detroit, Mich. and as an adjunct professor at his alma matter. Ford has also worked as a designer at Flad Architects located in Madison, Wisc. He has spent the past decade working to blur the lines between professional practice and academia. He is dedicated to stimulating cross disciplinary discourse between practitioners and residents on the sociological and cultural implications of architecture and urban planning on its inhabitants. More specifically, Ford has unveiled the subconscious roles of historical architectural figures such as LeCorbusier in envisioning the built environments which necessitated the birth of hip hop culture. Ford’s research is the topic of articles published in a variety of places including University of Pennsylvania’s annual Unspoken Borders Publication and Conference and Harvard University’s Journal of African American Policy. Along with these publications Ford is also a regular presenter at the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) Annual Conferences and has been a guest lecturer at several universities including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Detroit Mercy, and University of Michigan–Ann Arbor. Ford was recently invited by NOMA and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) to exhibit his research at the 2014 National AIA Convention in Chicago, Ill., which was the start to his current Hip Hop Inspired Architecture lecture and exhibit tour. Through his years of research, publications, and lectures, Michael Ford is recognized in the architectural and hip hop communities as a galvanizer and pioneer of a new era of architectural practitioners.

Mary Gilmore

Campo Architects

Mary is an architect who specializes in socially responsible, design-driven, sustainable projects. She has worked with architecture and design firms throughout the country, and has also worked independently on international design projects in India and Mali, West Africa, focusing on community participation in design. Mary is currently an architect in New Orleans, a member of the AIA New Orleans executive board, a mentor in the NOMA Project Pipeline program, co-founder of SOJO Studio, a former Peace Corps Volunteer, a self-published blogger, home renovator, and general life enthusiast.

Lauren Gold

Lauren Gold is part of the Industry Marketing Team at Houzz, the largest residential design platform and community. She is a brand strategist, product manager and digital journalist, who most recently worked with Fortune 500 companies in Chicago to increase their sales on mobile devices and in the digital space. An artist herself, Lauren loves that Houzz merges her passion for technological communication with creativity and design. Lauren earned a Master’s degree in journalism and online media from the Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University and graduated from the University of Florida.

Dawn Goodwin

Joseph S. Clark High School

Dawn Goodwin is a teacher at Joseph S. Clark Preparatory High School, part of FirstLine Charter Schools in New Orleans. The mission of the Firstline schools is to ensure college readiness and provide a rich variety of experiences to their students. Mrs. Goodwin is a Youth Plan Learn Action Now! (Y-PLAN) teacher where she has merged literature and planning as part of community engagement process for a real-time opportunity for informing community-oriented programming beneath and around the “Claiborne Bridge” in conjunction with the Livable Claiborne Communities Study.

Myra Gordon

Dr. Gordon has been the university’s chief diversity officer for 13 years. During her tenure at K-State, the university has won two national awards for diversity excellence. Her office oversees all-campus diversity programming, including the design direction of the Center.

Dale Glenwood Green

Dale Glenwood Green is a Partner with Sulton Campbell Britt & Associates, P.C. an Architecture, Historic Preservation Planning and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) consulting design firm based in Washington, DC and Baltimore, Maryland. Mr. Green is a Professor of Architecture and Historic Preservation, a LEED Accredited Professional, a Historical Architect in accordance with 36 CFR 61 and is on the faculty of Morgan State University’s School of Architecture and Planning. Mr. Green earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture and Environmental Design from Morgan State University, a Masters of Architecture and Historic Preservation from the University of Illinois at Urban-Champaign and a Ph.D. ABD in Architectural Studies in Historic Preservation from the University of Missouri.

Kevin Harris

Since 2013 Kevin Harris has served as the Director of Sales & Marketing for AGS Stainless, Inc. a deck and stair railing manufacturer that specializes in building custom-made, pre-manufactured railing systems. Mr. Harris has an extensive track record in business development, marketing, communications and sales. Prior to his position with AGS Stainless, Mr. Harris co-founded 4 successful firms including 2-information technology firms, one specializing in the creation of web-based process management tools for Fortune 100 corporations and one that specialized in building predictive modeling applications for federal agencies, a real estate development firm that spearheaded the restoration of a historic seaport communities downtown waterfront and a state-charted, community bank.Two of these 4 companies he sold to publicly-traded corporations.

Andrea Henderson

Andrea is a licensed architect that has practiced architecture for 10+ years. During that time she has been fortunate to work on a wide variety of design and construction projects within all delivery phases, conceptual sketches through post-occupancy. Her project experience ranges from urban housing design developments, industrial, commercial, corporate interiors, retail, government contracts and healthcare. Since graduating from Auburn University with a Bachelor degree in Architecture in 2005, she has developed into a skilled architect with the ability to solve challenges through creative and thoughtful solutions. Additionally, Andrea assisted in NOMA National Convention planning committee for the 2005 conference in Birmingham, AL and later served as Co-Chair for the very successful NOMA National Convention hosted in Atlanta, GA 2011. She is now serving as University Liaison of the South Region on NOMA's National Executive Board. Her passion is to mentor and serve the underrepresented youth in the Metro Atlanta area, working with various organizations to bring awareness about design and construction. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, enjoys Auburn football, movies, and spending time with her newlywed husband, Neville.

Rod Henmi

Rod Henmi has focused his architectural career on community-oriented work such as affordable housing, schools and public buildings. He is the Director of Design at HKIT Architects after fourteen years with MWA Architects as principal and design director. Throughout his career he has been committed to social justice in architecture and has lectured on the importance of diversity and the history and role of minority architects. This presentation will be the fifth in a series that Rod has presented on architects of color at NOMA national conferences. In addition to professional practice, Rod has an extensive teaching background, including twelve years at Washington University in St. Louis and lectures or reviews at numerous universities, including Harvard, Yale and Berkeley. He is currently an affiliate associate professor at the California College of the Arts. He has been awarded numerous design awards including AIA and nine NOMA design citations. He was invested as a Fellow of the AIA in 2011 as a result of his influence on affordable housing and public architecture design.

Vershae Hite

Vershae joined The Freelon Group in 2012, after obtaining her Master of Architecture, Cultural Identity and Globalization from the University of Westminster in London, England. Combined with a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, she has outstanding experience on a variety of the firm's design competitions and cultural projects, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture. While studying at UNCC, Vershae reinstated the student chapter of NOMA at the university and lead it as President from 2007 to 2009. Now as a Junior Architect, her role on a project team ranges from programming and design, model making, rendering and diagramming through the preparation of construction documents and LEED administration. Vershae actively participates in the Exploring Architecture Program, mentoring High School Students who have an interest in a career in architecture. She is a part of both the Sustainable Design and Social Responsibility Initiatives in the Durham office of Perkins+Will.

Christine Hohmann

Christine Hohmann is a developmental neuroscientist (Morgan State University), who received her Ph.D. from Brown University in Neuroscience in 1985 and completed her postdoctoral training at Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, where she subsequently was appointed as Assistant Professor. Since 1993, Dr. Hohmann has served on the faculty of the Biology Department at Morgan State University (MSU). Her research focuses on the development of cerebral cortex, within the context of studying mouse models for developmental brain disorders. Dr. Hohmann has published over 50 peer-reviewed papers in scientific journals, many book chapters and served as editor for books and special journal issues. Dr. Hohmann is also the Principal Investigator of a NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences grant the Coordinator for the interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Bioenvironmental Science. Dr. Hohmann brings to this project her substantial expertise in cerebral cortical development and behavioral analysis as well as her experience in the generation and evaluation of student centered learning approaches.

Nicole Hollant-Denis

Nicole Hollant-Denis, Principal and co-owner of Aarris Atepa Architects, LLC is an award winning designer practicing as a licensed architect in New York City. In her 20 + years of practice, Ms. Hollant-Denis has orchestrated the completion of a variety of developments and building types. She has received recognition for large transportation, commercial, educational, residential and museum design. Noteworthy designs include Met Life 5 Avenue and 16 Street offices in, NY, Beautification of the Van Wyck Expressway, and the African Burial Ground National Monument, NY, NY. Aarris Atepa Architects, LLC has also been recently named Associate Architect for the Columbia Business School (CBS) at Columbia University in collaboration with Dillard Scofidio + Renfro, (DSRNY), Design Architects and FxFowle, Architect of Record. The CBS is a 500 Million Dollar project including up to 470,000 S.F. of new program space. The CBS is one of the new buildings to be constructed at the Columbia University Manhattanville expansion project which includes 6.8 Million S.F. of new program on 17 acres space over several decades in New York City. Throughout the development of her career Ms. Hollant-Denis has always maintained a strong commitment and delivery to struggling communities. She has given her architectural expertise to Habitat for Humanity and the United Way on past occasions.

Glenn Hudson

Glenn Hudson has over 30 years of community, economic development and lending experience. Mr. Hudson serves as principal owner of the Hudson Real Estate Advisory Group, in which he serves as a consultant and advisor to local government entities, housing authorities, universities, faith-based organizations, non-profit and for-profit organizations. Prior to forming the Hudson Real Estate Advisory Group, LLC, Mr. Hudson spent fifteen (15) years in Virginia working as a senior program officer for Local Initiatives Support Corporation (a national intermediary and certified CDFI/CDE). His responsibilities included: Managing their single family, multi-family and commercial loan programs, structuring and underwriting single-family, multi-family, commercial and community facilities projects, and sourcing projects for LISC and the National Equity Fund (a LISC subsidiary). Mr. Hudson has structured projects utilizing various financing tools to include: New Market Tax Credits, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, HOME funds, HOPE VI Grants, AHP funds, Bonds, Historic Tax Credits and Low Income Housing Tax Credits. Mr. Hudson has experience working on various projects to include: single-family housing, multi-family housing, elderly housing, transitional housing, single-room occupancy, entertainment centers, private schools, medical facilities, libraries, mixed-use development, mixed-income development, transit-oriented developments, community infrastructure projects, and technical training centers. Mr. Hudson has also worked for the Department of Treasury CDFI Fund and the Department of Housing and Community Development. He was responsible for reviewing New Market Tax Credit applications and managing various programs to include: Multi-Family Loan Program, State HOME Funds and Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program.

Bryan Hudson

Bryan Wendell Hudson is a licensed Architect in the state of Illinois. He is president and founder of SOMA Design Consultants, an architectural design and construction management firm. He specializes in Residential design small to medium, Commercial, Religious and educational. Bryan has served as Treasurer for the National Organization of Minority Architects and is the current Midwest Vice President NOMA. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago c/o 1997. Currently NAACP Chicago Southside ACT-SO Chairman. Involved with mentoring ACT-SO Gold and Silver Medalist in Architecture in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Soma Design Consultants seeks to constantly provide timely professional services to all clients no matter the size of the project.

Theresa Hwang

Theresa Hwang is the Director of Community Design and Planning at the Skid Row Housing Trust, a non-profit permanent supportive housing organization where she was the Enterprise Rose Architectural Fellow from 2009-2012. She has spent over 10 years engaged in community organizing work for equitable cultural development and community empowerment with multiple groups and campaigns in Boston and Los Angeles. She implements community organizing strategies and participatory design processes to influence equitable outcomes and shape the built environment with the resident community in historically under-resourced and under-recognized neighborhoods. Theresa is an adjunct studio professor at Woodbury University and has previously co-taught at the University of Southern California. She is on the Board of Directors for the Association for Community Design. She received her Master of Architecture from Harvard Graduate School of Design (2007) and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Art History from the Johns Hopkins University (2001). She is a licensed architect in California and is a LEED accredited professional.

Francis Janes

Francis Janes is the Social Justice Program Manager at the International Living Future Institute. Francis came to the Institute with a broad range of management experience in the Information Technology, Food Service and Financial Services sectors. Most recently, he served as Vice President at Beneficial State Bank, a mission driven community bank and a pioneer in socially responsible banking practices. Having lived in Seattle, Washington since 1997, Francis enjoys the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest and the opportunity to meet passionate social and environmental change makers. Francis is active in the community and has served on a number of non-profit boards including The Whidbey Institute, EarthSave International, Pigs Peace Sanctuary, Parkwood Elementary PTA and iLEAP. When he is not at work, Francis can be found volunteering at local food banks, homeless shelters, and the YMCA. At home, Francis loves to entertain family and friends with lavish vegetarian dinner parties.

Charlotte Jones

PlayBuild

Charlotte Jones, Director of Operations and Programming – Charlotte runs PlayBuild’s day-to-day operations on-site and at special events. In addition, she’s designing and delivering the PlayBuild curriculum for grade levels K-7. Charlotte joined PlayBuild from the Preservation Resource Center where she facilitated architectural and cultural heritage programming in classrooms around New Orleans. Prior to PRC she worked at Louisiana Outdoor Outreach Program, empowering kids 8-18 through a range of active skill and team-building activities. Charlotte is a graduate of the University of New Orleans, where she received her Bachelor’s of Science in Urban Studies and Planning, with an emphasis on Historic Preservation and Public Culture.

Nicole Joslin

Austin Community Design & Development Center

After working for Architecture for Humanity on a Hurricane Katrina recovery program in Biloxi, MS, Nicole moved to Austin and co-founded Women.Design.Build to provide more opportunities for women to engage in community driven design and construction activities. She concurrently worked for the architecture firm BOKA Powell on local mixed-use developments and received her architectural license in 2012. Her background in architecture, development, disaster recovery and activism contributed to her research on the role of community organizations in disaster preparedness and recovery during the Community and Regional Planning graduate program at the University of Texas from 2012-2014. Nicole returned to the Gulf Coast in 2014 for a research fellowship at architecture and planning firm Eskew+Dumez+Ripple in New Orleans, LA. Her academic, planning, architecture, and community experience informed her research at Eskew+Dumez+Ripple about community engagement in professional design practice. Nicole is now part of the team at the Austin Community Design and Development Center which provides sustainable design, planning and development services to low- and moderate- income individuals, families and neighborhoods in the central Texas region.

Senait Kassa

Senait Kassa has an extensive range of planning and architectural experience in her eighteen years of practice. She has worked on projects in the United States, the Middle East and Africa. Her work emphasizes the creation of vibrant spaces and neighborhoods that foster lively social interactions, are sustainable and become catalysts of economic vitality for a diverse community. With a Masters in Community Planning, Ms. Kassa has expertise in master planning, urban design and redevelopment. Ms. Kassa’s architectural experience includes new construction and renovation projects, including historic tax credit applications. She has worked on a wide variety of building types including educational, single and multi-family residential, commercial, religious and community centers.

Renee Kemp-Rotan

Renee Kemp Rotan, Urban Designer has served numerous US mayors. Birmingham: Director, Capital Projects, Grants and Special Projects including $175 million in bond issues for city construction; Director, Master Planning for $50 million Railroad Reservation Park, $90 million Crossplex: New Fair Park Olympic Village for Children; and $1 million Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail. Atlanta: Director, Economic Development, Chief of Urban Design/Urban Development; Programming Philips Arena & Atlanta Aquarium. D.C.: National Endowment for Arts, Design Arts Program, Director, Design Demonstrations and National Design Competitions; and American Institute of Architects as Director of National Practice/Education Programs. She has lectured on design at The Sorbonne, Paris; University of Cairo, Egypt; MIT; Cooper Hewitt National Museum of Design; FAMU; Howard University; Parsons School of Design and Columbia University, among others. As writer and contributing editor she is published in the First Encyclopedia of World Vernacular Architecture, Cambridge University Press. Her career long contributions to Urban Design are archived in the National African American Biography, published by Harvard University and Oxford University Press. She recently was appointed by the President of AIA to serve on the AIA Diversity and Inclusion Council for equity in design practice. Architecture and Planning Degrees from Syracuse, Columbia and Architectural Association, London.

Elizabeth J Kennedy

Elizabeth Kennedy Landscape Architect, PLLCEKLA PLLC’s founder Elizabeth Kennedy draws on her diverse background in environmental psychology, landscape architecture, teaching and construction to lead her firm. A working principal, she is actively involved in all aspects of project development. The New York City Art Commission, New York Landmarks Conservancy, Preservation League of New York, US EPA, National Organization of Minority Architects, NY AIA, and others have recognized EKLA PLLC work, developed under her direction, for excellence in design and innovation, and she has received individual awards for her contribution to landscape architecture practice from the Association of Minority Entrepreneurs of New York, the NAACP’s New York chapter, and NYC’s Department of Small Business Services. Ms. Kennedy is a Design Trust for Public Space Research Fellow and was a juror for the Van Alen Institute’s “Design Ideas for New York’s Other River” competition. She has facilitated design workshops for the Design Trust and New York City's MTA. She also speaks regularly in public on issues in urban design, community revitalization, sustainable cultural preservation, and green roof design, at venues including the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum.

Carl Krebs

Carl Krebs’ work at Davis Brody Bond for over two decades has focused on cultural, civic and academic projects. Mr. Krebs served as the co-designer of the National September 11 Memorial Museum which opened to the public in May 2014. During the ten years of planning, design and construction of the Museum, he led the design team’s outreach to the community; including engagement with public agencies, local officials, preservation advocates, community groups, survivors and family members. His work builds on the memories that are attached to physical locations to create a sense of continuity with our past and a connection to our present. Other important projects in Carl Krebs’ portfolio include award-winning projects such as the Portico Gallery for decorative arts and sculpture at The Frick Collection in New York; the new US Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia; and the DUICEF Building at Dillard University in New Orleans. Mr. Krebs’ work has received numerous awards. As a frequent speaker and presenter, he has presented the challenges of designing and building the National September 11 Memorial Museum to a diverse range of audiences. Mr. Krebs received his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University and his Master of Architecture from Columbia University.

Steven Lewis

Steven Lewis is an architect and a tireless advocate for social justice and diversity within the field of architecture. In January of 2008, he returned to Southern California to join Parsons as a Design Manager after serving four years with the U.S. General Services Administration’s Office of the Chief Architect in Washington, DC. Steven was a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design for the 2006-07 academic year. He was a founding partner of the Los Angeles-based firm of RAW International in 1984, and for the next twenty years, was an essential part of the firm’s growth and success. In December of 2010, he concluded a two-year term as President of the National Organization of Minority Architects, traveling around the country advocating for architects-of-color, while cultivating the next generation of diverse architects and designers. Steven recently launched a consulting practice – “Thinking Leadership – What we Do…Who we Are” – aimed at assisting clients attain superior outcomes through his engagement. More than anything, Steven is a facilitator of partnerships and alliances between groups and individuals who seek to use architecture and design to effect positive change to our world.

Brian Lomel

Brian and his wife have lived in Ft. Lauderdale for 18 years. He is a fuzzy bee from Georgia Tech, a chef, a gardener, a runner, a mechanical engineer, and a sustainability consultant. His 25+ years of consulting engineering practice have been established in master planning, engineering/design and construction administration for MEP systems in all building types. Brian enjoys helping customers create healthy, efficient buildings. He is the past president of ASHRAE GoldCoast, past president Construction Executives Association, Board Member of USGBC South Florida, chair of the USGBC’s Tropical Green Conference, co-chair of the Building Healthy Places committee for ULI SE Florida, Co-Chair Energy committee for BOMA Florida, sustainability committee member of the Greater Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association, and was recognized by his peers with AIA Miami’s – 2014/15 Engineer of the Year award.

Kristin Lusk

Lawrence Technological University, Masters Candidate of Urban Design, IIDA General Member, Program Development, LTU+ Denby

Nea Maloo

Nea Maloo is educator and practicing Architect. Teaching helps the practice and brings innovation in all designs and construction. The firm prides themselves in doing all exterior and interior works to all the projects. As Chief Designer, Nea inspires her project teams with a strong commitment to thoughtful modern architecture that explores spatial, material and visual experience. After careful examination of the unique characteristics of each place (site, climate, culture, community) and the programmatic requirements, Showcase Architects creates modern designs that are sculptural, and often monumental, yet geared towards the human scale. A long-standing interest in education complements Nea’s modernist leanings; by combining contemporary techniques and design strategies with the innovative handling of both traditional architectural language and indigenous building materials, creates architecture that relates to its extended context in a meaningful way. Nea Maloo is a member of the American Institute of Architect and is LEED AP. She is a member of American institute of interior design. Nea began her studies at the School of Planning and Architecture in Madras, India and completed her Masters of Architecture. She went on to study and practice and is licensed in MD, DC.

Hector Martinez

Hector Martinez, a fourth year Hispanic student in Architecture, has been a NOMAS member instrumental in shaping the preliminary design of the Center, and part of a core student team who promote the Center to those with power and privilege.

Garfield Peart MBA

Ronnie McGhee

Mr. McGhee has thirty years of professional practice in architecture including fifteen years as partner-in-charge of a Washington D.C. based architectural firm, R. McGhee & Associates, specializing in sustainable architecture, urban design, interior design, historic preservation and adaptive reuse. He has designed and worked on numerous DC Landmark and US Park Service (USPS), National Register Listed properties, served on the DC Historic Preservation Review Board for six years and is listed with both the DC Historic Preservation Review Branch and US Park Service as a Historic Architect. Mr. McGhee is currently the Chairman of the DC Board of Architecture and Interior Designers and Associate Professor at Howard University’s School of Architecture serving as educator and mentor to past and present architectural students. Mr. McGhee is currently the IDP Academic Coordinator for the HU Architecture School. Mr. McGhee’s experience includes over 160 projects executed including five years as the Chief of Architecture & Engineering at Bolling Air Force Base, responsible for a 45-person planning, design, and construction management department that managed 607 acres, 108 facilities and 1300 housing units valued over $1 billion. EDUCATION: Howard University, Washington, DC, Bachelor of Architecture; Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, Completed Junior year, majoring in Anthropology

Marina Michael

Marina is the 2015-2016 Research Fellow at Eskew Dumez Ripple (EDR), a nationally recognized firm centered in New Orleans, LA. EDR hires one new researcher every year to concentrate on a particular area of interest in the built environment and feed that knowledge into the studio. The focus of this year’s fellowship is health. A 2015 graduate of the M.Arch program at the University of Virginia, Marina is passionate about how architecture can improve life quality and expand its reach across socio-economic differences. As a student, she teamed with a group of architecture students and engaged with a client from an underserved neighborhood to design and build a modular shed that could also function as a covered outdoor work space. While very new to New Orleans, she has enjoyed the historic buildings and old trees as much as the diversity of people and perspectives in the city. She is excited about the opportunities that have opened up through this position and has already learned a lot about how the built environment can effect change in people’s health.

Liz Ogbu

Founder + Principal, Studio O

From designing shelters for immigrant day laborers in the U.S. to leading a design workshop at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting, Liz has a long history of engagement in the design for social impact movement. Currently, she runs her own multidisciplinary consulting practice that works with nonprofits, municipalities, and companies to tackle wicked social problems through creative transformations of places, systems, and communities. Liz has also been actively involved in shaping two of the world’s leading public interest design nonprofits. In 2011, she was part of the inaugural class of Innovators-in-Residence at IDEO.org, IDEO’s sister nonprofit dedicated to fostering global poverty reduction through design and innovation. Prior to that, she was Design Director at Public Architecture, a national nonprofit, mobilizing designers to create social change. In addition to her practice work, Liz has had a long commitment to bringing social impact work into the classroom where her courses and research explore opportunities at intersection of design, innovation, and community engagement. She is on faculty at UC Berkeley, Stanford d.school, and California College of the Arts.

Kathryn Prigmore

STUDIOS Architecture

Kathryn T. Prigmore FAIA, NCARB, NOMA, LEED AP is a Chief Operations Officer for STUDIOS Architecture. She specializes in the design of facilities for clients with sensitive missions. She is the past Chair of the AIA National Ethics Council and has also chaired the NCARB Committee on Examination. She is a former Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Architecture for the Howard University School of Architecture and Design, and, former Chair of the Virginia Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects. Active in professional and civic affairs, Prigmore is a member of the American Institute of Architects, the National Organization of Minority Architects, and the Society of Building Science Educators. Prigmore, one of the first African American Women licensed to practice architecture in the United States, has been a member of the AIA since 1983. She has the noteworthy distinction of being named Who's Who in the World, in the East, in American Education, in Science and Technology, in Business and Industry, and of American Women. In 1983 she was honored by Outstanding Young Women in America. A frequent writer and speaker, Prigmore is also on the architecture program advisory councils for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ad Hampton University. She was recently honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Women of Color in Technology for her accomplishments within the profession.

Jason Pugh

Despite a diverse educational base and professional resume as an Architect and Urban Planner, Jason considers himself first and foremost a designer. He is constantly exploring new methodologies, technical and abstract, that will lead him towards creating stronger designs and solutions at multiple scales. With his communicative skills coupled with the graphic skill sets he has acquired through the use of various visual and software media applications, Jason manages to remain extremely fluid, responsive and productive with clients while working on diverse project typologies. Within his impressively solid 10+ year experience base as an Urban Designer and Project Architect, Jason now takes great pride in his ability to oscillate between the micro and macro scales that are offered within the architecture and planning projects he’s had the pleasure to work on throughout his career. His portfolio includes both domestic and foreign planning projects, ranging from small acre parcels with urban in-fill developments to large green field sites with extensive programs covering 2,500+ acres. His Architectural projects include a mix of large and small residential developments, hospitality and hotels, commercial retail, science research labs, commercial and corporate office, and large university campus medical facilities throughout the country. Jason also has a passion for developing underserved communities, which is translated beyond the scope of Architecture and Urban Planning. In his spare time, he is actively engaged in several community based programs and organizations on both a local and national level which are centered on education, mentorship, diversity, and community service. He currently sits on the Chicago Associate board for the ACE Mentorship Program, a national organization which provides workshops, education, and community service projects for high school students throughout the country. He also sits on the national board of NOMA (the National Organization of Minority Architects) as the Midwest Vice President, and serves as President of the local Illinois chapter of NOMA, with a focus on the recruitment, retention, and advancement of minority architects and students within the field. Jason is a LEED Accredited Professional and a licensed architect in the state of Illinois. He is also currently pursuing AICP licensure as a certified planner with the Americ

Scott Ruff

Scott Ruff is an Associate Professor of Architecture at the Tulane University School of Architecture. Born in Buffalo, New York, Ruff, received his first professional Bachelors of Architecture degree from Cornell University (1992) and a Masters of Architecture II from Cornell University (1995). He has taught at Syracuse University and Hampton University, as an Assistant Professor and the State University of New York at Buffalo, and Cornell University as a Lecturer. Scott Ruff is the principal of RuffWorks Studio, a research and design studio specializing in culturally informed projects and community engagement. RuffWorks Studio’s focus is on design methods that embrace social responsibility as the studio works with clients to reach their goals for every project. Ruff’s work fuses handcraft and contemporary methods of construction with awareness to the working of materials that ties it to a specific culture, environment, or manufacturing process.

Pascale Sablan

Pascale Sablan AIA, NOMA, LEED, an accomplished architect and President of NYCOBA, graduated Magna Cum Laude from Pratt Institute with a Bachelor of Architecture, and completed a Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design at Columbia University. Pascale’s professional career began and was nurtured at AARRIS Architects. She devoted four years of her life and career to working on The African Burial Ground National Monument, the first black slavery monument of New York City. Pascale was recently elevated to Associate at FXFOWLE Architects where she is a designer within the Urban Studio. In this position she creates sustainable and dynamic architectural design in countries such as United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, India, Azerbaijan and Japan. In addition to her role as an architect, Pascale is actively engaged in many of the firm's committees and activities, such as Team Green, Mentoring, Revit Technology, Blog, among others. Outside the office, she volunteers for multiple organizations to help improve her community and share her knowledge and expertise. She sits on the Board of Trustees of the Mary Louis Academy, a member of the American Institute of Architects’ Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and member of the United States Green Building Council and has been a counselor in the ACE Mentoring organization. In 2013, Pascale was selected as an AIA Emerging Professional and her work was exhibited during their annual National Convention. In 2014, she won the AIANY ENYA Merit Award, an honor given to only one person a year. Pascale was also awarded the NOMA Prize for Excellence in Design in the Unbuilt category for her redesign of AMHE Haiti School Campus, which was destroyed in the 2010 earthquake.

Danielle Segovia-Burke

Danielle Segovia-Burke is currently a Assistant Project Manager at Maison Kayser a artisanal French Boulangerie in the Department of Design and Construction. Danielle graduated from Syracuse University in 2011 with a Bachelors of Architecture. Before Maison Kayser Danielle spent the the last four years working in real estate and development in the affordable housing sector focusing on low income communities and closing the housing gap.

Rubina Siddiqui

Rubina works with architects to understand their needs and goals, and demonstrates how Vectorworks’ BIM workflows can benefit their projects. She previously worked as a Project Architect and BIM Manager for firms focusing on institutional projects, particularly schools. Before that, she was a Geologist for the Climate History Division of the U.S. Geological Survey. Rubina is a member of the American Institute of Architects, and an active member of the National Organization of Minority Architects and volunteer for Architecture in Schools.

Carlton Smith

Carlton is the Managing Principal of MWA Architects, a San Francisco based architecture, urban design and interior architecture firm with regional offices in Oakland California and Portland Oregon. He holds both a Bachelor of Architectural Science and Master of Architecture degree from Tuskegee Institute. He is a registered architect in California, Michigan, Texas, North Carolina, Florida and the District of Columbia. Carlton is also certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and has nearly 40 years of experience in architecture and firm management. He was the 28th president of The National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), is a member of the NOMA Council and a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.

Korydon Smith

Korydon Smith is an associate professor and associate dean in the School of Architecture and Planning at the University at Buffalo-SUNY, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in architectural design, theory, and methods. His primary research focuses on design and social justice, while a second line of scholarship investigates alternative models of design education. Dr. Smith joined the faculty at Buffalo in 2012 after serving on the faculty in the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas (2001–2012), where he received six departmental and university teaching awards. Smith is the lead author of Just Below the Line: Disability, Housing, and Equity in the South (University of Arkansas Press, 2010), co-editor of the Universal Design Handbook, 2nd Ed. (McGraw-Hill, 2010), editor of Introducing Architectural Theory: Debating a Discipline (Routledge, 2012), and co-editor of Diversity and Design: Understanding Hidden Consequences (Routledge, 2015). Smith holds an Ed.D. in higher education leadership from the University of Arkansas and a professional M.Arch. with a concentration in architectural theory and design from the University at Buffalo.

Kathleen Smith

Kathleen Smith is an architect with more than 20 years of experience in green building, most recently with her own firm, Ecosmith Architecture & Consulting, LLC. She is a LEED Fellow and a LEED Faculty member. Kathleen worked with Davis Langdon where she conducted LEED reviews and consulted on many pioneering sustainable projects in California. She is also the co-author of two books, The Northwest Green Home Primer and Rebuilding Community in America: Housing for Ecological Living, Personal Empowerment, and the New Extended Family. Kathleen has a Bachelor and Master of Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley in addition to a Permaculture Consultant's Design Certificate from the Permaculture Institute in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Vanessa Smith-Torres

Eskew+Dumez+Ripple | Hollaback! New Orleans

Vanessa is a New Orleans architect and activist. She is the Site Director and Co-Funder of Hollaback! New Orleans. Hollaback! is a movement to end street harassment powered by a network of local activists around the world. Sites work together to better understand street harassment, to ignite public conversations, and to develop innovative strategies to ensure equal access to public spaces. A member of the National Organization of Minority Architects, Vanessa serves as the Louisiana Chapter’s current Treasurer and acts as a mentor for the Project Pipeline Summer Camp. She also has worked with Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools and the Contemporary Arts Center Summer Arts Camp - programs that encourage exploration of architecture and art with teenagers in local parish schools.Vanessa works at Eskew+Dumez+Ripple, recipient of the 2014 AIA Firm Award.

Christopher Stefani

Lawrence Technological, University Masters Candidate of Arch. SEED Certified Program Development, LTU + Denby

James Stevens, AIA

Jim Stevens is an Associate Professor of Architecture at Lawrence Technological University, College of Architecture and Design, where he is the founding and acting Director of makeLab, a digital fabrication and design studio. As director, Jim oversees research, publication and industry-sponsored design projects. Additionally, Jim conducts frequent makeLab workshops and lectures across the U.S. and internationally in China, Europe and India. Jim is coauthor of the book Digital Vernacular, Architectural Principles, Tools and Processes (Routledge 2014). Prior to his appointment to the faculty at Lawrence Tech, Jim was the founding principle of a North Carolina design firm and more recently a principal with Peterson, Eure and Associates, P.A Jim is a Licensed Architect in the State of Michigan, certified by the National Council of Architecture Registration Boards (NCARB) and is a professional member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). He is the recipient of the AIA Henry Adams Medal for Excellence in the Study of Architecture and is currently a Coleman Foundation Fellow. He holds a Master of Architecture degree from North Carolina State University (M.arch. 2007) and a Bachelor in Fine Arts degree from The Savannah College of Art and Design (BFA 1994).

Heather Tank

Heather has over eight years of experience in many project types including educational facilities, commercial retailers, libraries, restaurants, city/county municipalities and several military installations. She has designed and overseen the installation of thermal storage systems, split systems, chiller systems and systems using rooftop units and VAV. Selected relevant projects include: Tulane University, University of South Florida, University of Southern Mississippi, Ringling College and University of Tampa. Heather is actively involved in several industry related organizations. She is a board member for the Louisiana chapter of USGBC and a Governor for ASHRAE New Orleans. She is also active in her community as a Vice Chair of the Lafayette Committee of the Junior League New Orleans as well as in the process of founding the New Orleans Chapter of the University of South Florida Alumni Group.

Beth Tauke

University at Buffalo - State University of New York

Beth Tauke is an associate professor in the Department of Architecture at the University at Buffalo-SUNY, and project director in the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDEA), the leading research center on universal design in the built environment in the U.S. Her research focuses on design education and inclusive design, especially the empowerment of minority groups through design. Tauke was principal investigator of the Universal Design Identity Program and Increasing Access to Universal Design to Meet the Needs of African American Communities, both sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts. She co-edited Universal Design: New York with Dr. Scott Danford, and Diversity and Design: Understanding Hidden Consequences with Dr. Korydon Smith and Dr. Charles Davis (Routledge). Her awards include a National Institute for Architectural Education Award, the ACSA Robert R. Taylor Award, the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the AIA-Western NY 2014 Mentor of the Year Award. Her primary professional goal is to encourage university administrators to include courses in their general education or core programs that address the relationship between design and diversity issues. She sees this as an essential element of 21st century education.

Daya Irene Taylor

Daya Irene Taylor is a licensed architect in the State of Florida and Associate Professor of Architecture at Tuskegee University. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from Florida A&M University before attending Clemson University to gain a Master of Architecture. In the last decade, her career in design education has included instruction in design studio, graphic presentation, computer-aided drafting and architectural research. While serving as the Interim Dean of the Robert R. Taylor School of Architecture and Construction Science at Tuskegee University, she teaches architectural design studios and lecture courses in architectural research. Additionally, she is a doctoral student at Alabama State University, studying Educational Leadership, Policy, and Law. Prior to her current appointment, she contributed to the built environment in Central Florida where her practice focused on custom residential design, light commercial design, and life safety consultation.

Andrew Thompson

Andrew Thompson earned his bachelor’s degree in architecture from the Pratt Institute in 1991 and a master’s in architecture and urban design from Columbia in 1993. For almost 10 years he served as a facilities planner and architectural designer with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He worked on projects at the World Trade Center site in the twin towers and various Port Authority facilities and then went to work on the Air Train project, connecting JFK airport to the NYC transit system. He then spent over 10 years as chief architect at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Today, as County Architect for Passaic County, New Jersey. He manages and oversees various projects such as historic restoration and rehabilitation to infrastructure upgrades for various county facilities and sites for Passaic County.

Jimmie Tucker

Jimmie Tucker has passionately combined a distinguished career as an architect, educator and community development advocate. He is an award-winning planner and designer. The team led by Jimmie recently received a highly competitive Our Town Grant to do research and further develop the Master Plan for the Memphis Heritage Trail. Jimmie is Managing Principal and Co-Founder of Self + Tucker Architects, as well as, an Adjunct Instructor of Architecture at the University of Memphis. His design studios emphasize community engagement, design excellence and sustainable design strategies. Jimmie’s work is a tangible demonstration of his commitment to community revitalization and creating livable communities. Jimmie earned a bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Urban Planning from Princeton University and a Masters of Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis. In 2006 he was the recipient of Washington University’s Distinguished Alumni Award. Jimmie has been a member of the United Housing Inc. Board of Directors since 2001. Jimmie served as Board Chairman during 2006-07.

Kimberly Tuttle, AIA, NCARB

Mark Wagner

Mark Wagner has extensive experience in the design of cultural projects. As Project Architect for the National September 11 Memorial Museum he oversaw the Museum’s design and construction, navigating many building challenges due to the complexity of the numerous integrated construction projects at the World Trade Center site. Mr. Wagner’s familiarity with the site dates back to his role as Project Architect for the World Trade Center Archive, a project involving the on-site selection and preservation of over 1,000 artifacts from Ground Zero following the attacks on September 11, 2001. During the archiving and preservation process and throughout his work on the design and construction of the Museum, he remained involved with the preservation of the collected archive. He worked closely with museums across the country offering his unique understanding of the artifacts, their history and the issues relating to their preservation and installation. Mr. Wagner also served as the Project Architect for the Master Plan and the award-winning Portico Gallery addition at The Frick Collection. Mark Wagner received his Bachelor of Architecture from the New York Institute of Technology.

Michael A. (Mike) WebberA/E Finance

After years as CFO of an A/E firm, Mike Webber started A/E Finance. He works with Principals & Owners of firms of all sizes across the country on financial analysis & benchmarking, project & practice management, strategic planning, turnarounds, and interim assignments. Mike also is actively involved with A/E associations. He is past Chair and a longtimemember of AIA Chicago's Practice Management KC, and an AIA/ACEC Peer Reviewer. Currently, he is on both AIA’s Best Practices Committee, and ACEC's Management Practices Committee. He has presented at local, state and national AIA and ACEC conferences, and written several finance- and accounting-related AIA Best Practices articles. Mike earned an Engineering degree from the University of Illinois, and an MBA in Finance from the University of Maryland.

La Barbara James Wigfall

La Barbara James Wigfall, founding KSU NOMA advisor and former University Liaison/NOMA Board, focuses on consensus imagination and community empowerment. She serves on the University committee who oversees the Center design process.

Damien Williams

Damien M. Williams, development recruiter and talent manager, oversaw fundraising and established lifelong relationships through involvement and investment in the Multicultural Center. Although an Associate Vice President for Development-Regis University, he remains committed to assisting the facilitation of multicultural programs and services through the design and development of the Center.

Douglas Williams

I was raised in Chicago, Illinois where the city’s motto: “City in a garden” was championed in the neighborhood of my youth. Little did I know I would go on to find my path among the professions that stewards the built environment of the outdoors. Locally and internationally, my work experience has included public and private sector design practice and education. One of my most enjoyed experiences was designing a memorial garden for the George Washington Carver National Monument while working within the National Park Service. My research engages social-cultural factors of human well-being and the environment. One specific question addresses, to what extent do community gardens impact social capital dynamics in a low-income African American, inner-city neighborhood? Through qualitative ethnographic research methods I have found place-based recommendations for block clubs, faith-based organizations, non-profits, companies, landscape architects, city planners, parks and recreation departments that focus on improving local economic, equity, and environmental assets. Post-Doctoral Researcher, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, College of Applied Health Sciences, Department of Recreation, Sport, and Tourism Ph.D., Landscape Architecture, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign M.L.A., Landscape Architecture, Cornell University, New York B.S., Ornamental Horticulture, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Katherine Williams

Katherine Williams is a licensed architect in Virginia. She was formerly a Project Manager and Enterprise Rose Architectural Fellow at the San Francisco Housing Development Corporation. She has served in numerous positions including the AIA Housing Knowledge Community advisory group, editing the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) magazine, and on several non-profit boards. Katherine graduated from Howard University and is a LEED Accredited Professional. She is a mom to one daughter and writes about community design online at katherinerw.com

William Willoughby

William T. Willoughby, AIA is an architect, educator, and essayist. After graduating from Kent State University and beginning his career as an architect in Cleveland, he served as a visiting assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and became an architectural educator and administrator at Louisiana Tech University where he served for 15 years. In 2013, he returned to Kent State University's College of Architecture and Environmental Design to serve as Associate Dean and Associate Professor. He founded the Community Design Activism Center (CDAC) at Louisiana Tech University and has written and published on architecture from a cultural studies perspective since 1993.

Tya Winn, NOMA, LEED Green Associate, SSED

Tya Winn currently employed as a Program Manager at the Philadelphia Housing Authority in the department of Capital Projects and Development. She has focused her career working in real estate and community development focused on equity around affordable housing, economic development and urban revitalization. As an active NOMA member, Tya is currently the Vice President of PhilaNOMA, the Philadelphia Chapter of NOMA and has been the Project Pipeline Coordinator since 2012. In 2015, she was named the Public Member to the AIA Philadelphia Board of Directors and is Co-Chair of the Legacy Project committee for the 2016 AIA Convention. Tya studied Architecture at Syracuse University and received a Master of Architecture specializing in Urban Design at the University of Pennsylvania. She remains dedicated to the revitalization of urban communities through participatory design and how the experience of the built environment shapes perceptions of place.Tya Winn currently employed as a Program Manager at the Philadelphia Housing Authority in the department of Capital Projects and Development. She has focused her career working in real estate and community development focused on equity around affordable housing, economic development and urban revitalization. As an active NOMA member, Tya is currently the Vice President of PhilaNOMA, the Philadelphia Chapter of NOMA and has been the Project Pipeline Coordinator since 2012. In 2015, she was named the Public Member to the AIA Philadelphia Board of Directors and is Co-Chair of the Legacy Project committee for the 2016 AIA Convention. Tya studied Architecture at Syracuse University and received a Master of Architecture specializing in Urban Design at the University of Pennsylvania. She remains dedicated to the revitalization of urban communities through participatory design and how the experience of the built environment shapes perceptions of place.

Eugene Wright

As a licensed project architect, Eugene has significant experience coordinating complex teams of consultants to design, develop, and administer nearly one million square-feet of building construction. Having worked on a wide variety of projects, he has developed experience in corporate, commercial, healthcare, K-12, higher education, civic, government, and pro bono projects. Eugene is a conscientious and enthusiastic individual committed to working with others and developing productive relationships. Additionally, he has strong experience with Building Information Modeling software as well as construction administration. With a Masters of Architecture, Eugene has recently returned to school to earn a Masters of Business Administration in order to better understand and impact the business of both his clients and his profession.

Nella Young

Nella Young directs the Enterprise Rose Architectural Fellowship program, which places early-career architectural designers at community development organizations to contribute their design and community engagement skills to the field of the community development and affordable housing. She has a background in experiential education and urban planning. Nella holds a B.A. in Studio Arts from Wesleyan University and an M.A. in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University.

Jess Zimbabwe

Jess Zimbabwe serves as founding Executive Director of the Daniel Rose Center for Public Leadership at the National League of Cities and the Urban Land Institute. Previously, Jess was the Director of the Mayors’ Institute on City Design and served as the Community Design Director at Urban Ecology, providing pro bono community planning and design assistance to low-income neighborhoods in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a licensed architect, certified city planner, a LEED-Accredited professional, and a member of the urban planning faculty at Georgetown University.