A Harold L Adams Leadership Workshop.
Join us for a panel discussion on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Reshaping Architecture and Practice.
THE workshop WILL BE LIVE STREAMED ON:
Purpose:
Architecture has historically been a white male dominated profession. In 1968, at the AIA National Convention in Portland, Oregon, civil rights activist Whitney M. Young Jr. challenged the status quo of a profession that had been largely silent on matters of race and diversity. At the time of Young's address, American architects of African descent measured at approximately 1% to 1.5% of the total number of registered architects. By the 1990s the number of registered African architects increased to – and still remains – around 2% , which is not an admirable record of achievement.
Following the murder of George Floyd in the spring of 2020, global attention has inspired the architecture profession and academia to reassess our commitment to anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion. Individuals and firms are working to make substantive changes to our organizations and practices to break the cycles of discrimination, racism, and exclusion. The purpose of this roundtable is to have an open and supportive discussion, to share best practices as they evolve, and importantly to have these discussions in the open, in front of students and our peers in order to pave the way to a more just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive future of the architecture profession.
The big question is, will we succeed where our predecessors have failed?
OUR ASPIRATIONS IN PUBLIC ACADEMIC DISCOURSE:
We are proud of our diverse, inclusive, and respectful community. We embrace a multiplicity of ideals and aspirations that guide us in the design and building of a better world. We understand that collegial engagement and airing of opposing ideas is at the very heart of discourse in higher education. We believe that the freedom to engage, explore, and articulate ideas, even if they are controversial, is fundamental to the academic enterprise. We acknowledge that dispute and debate form the foundations of academic life. We agree that speech that unjustly targets individuals or specific groups is out of place in this environment. We encourage each of you to act as responsible stewards of our open and supportive climate of debate and discourse.
PARTICIPANTS:
Moderator
Marques King
Perkins Eastman
Fawzia Ahmedali
Kimoy Lallement
Ahmed Zaman
Design Collective
Jessica Pagan Aello
Cecily Bedwell
Square 134
Ronald Schneck Jr.
Emilie M. Rottman
Michael Marshall Design
Michael Marshall
Vortex
Kathryn Prigmore
ABSTRACTS:
Marques King, RA, NCARB, CNU, is an architect and small-scale developer. His practice is based in Detroit but operates across the easterncountry in housing and urban design. Marques is also a lecturer in the University of Maryland Architecture Program, serving as Kea Distinguished Professor in Architecture.
Jessica Pagan Aello, AIA, NCARB, is a Senior Associate at Design Collective with over 12 years of experience in Student Life, Multifamily Housing, and Mixed-income and Affordable Housing. She values creating mixed-use spaces that support innovation and foster a sense of community. She is also a member of the Diversity Taskforce that is leading firm-wide DEI initiatives.
Fawzia Ahmedali, AIA NOMA LEED AP is a project architect and Associate Principal with Perkins Eastman with over 20 years of cross-disciplinary experience in architecture, interiors, and master planning. She is spearheading Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts for Perkins Eastman’ DC office and is part of the DE&I steering committee at the firm-wide level.
Cecily Bedwell, AICP, LEED-AP BD+C, NCARB, is a Principal at Design Collective and leads the firm's Urban Design studio. A Certified Planner, a LEED professional with a specialty in Building Design and Construction, and a proud graduate of the University of Maryland School of Architecture Masters program, Cecily has worked in the field of planning and urban design for more than 25 years. Cecily's work focuses on complex, mixed-use, transit-oriented projects ranging in scale from a few blocks to upwards of a thousand acres, collaborating with communities and both public- and private-sector clients, within an open public process, to develop appropriate and contextual master plans, Form-Based Codes (FBC), and design guidelines. Cecily is passionate about community engagement, mentoring, and creating positive change within the profession. Cecily was honored to receive the inaugural Mentor of the Year award in 2020 from the Baltimore Business Journal, served as a mentor ULI Baltimore's Young Leaders 2021 Partnership Forum, participates in the Adopt-A-School program, and serves on the firm's Diversity Task Force. Additionally, in 2016, Cecily was appointed by the County Executive to serve on the Baltimore County Design Review Panel and currently serves as Chair.
Kimoy Chung Lallement, AIA LEED AP is a Senior Associate with Perkins Eastman with extensive experience in interior architecture and design. Over the course of her twenty+ year experience, she founded and managed her own design practice, studioCINQ, where she successfully delivered interior projects, including restaurants Circa at Clarendon & Circa at Foggy Bottom. In her recent past, Kimoy was the Food + Beverage Lead at Gensler, Washington D.C. on award-winning projects that included Founding Farmers Reston, VA and Nestle & Marriott Headquarters. Originally from Trinidad & Tobago, Washington, DC has been her home for over twenty five years, where she worked through school to complete her Bachelor of Architecture at Howard University.
Michael Marshall, FAIA NOMA NCARB, is Design Director and Principal of Michael Marshall Design, leading each project in design excellence and managing every stage of the firm’s architectural projects with a keen sensitivity to context and environment. For his work, Michael has been honored with design excellence awards from The American Institute of Architects (National and DC chapters), NOMA, and IDA (International Design Awards, among others. In 2021, he was admitted to the AIA College of Fellows, AIA’s highest membership honor for exceptional work and contributions to architecture and society. In 2018, his work was requested to be part of the architectural design archives of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. He has lectured extensively on topics related to architecture and design, serving as a guest architectural critic at numerous universities, and sharing his architectural expertise on local community advisory and city planning boards in the Washington, D.C. area and beyond. Michael has a Bachelor of Science in Architecture Degree from The Catholic University of America and a Master of Architecture Degree from the Yale School of Architecture.
Kathryn Bradford Tyler Prigmore, FAIA, NOMAC is now in semi-retirement from a lengthy career in practice and project management for major architectural firms, Kathryn has returned to academia as the Adjunct Professor of Practice at Virginia Tech's Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center.
Emilie M. Rottman, AIA, is a Senior Associate at Square 134 Architects. Her design experience consists of single-family and multi-family residential, K-12 education, mixed-use and urban design projects. At Square 134, she focuses on urban infill multi-family projects and enjoys working on projects that participate with neighborhood associations, government agencies, and the local community
Ronald Schneck Jr., AIA, is the founder of Square 134 Architects, a full-service architectural design firm in Washington, D.C. specializing in design for multi-family residential, commercial and adaptive reuse. He graduated from Temple University in 1996, earning the prestigious Henry Adams Award. After distinguishing himself at several prominent architectural firms, including a decade-long tenure at Hickok Cole Architects in Washington, D.C., Mr. Schneck established Square 134 Architects in 2006. His design work has won numerous prominent awards including, most recently, the AIADC & Washingtonian Multifamily Residential Award in 2017 and again in 2021. His work has been featured in The Washington Post, Washington Spaces, ArchitectureDC, and Metro Architect. Mr. Schneck has also remained committed to providing design services to non-profit organizations and affordable housing developers. In addition, he is currently serving a second term on the AIADC Board of Directors, is DC’s first Small Firm Exchange (SFx) “State” Representative and just recently invited to serve on DC’s first Family Friendly Affordable Housing Guidelines Advisory Committee.
Ahmed Zaman, AIA, NOMA is an Associate at Perkins Eastman and serves as a regional DE&I leader at the firm. As an interdisciplinary practitioner, Ahmed values the social, contextual, and cultural ideas that come forth during the design process.