2022 Presidential Address
Welcome
Hello, and welcome NOMAnash members and community. Thank you for being with us as we look forward to 2022. This address will reflect on our successes in 2021 and look forward to the continued evolution of NOMAnash in 2022. NOMA will continue to be your strategic partner in making our industry more inclusive and equitable. For 2022 you have an opportunity to partner with our strategic goals to embrace, educate, elevate, and empower diverse architects. Dealing with the ever-present pandemic made 2021 a challenge, but NOMAnash has proven to be resilient, and we are sharpening our focus as we look to the future.
Embrace
em.brace | \im-‘brās\ (Transitive Verb) 1. To clasp in the arms, 2. To cherish and love, 3. To take up especially readily or gladly, 4. To avail oneself of, 5. To take in or include as part, item, or element of a more inclusive whole -Merriam Webster
2021 saw us continue the conversation regarding the nation’s racial reckoning, especially its impact on our business and industry. Acknowledgment is an important step in progress forward as a community.
Owners, partners, and leaders of architecture firms must be intentional about identifying bias in their businesses’; hiring and promotion process. Bias and other troubling issues are not new to the minority communities in this country, specifically how it affects minorities in architecture. Currently, less than 2% of licensed architects in America are Black, and an even smaller percentage hold leadership and, more importantly, ownership positions with architecture firms.
In 2021, it was an honor for NOMAnash to host our National Q3 Town Hall Meeting, which had us ask and respond to the question; what can we do to make education, mentoring, licensure, and practice a more equitable and inclusive space for minorities now and in the future? NOMA National and NOMAnash continue to assist in making the field of architecture a more inclusive space by bringing these complex issues forward and providing a path to a solution. In 2022, we want to continue the momentum from the visibility and recognition we are receiving as a professional organization.
Membership and participation continue to be the backbone of what makes NOMAnash effective. In 2022, we look forward to increasing the number of individual members and sponsorships with other aligned organizations and businesses. We have created sponsorship levels (listed on our website), which offer architecture firms and other businesses opportunities to sponsor NOMAnash and support its initiatives and events. In 2022, we strive to not only build our community but increase awareness and engagement within the organization and profession. The term embrace evokes a positive response, which influences our goals for outreach in 2022. While there is certainly work to be done, there are many reasons for optimism moving forward.
Empower
Em.pow.er | \im-‘pau̇(-ə)r\ (Transitive Verb) 1. To give official authority or legal power to, 2. Enable, 3. To promote the self-actualization or influence of
-Merriam Webster
Even as one of the nation’s youngest chapters, NOMAnashs’; successes have been recognized and rewarded with the honor of hosting the 2022 NOMA National Conference (October 26th – 30th). The 2021 conference celebrated the milestone of a half-century of NOMA’s existence, influence, and impact and allowed us to reflect on the organization’s rich history.
Along with becoming an influential chapter of NOMA, we sought to continue to reach out to our community with our inaugural Nashville Project Pipeline Summer Camp. We had the opportunity to engage with our community’s future architects and leaders while equipping students with the tools to affect change. The earlier that students are exposed to the opportunities in the profession of architecture and design, the more equipped they are to advance to becoming licensed architects. 2021 saw us engaging with students virtually, but we are excited to host our second annual Project Pipeline this year with a 3-day in-person summer camp in July 2022. We are reaching out to the younger generations and creating a community of mentorship, education, and inclusiveness for the future of our industry. Volunteering, mentoring, and providing financial support helps to create a pipeline of BIPOC youth in our profession.
Elevate
El.e.vate | \‘e-lə-ˌvāt\ (Transitive Verb) 1. To lift up or make higher, 2. To improve morally, intellectually or culturally, 3. To raise the spirits of -Merriam Webster
Adapting to and healing from the pandemic means that as a chapter, we are looking forward to more in-person and hybrid events in 2022. We are excited to gather at quarterly in-person chapter meetings, each meeting hosted by a different firm in the city. In-person chapter meetings hosted by local firms allow us to engage with these firms’; potential members and allies and create another avenue for exposure, engagement, and awareness. Additionally, this lays the groundwork for conversation and meaningful action for firms in Nashville to empower BIPOC professionals through their career advancement. Companies also have the opportunity to partner with BIPOC-owned firms and leaders for more equitable outcomes. These intentional actions to seek out opportunities to collaborate helps firms leverage their skills, expertise, and assets while combating the industry’s lack of diversity.
Our chapter meetings are evolving in 2022 and will include a member spotlight. This allows us all to get to know more about each other in meaningful ways beyond the field of architecture. We prioritize inclusion by recognizing and celebrating our professional peers intentionally and equitably.
As a profession-based organization, the professional development of our membership is an essential pillar of our organization and chapter. This means encouraging, and most importantly, supporting members on their paths toward licensure. Providing adequate support in completing the Architecture Registration Exam is paramount to empowering BIPOC architects to push back at the disparities in the profession. Our professional development committee continues to build on experience and learn from each other’s successes and failures. Structuring study groups and meetings in 2022 will allow for more NOMA members to obtain licensure and pass along knowledge to the next generation of young professionals.
We emphasize fostering a supportive environment with resources and training to aid in advancing BIPOC professionals’; goals and aspirations. Majority-owned firms must do their part to increase their BIPOC employees’; level of influence and responsibility within their firms through promotion in job titles, responsibilities, and compensation. We have developed forums to share local job opportunities, project opportunities, and partnering opportunities for local BIPOC firms. Also, we will continue to assist in our members’; personal and professional growth through CEU luncheons and workshops. As we evolve as an organization, we also have opportunities to support and leverage our members’ interests outside of the traditional practice of architecture in the forms of other creative endeavors, freelancing, or serving executive boards and leadership.
Educate
Ed.u.cate | \ˈe-jə-ˌkāt\ (Transitive Verb) 1. To provide schooling for, 2. To train by formal instruction and supervised practice especially in a skill, trade, or profession, 3. Develop mentally, morally or aesthetically especially by instruction
Education continues to be the foundation of all NOMA principles and goals and is the springboard of all our events and initiatives. Through volunteering, mentoring, and providing financial support to these initiatives, you aid in creating a pipeline of BIPOC youth in our procession.
In 2021, we reflected on the influential Black firm of McKissack and McKissack, whose long history has shaped the city and region in which we live. In 2022, we are excited to continue celebrating and learning from these industry leaders with a reception and city tours. As an industry, it is critical to recognize the importance and influence of individuals who broke through barriers of inequity. We celebrate their successes and will continue to push for something better than the status quo and a more equitable future for the business of architecture.
Continuing education and providing quarterly CEU’s is a way for NOMAnash members to stay at the forefront of technology and innovation in our field.
Engagement with NOMAS UTK is a chance for NOMA members to meet, empower, and mentor students and soon-to-be young professionals. In March, there will be a speed-networking event so that BIPOC students can engage with people of all levels of experience and expertise. This is also a chance for us to listen to the next generation of architects and design professionals, understand what is essential, and create unified goals and expectations for the future.
We are proud of the scholarship opportunities that NOMAnash can provide for students in the region. Firms and individuals committed to this effort can partner in a BIPOC student’s success by starting or participating in established financial scholarships that enhance the breadth and depth of exposure to architecture and design. If you are interested in supporting NOMAnash’s scholarship programs, please email us at noma.nashville@gmail.com for more information.
To Conclude
As a professional organization, we are greater than the sum of our parts. Engagement and membership are critical in keeping the momentum of our organization moving and progressing into the future. As a firm or individual, you can become an active member of NOMAnash. All are welcome to become part of our community and join our mission to foster justice and equity in communities of color through outreach, community advocacy, professional development, and design excellence.
February is our membership drive month, culminating in our Art and Discourse event, hosted by Sesco Lighting and Cëcret (by Cë Gallery) on February 25th . We encourage members, spouses, friends, prospective members, and allies to attend and celebrate NOMAnash in 2022.