NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF MINORITY ARCHITECTS GATHERED IN KANSAS CITY FOR “FUTURE UNFOLDING” CONFERENCE WITH RECORD MEMBERSHIP, MISSION COMMITMENT, AND AWARDS CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE

(Black PR Wire) KANSAS CITY, MO — The National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) reached new heights at its national conference, October 8–12, 2025, in Kansas City, Missouri. Bringing together professional designers, students, and partners from across the globe, the 2025 NOMA Conference: Future Unfolding elevated the impact of people of color architects, designers, and allied professionals through conversations, educational seminars, community engagement, and networking events that shape the future of the built environment. With a record number of professional and student members – over 4,000 – the conference energized and united attendees, while serving as a catalyst for future advocacy through design.

Leadership Highlights: Member Growth, A Commitment to Mission, and Will

As NOMA celebrated member and chapter growth, it also acknowledged the challenges of change, including the needs of an increasingly diverse membership in both priorities and within professional interests of architects, planners, and community designers. At the NOMA opening keynote, Bryan C. Lee Jr., NOMA, FAIA, 2025–2026 NOMA President, addressed these challenges, highlighting that they also occur in a time when external pressures grow to reduce diversity programs and policies in a profession that is often too silent on matters of justice in the built environment. Lee reinforced the mission of the organization and the members’ culture as our strength.

“NOMA was founded to address the specific challenges facing Black architects and all architects of culture in America,” said President Lee. “That mission remains vital and urgent as ever. As we grow, we must also create space—unapologetic, non-judgmental space—for all marginalized voices in our profession. We must continue to dream radically, to build liberatory spaces and places, to create the just world we want to see in the future. We have that skill. We have that creativity. We have that imagination. What we need now is will.” 

Lee also announced new initiatives at the conference, encouraging an increased prioritization of partnerships and alliances, as well as focused collaboration between members and policy organizations that allow NOMA to build systems and power. NOMA will change its conference and member gatherings to encourage these collaborations. At the business meeting, more than 20 NOMA members were also recognized for being licensed in 2025.

A new podcast produced by Lee, Power+Place, was also announced, featuring Charles T. Bryant, NOMA, AIA, past president of SoCal NOMA and the Foothill Chapter of AIA; Carla Flagg, NOMAC, AIA, and NOMA board member; and Steven Lewis, NOMAC, FAIA, former National NOMA president, who lost homes in the January 2025 Altadena, CA, fires and their ongoing rebuilding coalition efforts. Matthew Trotter, NOMA, AIA, president of SoCal NOMA, discusses the aid efforts in progress. Altadena is an affluent, unincorporated community in Los Angeles County, known for its diverse architecture, historic connection to early settlers and fruit farming, and as a significant destination for African American families since the Civil Rights era, including NOMA members. The first episode was released Oct. 16, 2025, on Spotify.

Keynotes: Leadership Through Technology and Healing Through Unity

The opening keynote was given by Dr. Ruha Benjamin, on “Race To The Future? From Artificial Intelligence To Abundant Imagination.” In this visionary keynote, Dr. Ruha Benjamin, Princeton professor and author of Race After Technology and Imagination: A Manifesto, invites architects, planners, and designers to examine how the built environment intersects with systems of inequality, surveillance, and technological bias. NOMA President Lee was joined by Cal and Michael Brown Sr., co-founders of the nonprofit organization Chosen for Change, at the Friday keynote titled, Heal Our Cities: An Intimate Conversation with the Family of Michael Brown. They discussed the urgent role of community centers in healing and uniting neighborhoods facing deep social, economic, and racial challenges.

The Inaugural NOMA Awards Show, Honoring Members And Design Excellence

As NOMA membership grew over the past five years, NOMA decided to transform its award ceremony from an award banquet to an awards presentation to accommodate members and guests. This year, NOMA celebrated its inaugural awards show at the Midland Theater in Kansas City’s Power & Light District, where NOMA welcomed members and special guests, including the evening host, Kiki Shepard, “Apollo Queen of Fashion,” Broadway veteran and television host, as well as Lakisha A. Woods, new President & CEO of the National Glass Association. Woods addressed the conference on advancing collaboration across the architectural supply chain. The gathering also acknowledged the support of the Architecture Organizations Alliance and celebrated leaders including longtime NOMA member Carole Wedge, incoming American Institute of Architects (AIA) EVP/CEO, and alliance executives: Stephen T. Ayers, Illya Azaroff, Jordan Luther, Gilberto Lozada Báez, Edward T. Marley, Michael J. Armstrong, Jeffrey L. Day, Mark Mistur, Tanya Tamarkin, Michael J. Monti, and Luis Gamez.

NOMA Executive Director Tiffany Brown, NOMA, Assoc. AIA, MBA, welcomed and thanked attendees, and acknowledged the NOMA Board of Directors, NOMA staff, allied partners, and members in attendance. In particular, Brown thanked NCARB for their generous funding extension, ensuring that NOMAS students from 12 different schools were able to attend the NOMA conference and participate in the student design competition. More than 60 students attended from the following schools:

• Arizona State University
• Bowling Green State University
• Harvard University
• Morgan State University
• Texas Tech University​
• The Boston Architectural College
• University of California, Berkeley
• University of California, Los Angeles
• University of Cincinnati ​
• The University of Texas at Austin
• University of the District of Columbia
• University of Kentucky

Phil Freelon Professional Design Awards

NOMA continued its tradition of design excellence with the Phil Freelon Professional Design Awards, recognizing outstanding built and unbuilt work in multiple categories, including Built Work, Unbuilt Work, Vision, Historic Preservation, Restoration, and Small Projects, presented by Jimeca Sims, NOMA National Awards Chair. To view the project submissions and honor awards, visit the awards gallery.

• Vision Design Excellence Honor Award: Pickard Chilton, Michael Hensley, AIA, RIBA, Principal Design Architect: The Grid Commons, New York, NY.
• Built Work Honor Award: BRAVE/Architecture, Fernando Brave, NOMA, FAIA, Principal Design Architect: Dr. Shannon Walker Neighborhood Library, Houston, TX.
  • Citation: Pickard Chilton, Michael Hensley, AIA, RIBA, Principal Design Architect: T3 Rino, Denver, CO.
• Unbuilt Work Honor Award: Vines Architecture, Inc., Victor Vines, NOMA, AIA, Design Architect Of Record. EVOKE Studio Architecture, Pllc, Edwin Harris, NOMA, AIA; Teri Canada, NOMA, FAIA, Associate Design Architect: Windsor Chavis Nocho Community Complex, Greensboro, NC.
  • Citation: Gensler, Roger Smith, NOMA, AIA, Principal Design Architect: Newark Community Museum Of Social Justice, Newark, NJ.
• Historic Preservation, Restoration Honor Award: Adjaye Associates, Sir David Adjaye OBE, NOMA; Pascale Sablan, NOMA, FAIA; Camaal Benoit, NOMA, Principal Design Architect: Dream Charter School, Bronx, NY.
  • Citation: EVOKE Studio Architecture, Edwin Harris, NOMA, AIA; Teri Canada, NOMA, FAIA, Principal Design Architect / Architect Of Record: Gordon Hall Renovation, Boston, MA.
  • Citation: Trivers, Martin Padilla, NOMA, AIA, Architect Of Record: The Victor, St. Louis, MO.
• Small Projects Design Honor Award: Moto Designshop, Eric Oskey, NOMA, AIA, Principal, Design Architect: Myers Hall Switchgear, Philadelphia, PA.
  • Citation: Studio8 Architects, Milton Hime, NOMA, FAIA, Architect Of Record; New Line Skateparks Inc.; and Rvi Planning + Landscape Architecture: Mueller Southeast Greenway Skatepark, Pump Track Canopies & Restroom Building, Austin, TX.

Jurors included: Deep Chaniara, NOMA, AIA, Architect IV, Corgan; Dayton Schroeter, NOMA, AIA, Vice President, Design Director, Smithgroup; and Eman Siddiqui, NOMA, AIA, Architecture, GSBS Architects.

NOMA Professional Member and Chapter Honors
NOMA Regional Vice Presidents – Midwest’s Ashlen Williams, NOMA, AIA, I-NOMA; Northeast’s Oswaldo Ortega, NOMA, AIA, PhilaNOMA; West’s Craig Atkinson, NOMA, DBIA, SoCalNOMA; and South’s Brien Graham, NOMA, AIA, DFWNOMA, presented the member and chapter awards. NOMA celebrated exceptional contributions by professional members, students, and chapters:

• NOMA Distinguished Service Award: Eletrice Harris, SoCal NOMA, was recognized for mentoring students nationwide, leading wildfire recovery efforts, and growing NOMA’s Project Pipeline.
• NOMA Member of the Year: Vershae Hite, NCNOMA, was honored for elevating NCNOMA through ARE scholarships, K–12 outreach, and creating a national model for DEI collaboration.
• NOMA Five-Star Chapters: Ten chapters achieved five-star chapter status, including NOMArizona, NOMAtlanta, BmoreNOMA, BosNOMA, DCNOMA, NOMA KC, NOMA Pittsburgh, SoCal NOMA, SoFlo NOMA, NOMA Utah
• Small Chapter of the Year: NOMA Pittsburgh was honored for growth, programming excellence, youth engagement, civic involvement, and Project Pipeline support.
• Large Chapter of the Year: SoCal NOMA was honored for hosting more than 20 professional development and networking events, pipeline programs including High School Bootcamp and summer camps, wildfire advocacy, and civic engagement across multiple school districts. 
• Special Recognitions: Emeritus members William J. Bates, NOMA, FAIA, former AIA president and architect; Wesley Howard Henderson, NOMA, AIA, Tuskegee University faculty and architect; and Charles Smith, NOMA, AIA, architect, were honored for their service to NOMA over the years. Chapter anniversaries were also announced, including Houston NOMA celebrating 20 years; NOMAtlanta celebrating 40 years, and NYCOBA NOMA celebrating 50 years.

NOMAS Student Awards

NOMA Student Representatives Joshua Cato, DCNOMA, and Patricia Negrón Meléndez, SCAD NOMA, presented the student leadership awards and welcomed new NOMAS chapters.

• Student Member of the Year: Yesenia Casilla Rios, University of California, Berkeley
• NOMAS Chapter of the Year: NOMAS at the University of Washington

This year, five new NOMAS student chapters were incorporated at the following schools: Belmont University; The New School; University of Memphis; University of New Mexico; and University of Texas at Arlington.

NOMA Barbara G. Laurie Student Design Competition: “A Tale Of Two Kansas Cities”The NOMA Barbara G. Laurie Student Design Competition brought together a diverse group of students, from more than 40 NOMAS chapters, to collaborate, innovate, and reimagine the built environment with a live jury experience for the students onsite. The NOMA University Liaisons Tianna St. James, NOMA, Assoc. AIA, NOMA Columbus; Jamilla Afandi, NOMA, SFNOMA; Joshua Ssebuwufu, NOMA, Assoc. AIA, BosNOMA; and Colby Mitchell, NOMA, Assoc. AIA, NOMA Memphis, introduced the student competition awards.

For the project, “A Tale Of Two Kansas Cities,” students reimagined two historic Kansas City sites shaped by decades of change and resilience:

• In Kansas City, Kansas, Minnesota Avenue—a once-thriving downtown corridor transformed by mid-century highway construction and now poised for pedestrian-friendly revival. 
• In Kansas City, Missouri, a site in Paseo West—an area scarred by urban renewal and disinvestment, yet rich with potential for community-driven revitalization.

Students were challenged to create designs that honored the past, responded to present needs, and envisioned a more connected, equitable future for these inclusive communities by designing multi-generational housing, a cultural center, and a self-selected program. To view all the project submissions and awards, visit the awards gallery.

Awards were presented to the NOMAS chapters at the following schools for their projects:

• First Place: University of California, Los Angeles, “Anchored Corners”
• Second Place: California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, First Thread: The Start Of Something Better” 
• Third Place: Santa Monica College, “Cadence”
• Honorable Mention: Pratt Institute, “Questioning Edge: A Study in Community, Memory & Movement”
• Special Recognition: Kansas State University, “KCK All-in”

The competition was generously sponsored by HDR, SOM, and NCARB.

Leadership Transitions and Elected Officers

NOMA also announced newly elected officers:

• NOMAS Student Representative: Nia Fletcher, Tulane University, NOMAS Tulane
• Secretary: Julia Weatherspoon, NOMA, AIA, SFNOMA, was re-elected to the position. 
• Parliamentarian: Ameera Ashraf-Oneal, I-NOMA, was re-elected to the position. 
• Regional Vice Presidents: Midwest – Ashlen Williams, NOMA, AIA, I-NOMA; South – Brien Graham, NOMA, AIA, DFWNOMA, were re-elected to their positions.

NOMA’s Future – Looking Forward

“NOMA’s conference celebrated the innumerable successes of our members and provided the inspiration, connection, and energy that our community comes to expect every year,” said Tiffany D. Brown, MBA, NOMA, Assoc. AIA, NOMA Executive Director. “We honor our members, lift our student voices, and continue the work of building a more equitable and inclusive profession. We are committed to evolving and growing NOMA’s operations, processes, and services to meet the needs of not only our members, but the times we live in. We remain committed to our mission, empowering our local chapters and membership to foster justice and equity in communities of color.”

With 46 professional chapters, including two international chapters, and 1,200 student members, NOMA looks ahead to continued growth and impact. Over 60 sponsors and more than 70 architecture firms, universities, and organizations participated in the 2025 conference in Kansas City, reflecting the strength of the pipeline and the vibrancy of the NOMA community.

NOMA’s 2026 annual conference will be held in Miami, Florida, hosted by SoFloNOMA, Oct. 14-18.

Source: National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA)