A 2-day event, Encompass will tackle diversity and inclusion in the profession and education as well as the role of architecture in increasing urban equity and resilience.

The need for the architecture profession to advance greater social and environmental justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion is now more urgent than ever. Our challenges can be solved more effectively when diverse minds work together. Let’s transform this crisis into a catalyst to accelerate proactive and positive change.

+ Ziba Ghassemi, AIA, LEED AP – Vice President of Design, Airports, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield Group
+ Leslie Sydnor, AIA, LEED AP – Director, Planning Project Manager, Cumming Corporation
+ Joshua Foster, NOMA, Assoc. AIA – Designer, KFA, LLP
+ Kevin Michael Holland, FAIA, NOMAC, LEED AP – Managing Principal, K. Michael Architects, LLC

Day 1 – Wednesday, September 2, 2020 | 8:00A – 10:30A

Day 2 – Thursday, September 3, 2020 | 8:00A – 10:30A

Encompass is a Virtual Conference

5 HSW LUs

AIA Members/$45 (includes both days)

Public/$65 (includes both days)

Students/ FREE (includes both days)

*If you’d like to volunteer for this conference and/or need to enquire about receiving a scholarship to attend, please contact Will Wright for more details.

Day 1: “Inclusive Profession in the New Normal”

Panel 1 – We Are All In It Together: Beyond Workplace

Speakers:

Kimberly Dowdell, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP – Principal, HOK & 2019-2020 National President, NOMA
Marcela Oliva – Architecture Professor, LATTC & Lead, Careers by Design LA
John A. Padilla, AIA – Padilla Architect
Marcus Reese – Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW)
Carol C. Wedge, FAIA, LEED AP – CEO, Shepley Bulfinch
Ziba Ghassemi, AIA, LEED AP – Vice President of Design, Airports, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield Group (co-moderator)
Kevin Michael Holland, FAIA, NOMAC, LEED AP – Managing Principal, K. Michael Architects, LLC (co-moderator)

Panel 2 – Urban Resilience: Planning for Equitable & Healthy Communities

Speakers:

Majora Carter – Urban Revitalization Strategist, McArthur Fellow, Peabody Award winning radio broadcaster & Social-Enterprise Pioneer
Lance A. Collins, AIA, LEED AP (BD+C), cSBA, GGP, GGA-EB – Director, Partner Energy & President, So Cal NOMA
Ronnell Hampton, M.A. – Founder, Growing Greatness & Los Angeles Food Policy Council
Demar Matthews – Founder/Principal, OffTOP Design
Leslie Sydnor, AIA, LEED AP – Director, Cumming Corporation & Board Director, AIA Los Angeles (co-moderator)
Christopher Locke, NOMA – Designer, Egan Simon | Architecture &
Co-Founder, Designing in Color (co-moderator)

Day 2: “The Follow Through: Effectuate Change by Education”

Panel 3: “The College Stress: Student-driven Discussions on the Impact of the Coronavirus & Pre-existing Inequalities

Speakers (students):
Dae’ja Slack – Designer, Perkins Eastman & Alumna, Howard University
Stephen E. Curtiss – Intern, KFA Architecture & Student, East Los Angeles College
Stephanie Green, NOMAS – Vice President of NOMAS, Woodbury Architecture
Khan Muhammad, NOMAS – B.Arch Undergraduate Student, NOMAS Chapter President 2017-2020, Woodbury University
Jessica Florence – Intern, Jacobs & 4th year architecture student, Florida A&M University
Ekaterina (Kate) Bogdanova, AIAS, NOMAS – Intern, Perkins Eastman &  2021 M.Arch, USC Graduate & President of NOMAS at USC & Board Member of AIAS at USC

Speakers (Faculty):
Aaron Gensler – Principal, GenslerClipp & Assistant Chair of Woodbury School of Architecture
Alvin Huang, AIA, NOMA – Principal, Synthesis Design + Architecture & Director of Graduate Architecture & Associate Professor, USC Architecture
D. Michael Hamner, FAIA, NCARB – Chair/Professor, Architecture Department, East Los Angeles College
Dahlia Nduom, AIA, NOMA – Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, College of Engineering and Architecture, Howard University

Co-Moderators:
Joshua A. Foster, NOMA, Assoc. AIA – Designer, KFA, LLP & Historian, So Cal NOMA
Matthew Trotter, NOMA, Assoc. AIA – Designer, Cunningham Group & Parliamentarian, So Cal NOMA

Panel 4: Take Action: A Workshop on Exploring Next Steps for Implementation

Session Leaders:
Dawn Hicks, Assoc. AIA, NOMA – Treasurer, So Cal NOMA & Rose Fellow/Community Design Coordinator, Venice Community Housing Corporation
Janiece Williams, NOMA – Director of Operations, Hanson LA & Secretary, So Cal NOMA

There have been town halls, panel discussions, meetings, and now SoCalNOMA has launched the DEI Challenge to firms with actionable items and measurable accountability towards achieving greater diversity, equity and inclusion throughout their business operations.

While considering ways to implement greater diversity in our businesses, we must ask ourselves how do we keep the momentum going? As we explore the impacts of diversity on the industry pipeline, we have to consider approaching implementation from various angles. When you think about the longstanding work that needs to be done in order to see real change, how can firms continue to keep this at the forefront of their strategic planning? How will this continue to appeal to all professionals from the recent graduates to Principals and CEOS?

This workshop will allow attendees to participate in thought-provoking and challenging discussions to address two main questions at the root of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the design industry:

What is the business case for diversity, equity and inclusion?
What is the design case for diversity, equity and inclusion?

The answers may vary from company to company, but in order to put the action in place, let’s take this time to address the very questions that many of us may not know how to answer. Providing this platform in support of one another can help to fuel the action and use this as an opportunity to collaborate across the industry.

Encompass is made possible by the generous firms who support EDI in the A/E/C industries.

Support a conference that advances our profession, increase visibility for your firm, and pick up tickets for your staff.

To sponsor Encompass, Click Here.

HKS

KFA

NAC Architecture

PCL Construction Services

HansonLA

Bernards