International Women’s Day 2021: #ChooseToChallenge

*This event is occurring as a live webinar. Registrants will be emailed a link to access the program; please continue to register.*

“A challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change”, reads this year’s International Women’s Day campaign. We are living through tremendously challenging times. Simultaneous crises in the realms of social justice, health, the economy, and climate have revealed the depth of inequities that persist within our society, and have also galvanized activist movements that bring the promise of real change.

We have witnessed parallel trends within the architecture profession, as firms have faced economic pressures while also being called to address issues of equity in the workplace and social justice in their built work. We have also seen the possibility of real change within our profession, inspired by architects who have worked for years to address the interrelated structural roots of these challenges. 

To celebrate International Women's Day, please join us in a conversation with inspiring women architects who #ChooseToChallenge the status quo, centering justice and equity in their practices and working to build a more resilient and relevant architectural profession.

Speakers:
Tamarah Begay, AIA, President & CEO, Indigenous Design Studio
Damaris Hollingsworth, AIA, Principal Architect, Design by Melo
Diana Nicklaus, AIA, President & CEO, saam Architecture
Rosa Sheng, FAIA, Principal & Director of J.E.D.I., Smith Group

Moderator:
Annelise Pitts, AIA, Principal Consultant, Cameron MacAllister

About the speakers:

Tamarah Begay, AIA, is the Founder of Indigenous Design Studio + Architecture (IDS+A), a 100% Native American Woman-Owned architectural and planning firm. Begay is a member of the Navajo Nation, the first Navajo woman registered architect and has over 15 years of experience working in Native American tribes with connecting culture, language and tradition through design. Begay is committed to educating clients on the importance of embracing Indigenous values of design and planning. She is also committed in supporting minorities in particular Native Americans in architecture & planning and related fields, through business opportunities and professional development. Begay is currently the President of the American Indian Council of Architects + Engineers (AICAE).

Damaris Hollingsworth, AIA, has an Architectural and Urban Planning degree from the Faculdade de Arquitetura & Urbanismo at University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Having moved to the Unites States of America in 2006, Hollingsworth has since become a Registered Architect, a LEED accredited professional and holds a NCARB certificate. Hollingsworth’s dynamic and engaging personality combined with her global and multicultural background enables her to connect with people from all walks of life. Her approachability makes people feel relevant and the outcome of her work makes it clear that all voices matter. With vibrancy and grace, Hollingsworth is poised to expand the reach of inclusive architecture as a way to promote social justice and to beautify all communities. Her design solutions are deeply rooted in the people it serves, while responding to both community values and economic realities. Her resiliency inspires all around her to be productive and stay engaged.

With over 20 years of experience, Diana Nicklaus, AIA, has practiced architecture in both the United States and Italy, with projects throughout the continental U.S. and Europe. In 2014, Nicklaus co-founded Saam Architecture with the mission of providing a progressive HR model to attract top talent to an equitable environment. As an advocate for women’s leadership and equitable practice, she has shared her firm’s strategies in numerous presentations and interviews, including Equity by Design and the AIA Women’s Leadership Summit. Nicklaus was a founding co-chair of the Massachusetts Building Congress Women’s Network, the Founding President of Boston Professional Women in Construction, and is currently serving as the Secretary of the Board for the Boston Society of Architecture. Nicklaus holds a B.A. in Art History from Tufts University and a Master of Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin.

Rosa T. Sheng, FAIA, is Principal and Director of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion at SmithGroup. She is also the founder of Equity by Design [EQxD] and 2018 Past President of AIA San Francisco. Throughout the years, Sheng has led a variety of award-winning and internationally acclaimed projects, while launching a national movement for equitable practice, just and inclusive design outcomes in the built environment with a focus on higher education learning and space resources for student success. Sheng has delivered continuing educational programs and thought leadership outreach featured in Architect Magazine, Metropolis, Wall Street Journal, TEDxPhiladelphia, SxSW, KQED/NPR, and Cannes Lions. In 2019 she was recognized as a Metropolis Game Changer.

Annelise Pitts, AIA, is a passionate designer, researcher and advocate for justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in architectural practice and in the built environment. As Research Chair for Equity by Design, she leads the Equity in Architecture research project, a national multi-phase study exploring differential career experiences and aspirations of architectural professionals on the basis of personal identity. This work has been widely published, most recently in Women [Re]Build: Stories, Polemics, Futures and The Plan Journal. She has also served on the AIA’s Equity & the Future of Architecture Committee, advising on the development of the AIA Guides for Equitable Practice. She is a licensed architect who recently joined Cameron MacAllister Group after serving as a member of the leadership team in Bohlin Cywinski Jackson’s New York studio. In CMG’s consultancy, she works with firms to conduct assessments and to develop actionable insights aimed at advancing JEDI in a way that is authentic to each firm’s culture and values.