Planning Meeting and Conference Recap
The 2025 Planning meeting was held on Saturday, November 9th at Lamar Johnson Collaborative. The various committees discussed the milestones over the past year and the plans for the upcoming year. We reviewed the business items discussed during the Baltimore national conference.
The committees are thriving and you will see the upcoming events populated on the website calendar, as well as on our social media platform. We are always looking for more volunteers to keep things running smoothly. If you are eager to take on a leadership role and be more active in the chapter, we are looking for someone to chair the Fundraising Committee, Civic Diversity Initiatives, and ARE Prep. If you are interested in any of these, please contact President Omar Bailey at president@nomaarizona.org
During the National Conference in Baltimore, Olga Bracamontes was among 40 newly licensed architects to be “pinned” during the Business session. Christian Solorio lead a seminar on “The Citizen Architect” while Gary Nelson and Maurita Harris presented a seminar on “ADA Access Granted.” We are so very proud of our NOMAS ASU students. This was their first time entering the student design competition and they won third place for the Acadia Awards.
Conference Fun Facts:
- 100 members from the West Region attended the conference
- West Region is still the largest region out of 45 regions total.
- NOMA New Mexico and NOMA Nevada were recognized as the West’s two new chapters
- 13 NOMAS chapters participated in the Student Design Competition
- ASU students placed third in the student competition ACADIA category out of 42 schools that submitted
- Gary Nelson received a NOMA Service Award for his commitment and services to NOMA
- During the Minorities with Minorities session: Earl Kai Chan was recognized. He was the first non-black president of NOMA AZ from 1987-’88. He was from Tucson, Arizona and a Fellow of the AIA.
- Database of African American Architects is being updated
- New name Directory of Diverse Architects & Designers
- New format will allow members to identify with the demographic they feel represents them
For more on the overall national conference wrap-up, click here.
Photos
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K-12 Initiatives
A variety of programs for students, Kindergarten to 12th grade, to learn about design and different career paths connecting them with architects and designers.
Scholarships
Financial support for local architects and design students to continue their education and professional growth, including their path towards licensure.
ARE Prep
Seminars that prepare Emerging Professionals for Architectural Registration Exams.
Educational Events
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NOMAS
Mentoring partnership with Arizona Student Chapters (ASU, U of A)