WIA Lecture Series: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
July 22 - Diversity and Inclusion in Recruiting & Marketing
5:30-7:00p
Panel discussion with representatives from local firms and architecture schools about diversity and inclusion in recruiting and marketing. Panelists include:
Bonike Akinsanya, CannonDesign
Bonike Akinsanya, PHR, SHRM-CP is a Senior Associate and leader with the Human Resources team at CannonDesign. Driven by a deep passion for diversity and equity within the AEC profession, she supports the firm in recruiting and retaining top talent, fostering an inclusive workplace culture, and creating rewarding employee experiences. Bonike is a founding member of CannonDesign's Diversity + Inclusion Council and leads the firm's partnerships with historically black colleges and universities. In her hometown of St. Louis, she is a regular presenter and workshop facilitator for the INROADS program—a non-profit addressing the lack of ethnic diversity in corporate America. She’s also actively involved in the Greater St. Louis Society for Human Resource Management, the Young Leaders Group for Construction Forum STL, and is a former Young Friends Board Member for Starkloff Disability Institute. Born in Nigeria, Bonike obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Psychology from the University of Tennessee at Martin and a Master of Human Resources from Lipscomb University.Gina Fernandes, Ayers Saint Gross
Gina Fernandes is an associate designer at Ayers Saint Gross. She received a BA in International Affairs and a MA in Higher Education Administration from The George Washington University, followed by a MArch from the University of Maryland. In January 2019, Gina stepped into the role of Chapter President for the DC Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (DCNOMA). A few months later, Gina began to co-chair an internal team at Ayers Saint Gross focusing on Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI). Since September, Gina started teaching an architecture studio as an adjunct faculty member at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), a public, land-grant HBCU here in DC. To make meaningful and lasting change in the design community, we need to support all parts of the Pipeline. Gina aspires to contribute to that change through advocacy and education. To round out her schedule, Gina spends her time studying for the AREs and creating mix-media art, which you can find on her instagram: ginafernandesMichael Marshall, Michael Marshall Design
Michael Marshall is the design director and principal of Michael Marshall Design (MMD). He manages the firm's architectural projects with a keen sensitivity to context and environment, and leads each project in design excellence. In a career that spans more than three decades, Marshall has completed commissions on a wide range of building types including commercial, corporate, cultural and urban design, as well as mixed-use developments. His skills have facilitated numerous successful partnerships with developers, architects, governmental agencies, and private companies.
In 2018, Marshall's work was accepted into the architectural design archives of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. Also in 2018, Marshall was selected as the University of Maryland School of Architecture's Fall 2018 Kea Distinguished Professor, to serve as critic and lecturer in the Architecture Program. Marshall has been recognized as a 2016 "Power 100 Playmaker" and 2014 "Minority Business Leader of the Year" by the Washington Business Journal. He was also honored with a 2014 Dandi Award for Diversity and Inclusion. Marshall volunteers his time presenting lectures on architecture and serving on architecture advisory boards; most recently he served as a juror for the DC Historic Preservation Awards. He received a Masters degree in Architecture from Yale University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture from The Catholic University of America. He began his studies at the University of the District of Columbia in 1975.Susan Piedmont-Palladino, Virginia Tech Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center
Susan Piedmont-Palladino is an architect, professor, and the Director of Virginia Tech's Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center (WAAC), where she also directs the graduate program in urban design. As Director of the WAAC, Susan is committed to design education that is international, interdisciplinary, and individually focused.She is also a curator at the National Building Museum and the author of several books, including companion books for exhibitions and initiatives she curated: Green Community (with Tim Mennell), Tools of the Imagination: Drawing Tools and Technologies from the Eighteenth Century to the Present, and Intelligent Cities. With Mark Alden Branch, she wrote Devil's Workshop: 25 Years of Jersey Devil Architecture. Her most recent book takes a fresh look at graphic communications; titled How Drawings Work: A User-Friendly Theory, published in January 2019.
A graduate of Virginia Tech and the College of William and Mary, she has lectured on American urbanism, sustainability, and current issues in design, to public, professional, and academic audiences in the US, Europe and Latin America. She has been on several architect selection committees, and on numerous design awards juries. She was awarded the inaugural Vision in Design Award from the Branch Museum of Architecture in 2018, and the Washington Architecture Foundation's John Wiebenson Award in 2014 for work dedicated to the public interest.
Moderator: Scott Archer, Beyer Blinder Belle
Scott Archer is an Architect, Urban Designer, and Certified Planner in BBB's Washington, DC office. With a diversity of experience in architecture, planning, and urban design, he brings a spirit of both rationality and ingenuity to his project teams. He collaborates with varied clients, including governmental, institutional, and private organizations, to create strategies that express their missions within their city, campus, or building. He holds a Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Architecture from Mississippi State University. Scott is the co-chair of the AIA|DC Urban Design Committee and an adjunct faculty member at Virginia Tech’s Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center.[Register Today]
Women in Architecture is pleased to partner with Beyer Blinder Belle to provide a series of panel discussions on what firms are currently doing to be more Equitable, Diverse and Inclusive, and how we can improve our current practices.