February 2019 – I was one of four panelists for the Equity in Architecture 2019 Forum. The mission of EQiA is to promote unity and equity through: inclusion, identity, and power. The provocation for the forum stated: “Is the practice of architecture fundamentally equitable? While women represent nearly half of current architecture school graduates, the number of licensed architect and senior leadership positions held by women remains between 15 and 18 percent. The numbers are even more skewed for representation of diverse race, nationality, and socio-economic status. Survey results show disparity in access to education, job satisfaction, and pay at every level of experience. Our future, if unchanged, indicates a lack of diversity in academic and professional leadership.” The keynote speaker was Wanona Satcher, a social entrepreneur, urban designer, and community development strategist. Other diverse minds and representations on the panel committed to equity included: Heather Infantry, the Executive Director of GENERATOR; Lisa York, Architect and Chief Sustainability Officer; Leeland McPhail, Architect; and Ph.D. student Yousef Bushehri.
