AIA Wisconsin: 2020 Fall Workshop - Social Justice and Equitable Design in Wisconsin

About this Event

Through a series of discussions, Wisconsin design and construction  professionals will be invited to rethink racial disparities and take  action in their business practices and design solutions. It's time to  invest professional resources in creative solutions.

Learning Objectives:

• gain an understanding of inclusion, diversity, and equal opportunity  as it relates to business practices
• gain knowledge of practical applications of   community engagement and civic education
• learning about Wisconsin's unique narrative on diversity and inclusion and the opportunities for a positive impact
• be introduced to tools and actionable solutions to impact firm dynamics and projects

The program will be presented virtually using the ZOOM platform.

Agenda

8:30 a.m. Welcome

8:45 a.m. Rethinking Racial Disparities - Dr. Alexander Gee

9:45 a.m. Break

9:55 a.m. Project Team Panel Discussion

Panelists: Juli Kaufmann; Samuel Leichtling; Kirk Lewis;  Allyson Nemec, AIA; Francisco Sayu

Moderated by Nolman Davis, Assoc. AIA, NOMA

11:25 a.m. Break

11:35 a.m. Awareness and Action - August Ball

12:45 p.m. Adjourn

3.5 AIA/CES Learning Unit Hours

Featured Speakers

Dr. Alexander Gee - Over the past three decades Dr. Alex Gee has served as an advisor to  leaders from around the world. His sage wisdom and incredible insight  into individuals and systems has gained him influence with leaders from  civic, corporate, non-profit, and academic sectors as well as  entertainers, governmental leaders, and dignitaries. Most recently, Gee  assembled an impressive team of African American influencers from local  Madison businesses, the University of Wisconsin, community agencies, and  churches, to create a comprehensive framework called “The Our Madison  Plan”, designed to unify Madison’s divided communities. Gee’s recent  efforts have created historic gatherings and mobilized over 1,000  non-black allies into the community. Gee’s work includes educating,  coaching, and mobilizing white allies, as well as building capacity and  networking opportunities for Madison’s Black emerging leaders. The goal  of his investments is to build social cohesion that will lead to the  creation of sustainable solutions by the community as a whole.

August Ball - After a decade of working in the environmental field, August Marie  Ball, a woman of color, and citizen of the world, noticed a theme: There  was a lack of representation of people of color in leadership positions  and a lack of knowledge on how to affect existing organizational  cultures that result in workforce homogeneity. August helps  environmental and community-based organizations address diversity and  land stewardship needs through the cultivation of inclusive culture and  creation of equitable green career pipelines. Any organization can  increase engagement of traditionally underrepresented populations and  build access through her trainings because she helps them identify (and  provides tools) for interrupting unconscious bias and disrupting  institutional roadblocks.

Moderator and Panelists:

Nolman Davis Jr., Assoc. AIA  – Nolman is a project specialist with Eppstein Uhen Architects in  Milwaukee and a member of the National Organization of Minority  Architecture (NOMA).

Juli Kaufmann – Juli is a  social entrepreneur and President of Fix Development, an award-winning  Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based commercial real estate company. Fix  Development creates “quadruple bottom line” real estate projects that  aim to have a positive cultural, social, environmental, and economic  impact. Using community-design, co-development, and crowdfunding  strategies, Fix Development catalyzes local economic opportunity and  wealth creation, even in our most disinvested neighborhoods. Fix  Development imagines an equitable city where all citizens can realize  their potential. Juli has developed more than $25 million in real estate  projects and is currently focused primarily in the Lindsay Heights,  Sherman Park, Riverwest, and Harambee Neighborhoods of Milwaukee,  Wisconsin. She has recently expanded her firm to projects in Illinois.

Samuel Leichtling -  Sam is the city planning manager for the City of Milwaukee’s Department  of City Development. He oversees the staff responsible for the  development, updating and implementation of the fourteen area plans that  make up the city’s Comprehensive Plan. He contributed to the Water and  Land Use Plan for Milwaukee’s Harbor District, the Equitable Growth  through Transit Oriented Development planning initiative, the City of  Milwaukee’s Anti-Displacement Plan, and the Granville Strategic Action  Plan and Land Use Study. Sam previously served as the Program Director  for the City of Milwaukee’s Neighborhood Improvement Development  Corporation (NIDC), and has worked in housing and neighborhood  development including developing and implementing the recommendations of  Mayor Tom Barrett’s Milwaukee Foreclosure Partnership Initiative. Sam  holds master’s degrees in Urban Planning and Public Administration from  the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Kirk Lewis -  Kirk is a senior project architect associate at Eppstein Uhen  Architects in Milwaukee. He creates environments that help shape young  minds. The buildings not only provide a space for learning, but they  establish an atmosphere that creates ease and happiness – helping  students learn while improving their well-being. His role is the  production lead, organizing work efforts and providing guidance to  younger staff while  upholding standards and guidelines for quality  control.

Allyson Nemec, AIA – Allyson has a  diverse academic and professional background, but her studies in  Architectural History and extensive work in historic preservation make  her have established her as a well-known expert on renovation and  adaptive re-use projects. In addition, Allyson has a long history of  community involvement serving as president of AIA Wisconsin and the  Wisconsin Architects Foundation, president of the UWM Alumni  Association, president of the Next Act Theater advisory board, and as an  active member in the Historic Concordia Neighborhood Association.

Francisco Sayu - Francisco is the president and founder of Sustainable Community  Partners (SCP) LLC. SCP supports design professionals and building  owners in meeting their sustainability, energy efficiency, renewable  energy, and community engagement goals for new buildings and  infrastructure projects. Prior to SCP, Francisco served as program  manager for the Focus on Energy® New Construction Solution; a statewide  comprehensive energy efficiency program. In this role, he provided  leadership across program activities including outreach, technical  assistance, measurement and verification, and financial incentives.   Dedicated to issues of racial equity, Francisco is executive director of  BikEquity Inc., a non-profit organization working to reduce barriers to  biking for people of color.

Fall Workshop Chair: Kimberly W. Reddin, AIA

AIA Wisconsin and WISCO NOMA  are working in collaboration to provide an informative and actionable 2020 Fall Workshop.

• Less than ten percent of licensed Architects nationally are people of color.
• Less than one percent of  Architects are African American women.