NOMA highlights winners of the Phil Freelon Professional Design Awards, Student Design Competition and more at 2023 conference

Creativeness Travel 20231013 03446
2023 NOMA Conference attendees for the licensure pinning ceremony.

By Katherine Guimapang

The National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) National Conference invited its members (design professionals and students) from across the nation to participate in lectures, panel discussions, networking opportunities, and more. This year’s sold-out conference, held in Portland, Oregon, welcomed “more than 1,550 NOMA members, allies and students,” according to the organization. Participants from over 38 states and four countries, in addition to NOMA’s newest chapter from the UK who attended the event. 

Pascale Sablan, NOMA’s 2023-24 President, shared, “NOMA Conference is a moment in time to reflect and recharge on our choices of why we were called to become architects. As architects, we’re often seen as the creators of spaces and designers of buildings, but we are also the architects of change […] Our role extends far beyond blueprints and structures; it encompasses the responsibility to shape the environments where people live, learn, work, and dream.”

Individuals recognized at the conference also included newly licensed architects who were honored in a special pinning ceremony. NOMA Chapter and Individual awards were also highlighted, honoring a total of 14 professionals and chapters.