GSA Offers Dedicated Resources to National Organization of Minority Architects
In 2003, GSA signed a Partnering Charter with the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) as a significant step toward helping ensure that minority architects are provided opportunities, insight, and collaboration regarding the GSA Public Building Service.
An objective of the partnering charter is to continue ongoing lines of communication and the productive exchange of information, particularly related to industry and government best practices and state-of-the-art design practices.
This year, GSA amplified this commitment by designating Regional Champions to promote the goals of the charter and to buttress lines of communication. The Regional Champions will assist in fulfilling the Partnering Charter with NOMA, to further ensure that GSA efforts are as broad and inclusive as possible when it comes to hiring architectural talent.
The GSA-NOMA Champions are tasked with providing guidance and oversight. The current Regional Champions are:
- New England(1): Dan Corria
- Northeast and Caribbean (2): Daisy Velez
- Mid-Atlantic (3): Melvin Etienne
- Southeast Sunbelt(4): Oscar Trevilla
- Great Lakes(5): Ransom Gillespie
- Heartland (6): Sylvia Augustus
- Greater Southwest (7): Marcus Woods
- Rocky Mountain (8): Jack Cooper
- Pacific Rim(9): Maria Ciprazo
- Northwest/Arctic (10): Larry Benson
- National Capital Region (11): Isoken Ihama
- CO: Mary Shearill-Thompson, National Program Manager
The program currently includes a set of initiatives aimed at providing appropriate liaison with NOMA members. The initial activities include:
- Selection of Regional Champions (kicking off FY08)
- GSA participation in NOMA’s annual conference
- Presentation of GSA programs to NOMA members
For more information, contact Mary Shearill-Thompson at (202) 208-1827 or mary.shearill-thompson@gsa.gov.
