NEW ORLEANS - The National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) has named Bryan C. Lee, Jr., founder and design principle of New Orleans-based architecture and design nonprofit Collaqate Design, as the new NOMA president. Collaqate Design is a multidisciplinary design justice practice with offices in New Orleans and Portland, Oregon. Prior to founding Collaqate Design, Lee was the Arts Council of New Orleans Place + Civic Design Director.
“It is an honor to serve as NOMA’s president and the power it represents, which is to lift others up in every stage of their careers and to speak to the reach and impact of architecture and community,” said Lee. “NOMA’s legacy illustrates the impact any one person can make on the collective while lifting up others with you as you build higher. Our profession holds immense power to shape the physical and social landscapes of our world. Together, we will continue to challenge the status quo, cultivate talent from underrepresented communities, and ensure that design is a tool for justice and transformation.”
Lee was also honored with the 2025 AIA Whitney M. Young Jr. Award in December 2024, which distinguishes an architect or architectural organization that embodies social responsibility. His work has consistently pushed the boundaries of how architecture can empower communities, address systemic inequities, and amplify the voices of those historically underrepresented in the field.
As a nationally recognized community design advocate, Lee plans to dedicate his time as NOMA president to leveraging architecture as a bridge builder to solve societal issues. Lee is a nationally recognized community design advocate, committed to architecture as social engagement. He will serve as NOMA president for two years starting Jan. 1 taking over from Pascale Sablan, CEO of Adjaye Associates in New York which oversees architectural and design projects in North and South America and the Caribbean.
NOMA was formed over fifty years ago to represent the needs of African American architects and has almost 4,000 members, is represented in 46 professional chapters and 128 student chapters across the U.S., including NOMALouisiana and the Tulane University Student chapter. The Tulane NOMA student chapter also won the national student design competition hosted by NOMA in Baltimore in 2024.
NOMA has described Lee as a distinguished architect, educator, and advocate for design justice who assumes the leadership of NOMA during a pivotal time for the architecture and design community. With a career rooted in activism, organizing and equity-focused design, Lee brings a wealth of leadership, organization and design experience to NOMA, in addition to twenty years of NOMA service.
As President, Lee seeks to advance NOMA's commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion within the built environment. His vision encompasses expanding partnerships with other equity-focused organizations, highlighting NOMA members' achievements and narratives, enhancing support for architecture and design students and educators, and strengthening connections with the communities NOMA serves.
Lee has twenty years of NOMA service and advocacy under his belt. His NOMA journey began as an architecture student at Ohio State University (OSU), where he helped co-found the first chapter of OSU NOMA. He was a founding member of the New Jersey NOMA chapter when he attended New Jersey Institute of Technology to receive his Master of Architecture and was also a member of their student chapter. As president of the NOMA Louisiana chapter, Lee was instrumental in bringing the NOMA conference to New Orleans.
Recognizing the important voice communities play in shaping their respective communities, Lee sought to develop programs and initiatives that reinforce the vital role of exposing youth to the architecture profession. He advanced justice in education and chaired NOMA's Project Pipeline.
In 2012, under Lee’s leadership and others, a formal curriculum was established to guide host chapters nationwide. The curriculum covers fundamental concepts in architecture and design, including understanding city and neighborhood dynamics, developing sketching skills, using basic design software, and exploring resources to support students' continued journey in the field. Today, this program has introduced more than 20,000 students to architecture and its potential to address systemic inequities, inspiring the next generation of designers.
“Bryan’s vision and unwavering commitment to advancing equitable practices and policies in architecture are precisely what NOMA needs as we navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead,” said Tiffany Brown, NOMA executive director. “He fosters a deep understanding of how architecture can serve as a tool for social change. Bryan's leadership will be instrumental in advancing NOMA's goals in this context."
Lee believes that for every injustice in this world there is an architecture, a plan and a design that has been built to sustain it. At the root of housing, transportation, and economic injustice are remnants of redlining and covenants that continue to extract wealth and enforce segregation. At the root of environmental racism stems an infrastructure that accounts for 39 percent of carbon emissions and demands 40 percent of energy production, driving climate change. At the root of unjust policing is a prison-industrial complex sustained by the design of spaces that strip marginalized people of their dignity and potential, all for profit.
“Architecture has the power to speak the language of the people it serves and we have to be willing to serve those without power,” said Lee. “We can choose to be a profession and organization that slips into the cozy niche assertion that architecture is too large to deal with the small nuanced considerations in our communities yet too small to address the larger systemic issues in our society. Or, through advocacy, policy, design and partnerships, we can choose to motivate and build bridges to the future we want to see.”
Lee has stated that under his leadership NOMA will remain steadfast in its mission to empower minority architects and champion the role of design in creating a just and equitable society through programs and allied partnerships. NOMA is committed to building a strong national organization, strong chapters and strong members for the purpose of minimizing the effect of racism in the profession by implementing and supporting advocacy committees, including NOMA Educate, NOMA Elevate and NOMA Empower. Lee is adding NOMA Engage as an additional pillar to NOMA to formalize the advocacy and community design engagement component of the organization and profession. The committee will be announced this spring to advance the NOMA Engage agenda.
In addition, Lee’s firm, Collaqate Design at 4025 Ulloa St., has led cultural conversations in monument and culture making and has implemented community-design work that has helped open the conversation around inclusive history, truth telling and creating a dynamic urban future.
In New Orleans, two transformative projects by the design community are Paper Monuments and the Claiborne Cultural Innovation District through the Ujamaa Economic Development Corporation. These works elevate community voices and reshape the urban landscape. Paper Monuments fosters dialogue about symbols, systems, and erased histories by envisioning new public monuments that reflect the city’s collective past and future. The Claiborne Cultural Innovation District transforms an industrial corridor into a vibrant cultural and economic hub, creating a public marketplace that promotes economic development, cultural preservation, and sustainable urban design, all guided by community consultation.
NOMA is a haven for architects of all origins who seek inclusion in the design industry. It advocates for the licensure of African American architects (which make up only two percent of all licensed architects in the US) and other people in underrepresented communities including Native American, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, East Indian, and Asian, as well as an increasing segment of non-minority members who support NOMA’s mission.
NOMA also supports its student members by providing mentorship, scholarships, and job opportunities to ensure their successful transition into the profession.
Besides Lee as President, other new NOMA board members include Ashlen V. Williams, NOMA Midwest Regional Vice President, Oswaldo Ortega, NOMA Northeast Regional Vice President, Craig Atkinson, West Regional Vice President, Teonna N. Cooksey, Treasurer, Joshua Sswebuwufu, NOMA University Liaisons NorthEast Region, Tianna St. James, Midwest Region, Colby Mitchell, NOMA South Region, and Patricia Negrón Meléndez, Student Representative.
NOMA’s 2025 annual conference will be held in Kansas City, Missouri, Oct. 8-12. A call for presenters is now open here.
