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Whose Pipeline Is It Anyway? Architects, Clients & Educators

2023-TH105
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1.50 LU
4.13
Course expires on: 06/05/2026
$35
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Description

Architects are challenged to create inclusive teams, but often, client requirements for schedule and a team’s history together, portfolio, and longevity cause architects to select teams based on the “safe bet.” And both architects and clients look to educators to generate a pipeline of diverse young designers. What are the responsibilities of each party (client, architect, and educator) to create high-performing and representative teams? Join this panel for an insightful discussion on addressing the challenge of meaningful inclusion in the design/construction industry.

Course expires 6/4/2026

Learning Objectives

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Serve as a positive force for inclusion in the profession, firm leadership and project teams, and impact the expansion of the talent pool.     

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Understand why expanding the talent pool benefits all parties, including clients, architects, and educators. 

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Shift your organization’s policy and approach to hiring, retention, and future leadership to create a more diverse workforce.

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Prepare for firm owners’ expectations on inclusivity as they shift from percentages to comprehensive goals for diversity on project teams.

Instructors
Robert Easter
FAIA

Robert L. Easter, FAIA, NOMAC, has been the chair of the Department of Architecture at Hampton University since 2008. He has overseen the reaccreditation effort of the professional program, securing an eight-year affirmation of the program's standing with the National Architectural Accrediting Board. Professionally, he is President of KEi architects in Richmond, Virginia. A graduate of Hampton University, he also holds a Master of Architecture degree in Architecture / Urban Design from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He is the 2023 recipient of the AIA's Whitney M. Young Award, a past .national president of NOMA and the immediate Past-President of AIA-Virginia.

Yoonjee Koh

Yoonjee Koh is Director of Intermediate Architecture Studios and faculty at the Boston Architectural College (BAC), an open-admissions and practice-based institution. She is a board member of Architexx, which strives for gender equity in architecture. She is an associate editor and board member at Journal of Architectural Education. Yoonjee received her B.Arch from Cornell University, and her M.Arch and Masters in History and Philosophy in Design Studies from Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Sindu Meier
AIA (she/her/hers)

Sindu has managed several of the firm’s highest profile projects, including the historic Johnson Building transformation of the Central Library at Boston Public Library (2017 Harleston Parker Medal), Taussig Cancer Center at the Cleveland Clinic and the Boston Museum of Science. Over her 26 years in architecture including 10 years at William Rawn Associates, Sindu recently completed the Net-Zero Emissions and LEED v.4 Platinum Cambridge Community Complex which is a AIA COTE Top Ten Award winner. She is currently working on the Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts at Colby College, the South Residential Village at Case Western Reserve University and the Boston Museum of Science. 

Sindu serves as a Library Trustee for the town of Milton, MA and serves on the board of the Boston Society of Architects. Sindu is also the Chair of the Society of Indo-American Architects and Designers. Sindu is committed to helping civic and private institutions create welcoming and inclusive environments for all.

 

Ganesh Ramachandran
AICP (he/him/his)

Ganesh Ramachandran, AICP, is the Deputy Director of Planning at the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. DCAMM is responsible for capital planning, public building construction, facilities management, and real estate services for the Commonwealth. Ganesh oversees capital planning for Health and Human Services agencies and the Judiciary, comprising of 11.5 GSF of state portfolio. In addition, he manages the Designer Selection Process for the Office of Planning in collaboration with the Designer Selection Board and the user agency leadership.

Prior to public service, Ganesh was a Senior Urban Designer and Planner at Goody Clancy, CBT Architects, Wallace Roberts and Todd, and Skidmore Owings and Merrill, where he contributed to campus planning, neighborhood planning, and affordable housing redevelopment efforts in more than 30 cities and municipalities across the US and abroad. In 2022, Ganesh successfully led the citizens ballot measure to fund affordable housing, open space conservation, and historic preservation through the Community Preservation Act in Natick, MA, where he resides. He Chairs the Natick Affordable Trust Fund and co-chairs the Housing Committee at the Boston Society of Architects.

Ganesh earned his graduate degrees in public administration (Harvard Kennedy School), urban design (University of California, Berkeley), and architecture (Ohio State University) and his undergraduate degree in architecture (National Institute of Technology, Trichy, India)

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