NOMAS President Cayla Ellis:

Driving Diversity and Design Excellence in Architecture

Among the many important items on Cayla Ellis’s agenda as President of LTU’s NOMAS chapter, one of the more urgent is the determination to increase a number. The number resonates with her as a woman and as a representative of African American (and Middle Eastern) heritage. Specifically, that number is a percentage—.04 percent to be exact—which represents the total number of African American women who are licensed architects in the United States.

Not that she intends to stop there.

NOMAS, the student equivalent of the National Organization of Minority Architects, will continue to be an association focused on inclusion at LTU under Ellis’s leadership. And while “inclusion” in this context typically refers to underrepresented members of society, Ellis’s concept of the term is even more all-encompassing.

“We welcome and encourage all students on the campus who support the DEI mission of inclusion, empathy, and creating a better quality of life for our communities to join LTU’s NOMAS chapter,” said Ellis, who is currently a junior in CoAD’s Master in Architecture program. “NOMAS’ mission, like that of its NOMA counterpart, is to empower our local chapters and membership to foster justice and equity in communities of color through outreach, community advocacy, professional development, and design excellence.”

DEI refers to the philosophy of, and active, engagement in diversity, equity, and inclusion as cultural, social, and civic norms. 

Cayla Ellis

Another important number that Ellis is focused on increasing is membership in LTU’s NOMAS chapter, since she is also tasked with helping to promote the organization.

To Ellis, empathy and social dialog are prominent themes. Drawing on the inspiration of LTU alumnae such as Saundra Little and Tiffany Brown, both of whom have served in key roles in the Detroit Chapter of NOMA and have created successful architectural firms in Detroit, Ellis seeks to empower members “to be empathetic designers and to create solutions that deliver a better quality of life for everyone involved.”

Ellis points out that, in addition to supporting LTU architecture and design students in the development of their professional skills, community interaction and involvement, and academic endeavors, NOMAS offers a national network of contacts and potential scholarships and career opportunities such as internships.

The group holds bi-weekly meetings every other Tuesday, which, in addition to members, are open to all interested students. Topics include everything from scholarship opportunities to student projects to social and economic issues. 

Ellis also noted that LTU’s NOMAS organization hopes to begin sponsoring workshop events that, in the spirit of inclusivity and diversity, will feature not only architects and designers but representatives of related professions such as industrial and civil engineers.

LTU NOMAS

To a large extent, these activities will serve as the lead-up to NOMAS’ participation in this year’s NOMA Conference in Portland, Oregon, October 11-15. In addition to offering networking and visibility opportunities, the conference provides a showcase for architectural and design talent through an annual architectural/design competition. 

LTU students interested in learning more about the benefits its NOMAS chapter offers can contact Ellis through her LTU email: cellis@ltu.edu or at the NOMAS chapter email: nomaschapter@gmail.com.

By Paul Hall