Keynote Speaker
Prescott Reavis
Friday, February 9th at 5:00pm
Lawrence J Plym Auditorium
Elevating the Pathways to Welfare Design
DESIGN + THE FUTURE
Much progress has been made in this field of human-centered design since Whitney Young issued the challenge nearly 50 years ago, but there is still a great journey ahead and more voices to be included. As our world is changing and ever-advancing, new problems arise and old problems remain, so we must decide how we are to shape our future. The student chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign is inviting you to learn from the expertise of working professionals at our 2018 annual symposium.
The mission for this symposium strives to engage professionals and students in conversations about where design is heading in the future, spanning topics such as social justice, public use, sustainability and technology, and so forth. While this acts as our catalyst and main theme throughout the event, we also encourage dialogue about how design was different in the past. We realize that without acknowledging our past, we cannot move our designs forward into the future. As a result, we hope to spark discussions about how our changing society, views of the world and current issues impacts how future generations should respond through design, and how today's professionals are responding too.
“…you are not a profession that has distinguished itself by our social and civic contributions to the cause of civil rights, and I am sure this does not come to you as any shock. You are most distinguished by your thunderous silence and your complete irrelevance.”
- Whitney Young
NOMAS SYMPOSIUM 2018 | SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10TH
Biography
Prescott Reavis is a spatial activist, designer, planner and educator who has merged his 20 years of experiences in architecture, planning, and education to develop and construct inclusive communities throughout the nation with a focus on design and planning justice.
He is accredited in Sustainable Design and certified in Social Economic Environmental Design, he has spent the majority of his career focusing on the programming, planning, designing and the construction of buildings which enhance the community in areas of healing, learning and discovery internationally, having completed over 4 million square feet of award-winning construction.
Currently, Mr. Reavis is a Project Manager and Lead Community Planner for the national renowned Public Interest Design Organization Asian Neighborhood Design and focuses on providing architecture and planning for community based organizations, small neighborhood business and engaging as well as teaching youth architecture and community planning.
Mr. Reavis earned his Bachelor of Architecture with a minor in Education from Howard University where he was honored with the Alpha Rho Ci medal for his dedication of youth educating and mentoring the DC community. Prescott has over 15 years of experience of educating and mentoring all ages of students in the built environment and to facilitate more diversity into the profession of architecture and planning. He was honored with the Y-PLAN HERO Award by UC Berkeley Center for Cities and Schools for his dedication to working with youth in planning and design. Prescott is completing his final semester at San Jose State University to obtain his Masters in Urban Planning
He has served as the Co-Chair of the AIA San Francisco (AIA SF) Mentorship Committee, A founding member of the San Francisco Chapter of National Organization of Minority Architects (SFNOMA), the Vice President of SFNOMA, and the NOMA University Liaison for the West, Chair of the NOMA National Student Competition and of NOMA’s Project Pipeline. Presently, he is also a Teaching Artist with Youth Art Exchange and was recently presented the Mentor Award by AIA SF and is a founder and current director of Project Pipeline San Francisco.
About Elevating the Pathways to Welfare Design