With over 40 years of architectural experience, Kathryn Prigmore, a member of AIA since 1982, was elevated to Fellowship in 2002 and is the 14th Black woman licensed architect in the United States. A member of AIADC for 30 years, she transferred to AIANOVA to help develop the Fellows Committee, a position she held for several years while an AIADC member.
Read more at AIA Virginia.
In addition to all that others have written about becoming and being an architect in this compendium, architects of color have to be cognizant of the unconscious biases that continue to prevail in many aspects of the AEC industry. As we have always done, we need to find (and sometimes nurture) a diverse group of allies to support us in our journeys. The good thing is that events of 2020 significantly raised the consciousness of this issue worldwide. AIA National, AIA Virginia and our components have instituted programming to help us maneuver through the painful issues of the past and to formulate solutions for evolving an inclusive future.
Kathryn Bradford Tyler Prigmore, FAIA, NOMAC, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, CDT
Active in professional and civic affairs, Ms. Prigmore has served on AIA and NCARB committees at the national level that serve to bridge the chasm between education and practice. She has been a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) since 1982 and was elevated to Fellowship in 2002. A member of AIADC for 30 years, she transferred to AIANOVA to help develop the Fellows Committee, a position she held for several years while an AIADC member.
Ms. Prigmore is the Founding Collaborator (with Barbara G, Laurie, AIA – deceased) of Riding the Vortex: African American Women in Practice. Beginning in 2007, this initiative provides inspiration, mentoring, and public speaking opportunities for African American women at all levels the profession in venues throughout the United States. Many of the young African American women currently active in the profession are part of the expanding Vortex network. Prigmore, with several others, is in the process of reviving Black Women in Architecture, an organization with its roots in the early 1980s.
Ms. Prigmore served as a Trustee of the Branch Museum of Architecture and Design and as past Chair of the AIA National Ethics Council; National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) Committee on Examination; and the Virginia Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects.
Awards and honors bestowed upon Ms. Prigmore include a Lifetime Achievement Award – Women of Color Magazine; President’s Medal – NCARB; Outstanding Faculty Member – Howard University College of Engineering, Architecture and Computer Sciences; inclusion in several Marquis Who’s Who publications; and, inclusion among the Outstanding Young Women in America.
Ms. Prigmore is a former Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Architecture for the Howard University School of Architecture and Design. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Building Sciences and a Bachelor of Architecture from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, as well as a Master of Science in Engineering from The Catholic University of America. Notably, she was one of the first 20 African American Women registered to practice architecture in the United States, and maintains licenses in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. Ms. Prigmore is also a LEED Accredited Professional with a Building Design + Construction specialty; an NCARB certificate holder; and a certified Construction Documents Technologist.
Read more of the February 2021 article and interview by Cathy Guske at AIA Virginia.
For even more, check out Kathryn's recent interview with Madame Architect
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