The Longevity & Legacy of the 'Vanilla Architect': How a Monoculture Yields Cycles of Unconscious Bias, Tokenism, and System Justification

2024-08-20T15:18:00-04:00

This Op-Ed explores how unconscious bias of mentors, tokenism, and resultant patterns of system justification reinforce a status quo that marginalizes women and people of color. These complex and long-lived dynamics are unpacked through personal anecdotes, historical analysis, and contemporary research. By examining repeating organizational behaviors, we can better discuss the barriers that women and people of color face within the industry. I hope that the anecdotes act as a lens to another perspective to those without these experiences and give voice to those with similar.

'Leadership Is Not Linear': A Conversation with Mary Anne Alabanza Akers, the New Dean of Cal Poly Pomona's College of Environmental Design

2023-03-27T10:00:00-04:00

The fabric of architectural academia is changing. As leadership turnover is more apparent than ever before, I wondered if the demands of an academic leader have outgrown the stereotypical "profile" of what qualifies a dean or department chair. Is there room for deans to lead and make changes beyond their bureaucratic administrative duties? How much experience is enough experience to be "qualified to lead?"

I discussed these questions when I got the opportunity to connect with Cal Poly Pomona's new dean for their College of Environmental Design, Mary Anne Alabanza Akers. She joins the institution after heading Morgan State University's School of Architecture + Planning as its dean for 14 years. Not only has Akers served at a prominent HBCU — she was also its founding dean.

During our conversation, for our latest Deans List series, we unpacked her childhood in the Philippines, her journey to attending school and working in the United States, her commitment to academia, and what it m...

Archinect - Features

The Longevity & Legacy of the 'Vanilla Architect': How a Monoculture Yields Cycles of Unconscious Bias, Tokenism, and System Justification

'Leadership Is Not Linear': A Conversation with Mary Anne Alabanza Akers, the New Dean of Cal Poly Pomona's College of Environmental Design