2024 NOMAtlanta Board of Directors
Celebrating Diversity in The Atlanta Design Community
President: Shelly-Anne Tulia Scott, AIA, NOMA, NCARB, LEED BD+C
A Trinidadian-born architect who studied and worked in both the US and the Caribbean, Tulia is a FAMU graduate with a Master of Architecture and a University of Technology, Caribbean School of Architecture graduate with a Bachelor of Architectural Studies. She has over twenty years combined experience in Architecture and Interior Design with a broad range of experience in Award-winning Libraries, Mixed-Use Developments, Religious, and Academic Buildings as well as experience in Master Planning, Feasibility/ Highest & Best Use Studies. She is a pragmatic thinker and a problem solver and in her current role as Associate and Project Manager she leads the BD efforts for the Atlanta Studio of Moody Nolan as and focuses on client and team management. She is a graduate of the Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program and Leadership Greenville and is on the Advisory Board for FAMU School of Architecture and the alumni board for the Southern Fellowship Foundation. She is passionate about equitable community development and the impact that the projects she works on will be transformative for their communities.
Vice President: Bangseh Akuchu, RA, NOMA, AIA, NCARB, MBA
Bangseh Akuchu is a Strategist/Designer at Gensler Atlanta in their Work studio. Over his career, he has gained experience in various areas including Senior Living, Student Housing, Low Income Housing, & Civic Projects. Now at Gensler, he is focused on Workplace efforts in their design and consulting practices ranging from interior fit outs to Future of Work and Workplace Guidelines, for their Professional Services, Financial Services, & Consumer Goods areas. Bangseh is a graduate of The Georgia Institute of Technology where he obtained both a Bachelor of Science & Master of Architecture degree and a Master of Business Administration. While at Georgia Tech, he participated in their NOMAS GT and EQIA GT chapters serving as NOMAS President his final year of graduate school. As President, he helped lead various new opportunities for the organization and raised funding to send twelve of their members to the NOMA Conference that year. Bangseh strives to be a resource for college students and the future generation of architects by volunteering for our local Project Pipeline program and various DEI/Community Impact efforts through Gensler. He hopes to help them find their way into the profession and understand that there are many different paths to achieving their goals of becoming architects.
Past President: Tyrone Marshall, NOMA, AIA, LEED AP
Tyrone Marshall works as a Senior Researcher & Computational Designer with project teams for their strategies to address architectural performance design including the planning, development, implementation of new processes from our research program. He has a Master of Science with a major in Architecture and concentration in High-Performance buildings from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta Georgia and a Bachelor of Architecture from the College of Arts in San Francisco, California.
Secretary: Jimmy Amichandwala, NOMA, AIA, LEED AP
Jimmy Amichandwala is the Chief Development Officer at AK New Ventures with over two decades of work experience in real estate. He has a Master of Architecture degree from Georgia Institute of Technology with a perfect 4.0 GPA and is currently pursuing MBA from the prestigious University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Jimmy is a licensed architect in India and the US and is adept at leading Multi-family Residential, Office, Hospitality and High-Rise building types from conception to completion. Jimmy has a strong business acumen and adept at business development, contract negotiations, entitlement and permits, financial underwriting and managing financial statements for real estate properties.
Treasurer: Taurean Merriweather, NOMA
Taurean Merriweather, a graduate from Tuskegee University’s Architecture program and the University of Florida’s Historic Preservation program, is a Designer with the K-12 studio at Copper Carry. He also serves as a Visiting Professor teaching Historic Preservation part-time at Tuskegee. Being a member of NOMA since 2016 Taurean endeavors to represent NOMAtlanta in the best way possible by serving in an official capacity on the NOMAtlanta Board.
Parliamentarian: Trevor Walker, NCARB, RA, NOMA, PMP
An accomplished architect with over 20 years of experience, Trevor Walker serves as Vice President and Project Manager at HKS, Inc. On projects big and small, he helps clients achieve desired outcomes through practical design and effective collaborative leadership.
Regional VP: Bryan Lee, Jr., NOMA
Bryan is an architect and leading design justice advocate. As the founder and director of Colloqate Design, a nonprofit design practice, Bryan is committed to using design as a tool for social change. Bryan is also a founding organizer of the Design As Protest Collective and Dark Matter University, which work to uplift the voices and perspectives of marginalized communities in the built environment.
Bryan has led two award-winning architecture and design programs for high school students, one through the Arts Council of New Orleans and the other through the National Organization of Minority Architects. Bryan is the National NOMA President-Elect and the South Region Vice President. Bryan has received numerous awards and fellowships, including the 2018 Fast Company Most Creative People in Business, the Architectural League’s Emerging Voices award in 2019, the 2021 Cooper Hewitt National Design Award, and a 2023 United States Artist Fellow.
NOMAtlanta Committee Leaders
Project Pipeline Co-Director: Monica Magcalas, NOMA, LEED GA
Monica Magcalas, currently holding the position of Technical Designer at Gensler, has gathered 6 years of experience while working on diverse projects such as K-12, workplace, and healthcare. She is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Master of Architecture degree, and Clemson University with a Bachelor of Architecture degree. As a Project Pipeline Director, I am passionate about inspiring and guiding young design enthusiasts to explore the world of design and learn the essential tools to think creatively. With years of experience in the industry, I am committed to nurturing the next generation of designers and shaping the future of our industry.
Project Pipeline Co-Director: Jonne Smith, NOMA, RA, NCARB, LEED GA
Jonne Smith has five years combined experience in Architecture, Interior Design, and Urban Planning. She is a recently licensed architect with a multifaceted skill set and experience in several project types – Libraries, Mixed Use, Civic, Higher Education, Religious, etc. She is passionate about working collaboratively to produce creative, functional, and quality architecture. She seeks to practice architecture as a storytelling technique that creates experiential and environmentally conscious community buildings and environments. She is continually seeking opportunities to further foster diverse and inclusive communities and to mentor and motivate peers in the profession. Currently, Jonne works as a Project Architect at Moody Nolan in Atlanta, GA
Membership Director: Deysy Cruz Escobar, NOMA
Deysy Cruz Escobar is an alumna of Iowa State University, she is currently a Technical Designer in Gensler’s Atlanta Work Studio. A Native of Toluca, Mexico, she has developed a portfolio in the Workplace practice areas ranging from workplace consumer goods; Office Buildings – Repositioning, Landlord services; Consulting + Real Estate since joining Gensler. While at Iowa State University she assisted in founding the NOMAS chapter serving as secretary the year it launched to interim vice president Junior year. She currently serves on Gensler’s DEI and Committee. As a part of the DEI committee, she participates in initiatives to build upon creating a culture of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Her mission is to use her skills and knowledge in efforts to elevate the quality of life and serve as a voice to underrepresented communities.
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Advocacy (IDEA) Co-Director: Ava Baptiste, NOMA
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Advocacy (IDEA) Co-Director: Gabriel Maupin, NOMA
Gabriel H. F. Maupin is a Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) graduate and Army Reserve Engineer Officer. His architectural and civil engineering design work has provided refuge for hundreds of displaced Afghans and enabled key operational logistics for thousands of United States troops throughout Kuwait, Syria, Iraq, and the Middle East. Stateside, Gabriel recently passed all divisions of the Architect Registration Exam (ARE) and is working toward fulfillment of his remaining Architectural Experience Program (AXP) requirements to become a licensed architect. He has design experience in a variety of building types, including stadiums, schools, offices, government buildings, churches, and single-family residential.
Communications, Public Relations & Marketing Director: Diego Bazzani, NOMA, RA, LEED GA
Diego Bazzani is a Venezuelan-born architect and an alumnus of Clemson University where he received his B.A. and M.Arch. While at Clemson, he participated in their NOMAS, AIAS, and EQIA chapters, serving as NOMAS Co-President in his final year of graduate school. In these roles he helped to establish mentorship initiatives, raised funding, and developed scholarship programs to increase minority student admissions and retention in the School of Architecture. Now as a project coordinator and recently licensed architect for The Beck Group in Atlanta, he is focused on building experience with integrated design-build services across the firm’s commercial, higher education, athletics, and healthcare market sectors.
Community Affairs Director: Karl Barrington Sinclair Jr., NOMA
Karl Barrington Sinclair Jr is an accomplished Jamaican born, Architectural Designer & Principal at Jrz.Designs, with ten years of architectural design experience in the AEC industries. Earning a Bachelor of Architecture from Southern Polytechnic States, now Kennesaw State University. Leading owner consultants, design teams & project engineers teams, enlisting the latest construction technology as Jr Project Manager. All whilst delivering K-12, Higher Education & Commercial designs. He is a proud member of the West End Boys & Girl chess club. His mission, advancing volunteering, mentorship & NOMA ambassadorship.