DeMauri Mumphrey is an emerging professional that has recently assumed the position of Architectural Designer for Cooper Carry’s Atlanta Office and Guest Lecturer/course creator for the University of Tennessee’s College of Architecture and Design. In May of 2021, DeMauri obtained her Bachelor of Architecture Degree from the University of Tennessee and is currently the NOMA Atlanta Community Affairs Director.
Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, DeMauri’s peaked interest in Architecture came in the form of a critique of the industry. It was through witnessing (and experiencing) the predatory nature of gentrification that DeMauri began to realize that her purpose was to make a difference in the field. While early in her career, DeMauri has already begun making great strides towards her passion of utilizing architecture and design as a method of advocacy for a more just and equitable world. During the final year of her undergraduate studies at the University of Tennessee, DeMauri co-created and taught her very own upper-level professional elective for the College of Architecture and Design; “Race and The American City.”
Her course provides the opportunity for students pursuing a career in Design to understand how race, combined with inequitable and unjust systems, influence ways in which various communities experience the built environment. As she has continued to teach her course, DeMauri reiterates to her students that, “By understanding the complexities of the Built Environment (especially in the city), and how they directly impact and benefit from the historic structures of segregation, displacement, and disenfranchisement, as designers, we are then able to implement future design decisions that have the potential to evolve unjust spaces into Places that are Just.” Since graduating, DeMauri has continued to teach the course, while also collaborating with Bolt Architecture to develop a curriculum for an after-school Architecture program for Brooklyn Youth.
As DeMauri continues to gain more knowledge and experience while working on Mixed-Used Residential projects for Cooper Carry, she is gearing up to begin the process of obtaining licensure. DeMauri also plans to return to graduate school to study Architectural Preservation; all in hopes of combining her love for Academia and Professional Practice in the near future.
Follow @demaurinycole_arch for more information and updates
