Join us in collaboration with VANOMA and NCNOMA for an online panel discussion as Jenine Kotob, AIA, NOMA, Mira Abdalla, Assoc. AIA, NOMA, and Karim El-Araby, Assoc. AIA, NOMA converse about their experiences as Arab Americans practicing architecture!
Mark your calendars for Tuesday, April 23rd, 12 - 1 pm, and get ready to "Pass the Torch" with Jenine, Mira, and Karim! Register Today!
More about our speakers:
Jenine Kotob, AIA, NOMA, Senior Director, EDI Strategies at The American Institute of Architects
Jenine Kotob, AIA, NOMA, is an award-winning architect, community organizer, and thought leader with over 14 years of experience in the design industry. She serves as the Senior Director of EDI Strategies at The American Institute of Architects (AIA) in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining AIA, Jenine worked at a variety of architecture firms around the Greater DC area and has dedicated her career to designing safe, healthy, and community-driven education facilities. Her expertise has been featured in The Washington Post, Reuters, Congressional Quarterly, The New York Times, Slate Magazine, Education Week, ArchDaily, and Metropolis Magazine. She holds a master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Virginia Tech University. She is on the board for Open Architecture Collaborative and board of trustees with the Arab American Association of Engineers and Architects.
Karim El-Araby, Assoc. AIA, NOMA, Designer at Hanbury
Karim El-Araby, Assoc. AIA is a designer and critic with a background in architecture, urban design, and the arts based in Richmond, Virginia. He holds both his B.S.Arch and M.Arch from the University of Virginia, and currently serves as a Designer at Hanbury, an award-winning multidisciplinary design firm. With just under two years of professional experience, Karim’s work has already been recognized with local and state honors, including an AIA Virginia design award of honor (2023) for CASA Playhouse, a small installation for charity, and multiple AIA Richmond Alice Lehmen Sunday Prizes (2022-2023). Karim is an emerging design professional with a passion for mentorship, service and advocacy. He participated with his firm in mentorship programs that introduce architecture to high school students, leading a year-long mentorship course teaching architecture and urban design to a high school student that culminated in a design project. He has regularly participated in undergraduate and graduate Interior Design studio critiques at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts. He also serves as a committee member at his local AIA Young Architects Forum chapter, as well as the UVA School of Architecture Young Alumni Council. Karim is the Secretary of the American Society for Muslims in Architecture, an emerging national professional organization with a mission to empower and advocate for Muslim practitioners and students in architecture and other spatial design disciplines.
Mira Abdalla, Assoc. AIA, NOMA, Designer at VMDO Architects
Mira Abdalla, Assoc. AIA, NOMA, is an Egyptian-American architectural designer with a Bachelor of Design in Architecture and a Minor in Sustainability in the Built Environment from the University of Florida. After graduating in 2022, she moved to Charlottesville, Virginia to work with award-winning architecture firm VMDO Architects, where she has worked on multiple K-12 projects including Construction Administration for a Health and Wellness Center in Chatham, Virginia. As a member of AIA Virginia’s Emerging Leaders in Architecture Class of 2023, she worked with professionals from across the state to research and design model resilience hubs for Albemarle County. In 2023, she co-founded the American Society for Muslims in Architecture (ASMA), an organization which seeks to connect, advocate for, and empower Muslims in architecture and related disciplines while shining light on the rich heritage of Islamic architecture.