Join the (virtual) conversation
The next in our Building Stories line-up includes a conversation with several members of the Trans Community. While the AEC industry is making progress through efforts of equity and inclusion, there continue to be hurdles that transgender people face on a daily basis.
To observe Transgender Awareness Week which takes place from November 13 to November 19, 2022, please join us to help raise the visibility of transgender people and advance advocacy around the issues of prejudice and discrimination.
Register to Attend
The event will be held virtually via Zoom on Tuesday, November 29, beginning at 6:00pm ET. The link to join the virtual event will be distributed the day of the event.
Meet Our Speakers
Alana Shepherd (she/her/hers)
Founder & Executive Co-Chari, NACLIQ
Alana lives in her hometown of Spokane, Washington, after creating award-winning architectural lighting in New York City for over 15 years. She is the founder of the North American Coalition of Lighting Industry Queers (NACLIQ). A fierce advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and inclusion in the building design and construction industry, Alana sits on several boards and committees relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and has been published on the topic.
Meli Harvey (she/her/hers)
Senior Computational Designer, Google
Meli is a Senior Computational Designer at Google where she develops the urban design software called Delve. In her spare time, she works on open source and activist mapping software, including www.sidewalkwidths.nyc which was recently published in the New Yorker and subsequently spurred conversation on street pedestrianization in cities around the world. Before shifting into tech, Melt worked in architecture for firms including KPF and BIG.
Sami Sikanas (she/her/hers)
Landscape Architect, Marvel
Sami is a landscape architectural designer at MARVEL. She recently worked on an accessible playground in Philadelphia, a waterfront promenade in Queens, and the public-facing “front yard” of an affordable housing development in the Bronx. In 2019, Sami presented Queer Urbanism and Design: Past, Preset, Future at the ASLA national conference, along with two colleagues. She is also the founder of the Queer Landscapes project, which was awarded a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts and the Architecture League of New York in 2021.
Vanessa Hill (she/her/hers)
Senior Principal, RJH Architects
Vanessa is a working artist and a senior principal at RJH Architects. She is a long-time advocate for transgender rights for several decades. Until the fall of 2019, she worked with the New York Transgender Advocacy Group (NYTAG) to serve the LGBTQ+ and TGNC (transgender gender non-conforming) communities. There she helped publicize and promote the benefits a rights now protected and expanded by the passage of the GENDA legislation in New York State in January 2019.
Meet Our Moderator
Melinda Koo (she/her/hers)
Architect, EDG Architecture & Engineering
Melinda is a project architect with more than 10 years of experience. She leads commercial fit-out projects focusing on the post-pandemic urban environment. She is a first-generation Korean American immigrant woman in the LGBTQ community. Melinda is proud of her identity and not afraid of being out as she is in public. She believes sharing her experience of intersectionality can add visibility of diversity, and create a safer environment inclusive to everyone, especially the ones who celebrate who they are.
Still have some questions?
Please contact Martin Scott at mscott@buildoutalliance.org with additional questions or requests for more information.