Event
EDI Network: What does a JUST Label Mean for a Firm?
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COST
Free for BSA members, $10 General admission. Learn more about membership options here.
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TYPE
CEs
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AUDIENCE
Professionals
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ACCREDITATIONS
1 LU AIA credit available
Join the Boston Society for Architecture's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Network, in conjunction with the International Living Future Institute's New England Collaborative and Built Environment Plus, for a lunchtime discussion of the JUST Transparency Label for organizations. The Just Label is a voluntary disclosure of personnel and workplace policies and realities aimed at increasing justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and transparency in organizations. The discussion will highlight local architecture firms of different sizes, ranging from small (S) to large (L), who have received the Just 2.0 Label. Topics will include the effects of transparency within the firm, firm leaders’ roles, and many other topics. The discussion’s goal is to introduce the Just program to organizations that might be interested and open a dialog about what it takes to achieve a Just label and what it means for the firms that have gone through the process.
Firms represented in the discussion panel are DREAM Collaborative (S), PCA Design (M), Payette (L), and Buro Happold (XL)
(S) DREAM Collaborative | Harmony Larson
Harmony Larson currently leads the marketing team at DREAM Collaborative and is responsible for building out the firm’s talent management processes. Harmony led the Just Label application process in 2019 when DREAM became the first company in Boston to receive the Just 2.0 Label. DREAM Collaborative is a minority-owned architecture firm creating beautiful, authentic places and enabling better outcomes for all stakeholders through inclusive design practices.
Panel Facilitators:
Jim Newman
Jim Newman is the founder and Principal at Linnean Solutions, which provides resilience analysis and planning, and energy and carbon modeling, among other services. Mr. Newman helped found the Massachusetts Chapter of the USGBC, and is a Past Chair of the Chapter. He is also a founding Board member of the Resilient Design Institute, a Board member of the Center for Living Environments and Regeneration (CLEAR), and a member of the RELi Steering Committee. RELi is a resilience rating system from USGBC. Mr. Newman holds degrees from MIT and Lehigh University.
DiAnn Tufts
In the founding role of Sustainable Director, DiAnn establishes process and accountability towards ecological clarity, capacity, and consistency at PCA. As a Living Future Collaborative Co-Facilitator, she drives the industry to meet a higher standard through education and integration.
(M) PCA Design | Laura Homich
Becoming a Just firm is a big decision. As one of six principals, Laura Homich was honored to help her peers understand the merit of not only becoming a Just firm but also the value that process and discovery through the indicators would bring. Rethinking and rewriting existing policies and introducing new policies that we never considered was a major part of Laura’s role. Through research and open discussion, PCA understood where they wanted to go and the changes they wanted to make.
(L) Payette | Ngaire Stuart Gongora
Ngaire is an architect who has been working at Payette since mid-2016. Her architectural portfolio is mainly focused on lab design for higher education institutions. Payette pursued their Just label and began the documentation process with Just 1.0. Working with Just, Payette was one of the initial firms piloting their 2.0 label. Alongside our leadership and our HR personnel, the Just label and process have influenced our policies and ongoing employee wellness conversations.