The first president of the National Organization for Minority Architects (NOMA), Wendell Campbell, FAIA, received the Whitney Young Award for his dedication to helping citizens maintain a stake in the planning initiatives targeting their own communities.

 

After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, Campbell attended Indiana University and later Illinois Institute of Technology, where he majored in architecture and minored in city planning. Following a decade with a redevelopment group in his hometown of East Chicago, Indiana, he opened his own firm to work with neighborhood groups tackling urban renewal and community development issues.

 

In 1971, he was one of a dozen African American architects who laid the foundation for what was to become NOMA. Serving as its inaugural president, he partnered with AIA to find ways architects could alleviate social problems. In his role, he also advocated for greater involvement of minority architects in shaping AIA’s conversations on economic, civic, and social development.

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Campbell chaired the AIA Community Services Commission, and also served as a director with AIA Chicago, the Chicago Architectural Assistance Center, and the National Urban League Development Foundation.