Beresford Pratt, AIA

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[["i"]],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"A natural leader and gifted designer, Beresford Pratt, AIA, has\ndistinguished himself as a champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion across\nthe profession. He is also an eager ambassador for community empowerment who\nseeks out opportunities to forge new educational pathways and to amplify the diverse\nvoices of emerging professionals. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Pratt is a design manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which\nhe joined in 2021. Previously, he was an architectural designer and project\narchitect for Baltimore\u2019s Ayers Saint Gross, where he led impactful projects\nsuch as Johnson-Whittle and Pyon-Chen Residence Halls and Yahentamitsi Dining\nHall at the University of Maryland College Park. With more than 900 beds, the\nproject shaped the country\u2019s largest living-learning community. The dining hall\nhonors the campus\u2019 Native American heritage, while the adjoining housing\nfacilities celebrate the school\u2019s first African American graduates and two\nAsian American trailblazers in Maryland academia. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"To advocate for his fellow young architects and emerging\nprofessionals, Pratt served as the Young Architect Forum\u2019s (YAF) regional director\nfor the Mid-Atlantic and developed the "],[0,[0],1,"How\nto start\/grow your EP committee"],[0,[],0," toolkit, a national resource that gathered\ninput from diverse committees across the nation. As editor-in-chief and\ncommunications director for YAF, Pratt oversaw the production of "],[0,[0],1,"CONNECTION"],[0,[],0,", a publication for young\narchitects that features actionable takeaways in each issue. "],[0,[0],1,"CONNECTION "],[0,[],0,"has published more than 170\narticles written by a diverse body of contributors from 37 different states. It\nhas been accessed more than 16,000 times across the online publishing platform\nIssuu and social media. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"To bolster equity, diversity, and inclusion in the Baltimore area and\nbeyond, Pratt co-founded the city\u2019s National Organization of Minority\nArchitects chapter in 2018. Under his leadership, membership grew from 10 to 45\nmembers, and he shaped a communications infrastructure to reach a broad\naudience. In partnership with AIA Baltimore and Beyond the Built Environment,\nPratt co-led Say-it-Loud Maryland, a curated exhibition highlighting the work\nof BIPOC, women, and minority design professionals. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Pratt has introduced design thinking to a diverse body of students in\nBaltimore. While volunteering in alternative after-school architecture\nprograms, he noted the limited participation of city students due to\ntransportation access issues. To combat this, he organized a team of fellow\nprofessionals who developed a series of shadow days through Baltimore Design\nSchool to introduce high school students to the profession\u2019s disciplines\nthrough hands-on charrettes. Pratt now serves on Baltimore Design School\u2019s\nboard and has supported its mission by raising thousands in monetary and\nin-kind donations. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Though his career is\nstill young, Pratt\u2019s impact has been powerful and is sure to be lasting. His\nactions and voice have led to meaningful change and inspired others to follow\nhis lead. "]]]]}