Hey listeners, this episode marks both our 80th episode and the finale of this series and season. It’s been a true pleasure sharing the stories of licensed architects from diverse backgrounds, and I hope these conversations have given you valuable insights into why some designers choose to pursue licensure. Most importantly, I hope you’ve found inspiration in each episode.

To close out the series, I have a conversation with Dyesha Holmes is a licensed architect at Cooper Carry. With an interdisciplinary background, she works in their Atlanta office planning + urban design and mixed-use studios. She graduated from Kennesaw State University’s Bachelor of Architecture program in 2019, where she was the first recipient of the ARCC King Medal award for her architectural thesis research on “Reframing Urban Redevelopment via Women Empowerment: Sustaining Existing Community in the West End Neighborhood.” This has driven her passion for social and environmental justice design and her belief that architectural design should be based on advocacy over agency. She has a defined purpose of helping people see their full potential within themselves, in the places they

live, and in the work they do. With this purpose in mind, she actively uses design to tell stories through community-led, people-first approach to design to advocate for people in communities.

In her free time, she enjoys volunteering her time in community outreach. She enjoys having opportunities to be involved with different community efforts and professional organizations. In 2021, she acted as community liaison for a mural in the Reynoldstown neighborhood in Atlanta,

GA, organized by the Young Architect’s Foundation of Atlanta (YAF of ATL). In 2021, she was the Director of Communications for NOMAtlanta. She had the honor of being a 2022 graduate of the AIA Georgia Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program. She sat on the 2022

board for the Atlanta Art and Entertainment. She was a part of Cooper Carry’s Equity and Diversity Council (EDIC) helping to further the advancement of equity within the workplace and design. Currently, she sits as secretary on the Architecture Foundation of Georgia board and was a recent 2024 Project REAP graduate.

While we shared similar feelings towards completing the ARE’s Dyesha shares with us how she merges her love for Urban planning and Architecture in her daily practice. 

We sketched the roof top bar at The Betty Hotel. You can check out her sketch on our LinkedIn profile. I hope you enjoy this episode!