Architect Talk: Pascale Sablan

Speakers:

• Pascale Sablan

  

  Pascale Sablan, FAIA, NOMAC, LEED AP, is Chief Executive Officer of the New York Studio at Adjaye Associates. With over 18 years of experience, she has been on numerous project teams around the world. Pascale is the 315th living African American woman registered architect in the United States. She is an activist architect who works to advance architecture for the betterment of society through bringing visibility and voice to the issues concerning women and BIPOC designers. She founded the Beyond the Built Environment organization to address the inequitable disparities in architecture.  

  Pascale has been quoted in the New York Times regarding her efforts, and Forbes magazine described her as “the powerhouse woman...actively changing history with a simple mission: women and designers of color must claim and be credited for their contributions to the built environment.” More recently she was featured on Oprah’s Future Rising platform for Black trailblazers moving our world forward in the Audacious category.  

  Pascale currently serves on the International Union of Architects / Union Internationale des Architectes (UIA) Professional Practice Commission. In 2023, she began a two-year term as the President of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), the 5th woman to hold this position in the organization’s 52-year history. She was awarded the Presidential Medal for Distinguished Service by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) in 2025, the Architectural League 2021 Emerging Voices award, and the 2021 AIA Whitney M. Young. Jr Award for her advocacy efforts. Pascale was a 2022 AIA National Secretary’s Advisory Committee Member and is the youngest African American to ascend to the AIA College of Fellows. Pascale has lectured widely at colleges and universities and cultural institutions such as the United Nations and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. 

   

  
  

• Danielle Tillman

  

  Danielle Tillman is Managing Principal at Chicago-based bKL Architecture. She is an expert at infusing architecture with social consciousness, drawn to community service and civic engagement through educational and institutional projects. Danielle’s specialty is built environments that naturally integrate into their communities. Through the planning process, she cultivates relationships with neighborhood leaders and residents. Danielle’s global portfolio also includes mixed-use and residential developments. She was a member of the team that developed the 2016 Chicago Olympic Village housing bid. 

  Danielle earned a BS in Mathematics from Spelman College and a Master of Architecture Degree (MArch) from the University of Michigan. She holds a Certificate in Real Estate Development and is a member of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), the AIA Chicago Foundation Board, Business Leadership Council, Board of Advisors of the College of Architecture at IIT, the International Women’s Forum (IWF), Urban Land Institute (ULI), Chicago Women in Architecture (CWA) and CREW Chicago. Danielle has also been appointed as a Commissioner for the Chicago Plan Commission.