Jonathan Moody: Be Wary of Normal

Jonathan Moody, AIA, is CEO of Columbus, Ohio–headquartered Moody Nolan, the winner of AIA’s 2021 Architecture Firm Award. Moody is also a recipient of AIA’s 2021 Young Architect Award.

Over the past year, it has been interesting to observe the spectrum of people from those who are new to conversations about race and have never thought of or considered this [topic] and are now eager to learn, to those who say, “Yeah, we’ve been talking about this for a while.” But there is space for everybody. Prior to this year, certain conversations couldn’t happen. Now they are accompanied by requests for directness.

I see more RFPs with more intentionality from certain clients saying, “This is what we’re looking for in light of everything that’s happened. We’ve changed what we value, and we want to be sure that our consultants and team members are also aligned with those values.” It’s a check-the-box thing—and I mean that in a good way. It shows [businesses] that if you don’t align with these values, you better get there quickly, because things are changing.

But there are also people and organizations that reached out last summer to say, “We should be making more efforts to work together,” and we say, “Yes, let’s try and find opportunities to collaborate and partner.” And that’s where it ends. We talk about this and talk about that, and that’s about it.

I was naive to assume that the things that come out of these conversations would be easy to resolve. I was surprised [when they weren’t], and I shouldn’t have been. In the documentary Amend: The Fight for America (2021), Will Smith summarized some of the frustration I’ve been feeling for the past six months: “Behind every major revolution is a counterrevolution.”

When Normal Is Not OK
I am concerned around the desire to return to a “sense of normalcy.” Nobody would ever say, “I’m excited to be average again.” It carries an uneasy undertone that people want to get comfortable, to let go of the discomfort of last year and not learn from it. But then all the [actions and conversations about diversity and inclusion] become a part of “last year,” a time that many people can’t wait to move past. I worry that the momentum will fizzle or die if we lose focus on the great things that were started—and there’s still so much to do. And the problem is that we won’t see the [impact] immediately.

Last year, the AIA Large Firm Roundtable and National Organization of Minority Architects released a statement about their 2030 Diversity Challenge for Architecture, with a goal of having 5,000 Black architects by 2030. Now we’re one year closer to 2030. Yes, we’re up from the 2,300 architects or so a year ago, but that number currently sits at 2,407. Reaching 5,000 will take intentional effort. If you look at the timeline, we need to focus on the second- and third-year architecture students and the people who are taking the Architect Registration Examinations now.

I would hate to get to 2,500 Black architects and then see that we let up—that we settled. We’re at the beginning of positive change, so I’m excited and optimistic, but I am cautiously optimistic.

The summer ahead of us needs to be a fight. And some people are saying, “We’re done fighting. We fought last year.” And the worst thing would be to reach the end of the summer and to have fallen back into our old habits, because people are tired of fighting.

I would hate to get to 2,500 Black architects and then see that we let up—that we settled.

Internal Action
Within Moody Nolan, we’ve had a series of ongoing conversations that began last summer. They cover a number of topics and are open and informative. They offer a space for growth. Some conversations start light and easy, and as people hear and learn about [topics within diversity and inclusion], it becomes clear that, no, some of these things are not easy. Even if we did a talk or training, we still need to double back at times and address some things directly.

We’ve also established our own diversity council, which leads the firm in setting, measuring, and reaching goals—and ensuring that we reach them. I am learning more and more that a big part of my job is to do less—that stepping out of the way can be empowering and helpful. I might have to step in at times and say, “Hey, we’re going to do this and this,” but when the [initiatives] are not top-down, they seem more productive.

I understand that my (executive) chair is more of a platform, and I have to leverage the platform for others. One phrase I’ve heard is “deconstructing the hero.” The profession at large is struggling with that because we were taught in school that there’s a lead designer who does everything. People often say, “Moody Nolan—great team. Jonathan, how do you do it?” And I say, “You want to point at me, but you can’t point at me. You have to point at many other people and hear from them.”

My dad [Moody Nolan founder and chairman of the board Curtis Moody, FAIA,] and I were talking about this recently. He was a point guard in college; I played center and was an offensive lineman. I block and move obstacles or prevent attacks, and somebody else is going to score. But it’s ultimately a team effort.

On Elevating Others
The pace [of being asked for recommendations for other minority-owned firms or consultants] has escalated in the past year. Clients or potential clients approach us and, perhaps, Moody Nolan [doesn’t have a physical presence in that region, so we say] here is a list of firms or practices that could step in and fill that opening. Now we’re also often saying to other firms that although our companies individually couldn’t take on a particular project, if we partner and collaborate, we can create a great team.

The hard part for me—in a good way—is learning when to turn something down and potentially miss an opportunity; we must maintain sanity because we can’t do everything. Or if client wants me specifically on a project, I wonder if I need to [when my firm has other experts better suited for that need]. We want to leverage our platform to the extent possible.

In the future, I am hopeful I will see other African American–owned firms in the AIA Large Firm Roundtable. It is needed. Moody Nolan’s own history has been full of big breaking points as well as of leaps and bounds. Many firms are on the cusp of making the big jump, but it’s hard to know which. But it would be exciting.

As told to Wanda Lau. The views and conclusions from this author are not necessarily those of ARCHITECT magazine or of The American Institute of Architects.

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