Our Mission
Our mission is driven by the desire to create a team…
i. "With the goals to inspire/empower and be a resource to under-served communities in Arizona, regardless of socio-economic status, culture, language, race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or age ."
ii. "Where our strength will be our diversity, where we are not only interested in teaching the community, but also learning from it."
iii. "That supports professional and personal growth and development, with a proactive approach to reach out to the design and construction community to enrich knowledge of industry practices.
iv. "That strives to increase the number of women and minorities in our profession, and to help advance their careers in an upward trajectory and extract each individual’s potential.
v. "That is welcoming, a resource, reliable, educated, sustainably minded and encourages fellowship/social awareness."
Our Board Members
Carlos A. Murrieta, AIA, NOMA, LEED BD+C
President | NOMAazpresident@gmail.com
Co-Founder of Merge Architectural Group and recognized as Arizona’s 2016 Young Architect of the Year and 2008 Young Gun’s - Brightest Designers by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Carlos has spent over 24 years of his practice of architecture both in Mexico and USA. Carlos was born in Sonora Mexico, and spent his early childhood living in Mexico City, a place that he considers had a great impact in his later interest in the built environment, Carlos holds a Bachelors of Architecture from Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) and additional studies and certifications in the areas of Construction Administration, Energy and Sustainability. His involvement in the community includes chairman of the Construction Specifications Institute, representative of Arizona Young Architects in Washington D.C. (2012) and several volunteer commitments with local schools and non-profit organizations. His current involvement in the practice of architecture includes projects in the areas of hospitality, education, ecclesiastical and community development.
Elizabeth Grajales
Vice President | NOMAazvicepresident@gmail.com
Elizabeth Grajales is the Senior Public Art Project Manager for the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture Public Art Program. She provides a leadership role in managing the implementation of complex, multi-year public art projects. This includes the integration of art into significant City infrastructure, such as freeway pedestrian bridges, landscapes, water plants, police and fire stations, streetscapes, parks and museums. She has comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the field of public and contemporary art, design, landscape architecture with twenty-five years of experience in project and contract management.
Prior to joining the staff, Elizabeth worked as a studio artist exhibiting her large-scale pastel drawings nationally from 1980 to 1990 in galleries and museums. In 1990 she received a commission from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to create a 32’ X 4’ pastel drawing at Bowling Green Subway Station in NYC and her interest in public art was ignited. She returned to school to study ceramics at Parson School of Design so that she could translate her imagery into permanent durable material. In 1992 she started Elizabeth Grajales Architectural Ceramics and received public art commissions from 1992 to 2000. Her ceramic tile work adorns public schools and public spaces in NYC. Her two large-scale ceramic mosaic murals can be seen at Penn Station, 34th Street, NYC.
Her work has always been about nature. In 2001 she changed directions and returned to school to study landscape architecture at City College in NYC, so she could do something for nature. After graduating she worked for the Saratoga Associates in NYC as a designer and construction manager and for Abel Bainnson Butz overseeing their tree-planting program. In 2007 she moved to Phoenix with the opportunity to combine her experience as an artist, work in landscape architecture and project management for the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture Public Art Program.
She holds a B.FA. degree from Arizona State University, a B.S. degree in Landscape Architecture from the City College of New York.
Kenneth Webb
Secretary | NOMAazsecretary@gmail.com
I was born Chicago, Illinois but have lived in Mesa, Arizona most of my life. I grew up in a close-knit immediate family. I am an identical twin, 1 of 4 boys, raised by a single mother, seeking to learn everything I do. I’m a graduate of Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture. I’m the second generation of my family to graduate from college. I see every life experience as an opportunity to learn, grow, and make connections. With the goal of creating opportunities for others, my life mission is to take all my experiences and create a better more inclusive world of architecture. Through architecture my goal is to create a better quality of life for all people through elevated human centered design. I want to design a better world for the people I love and humanity in general to live at peace with others and nature.
Ricardo Millhouse
Treasurer | NOMAaztreasurer@gmail.com
My approach to design and architecture is informed by my interdisciplinary research and teaching at the university-level. Broadly, my research and teaching interests include feminist and queer geographies, research methods, and intersectionality. My research focuses on the socio-economic impacts of gentrification on communities of color and sensation as a critical dimension of spatial production. That being said, my approach and commitment to design and architecture is informed by community relationships. In addition to NOMA, I am an active member in local and national community-driven and academy-facing organizations such as the Association of American Geographers, the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity, and the South Central Collaborative (Phoenix).
