IMG_6825.jpg

Joshua A. Foster, NOMA, Assoc. AIA

Founder & CEO

A native of the Philadelphia area, a seasoned New Yorker, and now a settled Angeleno, Joshua A. Foster, NOMA, Assoc. AIA, ULI has a strong passion for creating community-empowerment driven solutions.

As the 2023 AIA LA Robert Kennard, FAIA Award for Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity winner and an experienced architectural designer, Joshua spent the early years of his career focusing on the design and construction of affordable and market-rate housing projects in Los Angeles County. This passion combined with his studies in Real Estate Development transformed into a powerful mission to impact communities of color through the founding of JAF Creative Solutions (JAF)— a community impact focused strategic partnership and engagement consulting firm. 

A vocal advocate for increasing diversity within the architectural design profession, Joshua is currently serving as the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) National Historian and as an Adjunct Professor & NOMAS Faculty Advisor in the architecture department at East Los Angeles College which is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI).

Beyond his day to day work, Joshua is a National Board Director for the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and a Board Member for Architecture + Advocacy (A+A), the USC Architectural Guild, and the Long Beach Community Design Center.

A proud husband and father, Joshua is also a high school football coach in Long Beach, CA, and an electric bass player at church in Los Angeles.

Prior to completing his Masters of Architecture with a Real Estate Development certificate at the University of Southern California, Joshua spent his undergraduate years shuffling between the architecture studios of Columbia University as a student and the football field of the school's Division 1 FCS program as an athlete. He now uses his diverse experiences in architecture, sports, entrepreneurship and community engagement to speak, teach, and share at schools, events, and conferences throughout the country.

University of Southern California

USC School of Architecture | Masters of Architecture

Sol Price School of Public Policy | Certificate of Real Estate Development

Columbia University

Columbia College | Bachelor of Arts in Architecture & Sustainability

Columbia Lions | Division 1 FCS Football Athlete

Notable Speaking Engagements

  • Panelist, “Human Behind the Architect”, SoCal NOMA / AIA LA, Los Angeles, 2024

  • Moderator, “Park Equity in Greater Long Beach”, LBCDC / AIA SB-LB, Long Beach, 2024

  • Presenter, “Community Building: Creating Impact Through the Built Environment,” USC Price, Los Angeles, 2024 

  • Moderator, “Society + Community: Race, Memory, and Reckoning”, ACSA Conference, Vancouver BC, 2024

  • Presenter, University of Miami School of Architecture, Miami, 2024

  • Panelist, “Designing Diversity: Shaping the Future of AEC”, Cumming Group, Virtual, 2024

  • Juror, 2024 ACSA Collaborative Practice Award, 2024

  • Moderator/Speaker, “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is: Community Impact in Action”, NOMA National Conference - Portland, 2023

  • Juror, 2023 Westside Urban Forum Design Awards, 2023

  • Panelist, “JE:DI Won’t Save You…Action Will”, NOMA National Conference - Nashville, 2022

  • Panelist, “To Be or Not To Be…Licensed”, AIA LA, 2022

  • Co-Presenter, “Equity in Project Planning: A Critical Step to Increasing Community Impact”, USGBC-LA, 2022

  • Keynote Speaker, University of Southern California High School Architecture Development Program Graduation Ceremony, 2022

  • Panelist, “How to Talk to Strangers”, SoCal NOMA, 2022

  • Panelist, “Designing for Environmental Social Justice”, SoCal NOMA, 2022

  • Speaker/Co-Facilitator, “The Dependence of Advocacy from Buildings to Community”, AIA National Grassroots Leadership Conference, 2022

  • Moderator, “Community Engagement: A Look Outward”, AIA LA Encompass Conference, 2022

  • Panelist, “EDI Through Community Engagement”, AIA CA Board of Directors Quarterly, 2021

  • Juror, ACLA/AIA LA 2x8 Student Design Competition, 2021

  • Moderator, “Designing Healthy Communities: A Discussion on Diversity and Change”, AIA LA, 2021

  • Moderator, “Dismantling Systemic Racism in Pedagogy”, AIA LA 2x8, 2021

  • Presenter, “The Architects’ Los Angeles Voters Guide”, AIA LA 2020

  • Moderator, “The Follow Through: Effectuate Change by Education”, AIA LA Encompass Conference, 2020

  • Keynote Speaker, USC School of Architecture Graduate Student Commencement Keynote, 2019

  • Presenter, “Entrepreneurial Community Building Workshop”, NOMA National Conference - Chicago, 2018

IMG_5377.jpeg
IMG_7827.jpeg