The National Organization of Minority Architecture Students at The New School (NOMAS) is committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in the fields of design and creation of the built environment, our chapter seeks to empower minority students through mentorship, professional development, and community engagement. By creating a supportive network and advocating for the representation of diverse voices, we aim to inspire and prepare the next generation of architects who will contribute to building a more equitable and inclusive world.

Jerome W Haferd is a licensed architect, public artist, and educator based in Harlem, NYC. He is principal of the award winning JEROME HAFERD Studio. Haferd is assistant professor of architecture at City College’s Spitzer School of Architecture where he co-directs the new Place, Memory, and Culture Incubator. He is a 2025 United States Artist Fellow. Haferd serves on the Board of Directors of The Architectural League of New York.

Jerome Haferd Studio, D.P.C. critically engages built environment projects at the intersection of preservation and design, often looking to marginalized histories to unlock a new imaginary for architecture, art, and cultural infrastructure. Haferd and his team’s work on complex sites includes collaborations with the Harlem African Burial Ground, NYCHA, The Park Avenue Armory, and the National Black Theatre. Haferd was lead architect and designer for the 2023-24 Culture, Creativity, and Care Initiative with the Mellon Foundation and Harlem Grown. The studio is a first prize recipient for the International Africatown Design Competition and is working on a permanent public artwork and plaza for the East River Esplanade. Jerome Haferd Studio exhibited in the U.S. Pavilion at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale. JHS has been commissioned alongside AYON Studio to reimagine the historic Amsterdam News Headquarters in Harlem.

Most recently, the team has completed Migration, the Exodus & Dance heritage artwork with Creative Urban Alchemy, NYCHA and PHCF. Other recent projects include the Sankofa and Aleia installations in Harlem and Bombodromo, a culture and performance campus with Caá Porá Arquitectura. Others include the BLK BOX experimental arts venue and Beautiful Browns, awarded second prize in the 2021 OnOlive emerging Black architect housing competition. Haferd co-led the DMU “Constellation'' exhibit at the 2022 Lisbon Architecture Trienale : Terra.

Haferd is a core initiator of Dark Matter U, a BIPOC led trans-disciplinary network geared towards new models of design pedagogy and practice. He received the 2022 #BlackVisionaries award as part of a DMU cohort. He also co-founded BRANDT : HAFERD, and has worked for internationally recognized firms including OMA/Rem Koolhaas and Bernard Tschumi Architects, where he was project leader on numerous institutional, planning, and exhibition projects worldwide.