THE BOARD
Cordaroe L. Oscar
PRESIDENT | PRESIDENT@i-noma.org
President - Cordaroe L. Oscar
Cordaroe L. Oscar is a Chicago native with over a decade of experience in architecture, project management, and organizational leadership. He is currently a Senior Associate at Lamar Johnson Collaborative, with experience spanning residential, industrial, aviation, education, healthcare, civic, and hospitality markets.
Cordaroe’s involvement with NOMA began at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Architecture, helped reestablish the NOMAS chapter, and later served as Vice President. After returning to Chicago, he joined I-NOMA and quickly built meaningful relationships within the organization. Over the past decade, he has served in several leadership roles including Membership Chair, Treasurer, Conference Coordinator, and Project Pipeline leadership, and has volunteered with NOMA’s Design Build and Project Pipeline programs.
Professionally, Cordaroe has played key roles in and led complex projects across multiple sectors, coordinating diverse stakeholders while maintaining design excellence and project integrity. He is recognized for his strong communication and organizational skills, and his ability to support strategic growth through collaboration.
Driven by a passion for mentoring, community engagement, and equitable design, Cordaroe is committed to strengthening the professional and student pipeline that defines NOMA’s mission. As President, his focus includes expanding membership, increasing sponsorship, supporting licensure pathways, reestablishing robust student programming, and extending I-NOMA’s impact throughout Illinois. He is dedicated to fostering long-term sustainability through strong partnerships, active listening, and intentional leadership development.
Cordaroe is an Associate AIA member and an active ACE Mentor, supporting the next generation of designers and industry professionals.
Monica Willemsen
VICE PRESIDENT | VICE-PRESIDENT@i-noma.org
Monica Willemsen is an Associate Principal and Senior Designer at SCB. In SCB’s campus environments studio, Monica plans and designs facilities that support the vision, mission, and goals of higher educational institutions. She develops high-performance design solutions that use leading technology to reduce energy use and mitigate negative effects on the environment. Monica was the Senior Designer for the Academic and Residential Complex, a 201,000-square-foot LEED-Gold mixed-use building at the University of Illinois at Chicago that received multiple awards, including an AIA Education Facility Design Award and an AIA Chicago Design Excellence Award.
Monica’s work seeks to impact student success by providing a sense of belonging, safety, and discovery through the built environment. Monica considers each design decision through the lens of the end user. Her childhood in Guatemala, immigration to the United States, and background in the arts, drive her to design spaces that provide a singular sense of place, drawn from the geographic, social, and cultural context of each project.
As I-NOMA Vice President, Monica knows that mentorship and a strong professional community are critical for developing minority leaders in the profession. Monica is committed to I-NOMA’s role in supporting the needs, demands, and aspirations of its members and excited to highlight the creativity and excellence of NOMA members and work together for social and political change.
Monica holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Washington in Seattle and a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. She member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) and is a LEED Accredited Professional.
Chelsea Jackson-Greene
SECRETARY | MARKETING@I-NOMA.ORG
Chelsea Jackson-Greene, NCIDQ, NOMA, IIDA, WELL AP, LEED GA is an Interior Designer III and Associate at Perkins&Will Chicago. In addition to her functional role, Chelsea is the Co-Lead of the Perkins&Will Chicago studio’s J.E.D.I. (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) team. Her role includes executing and tailoring firmwide J.E.D.I. goals and initiatives to the Chicago studio while also ideating, organizing, and implementing events, projects and sub-committees that align with J.E.D.I. topics and objectives. Looking for likeminded professional organizations and initiatives outside of her work, Chelsea joined I-NOMA in Fall of 2022.
Prior to joining Perkins&Will, Chelsea worked in historic preservation, multi-family and commercial development, hospitality and education design during her time working in Georgia. Chelsea has also previously served as the Vice-Chairwoman of the board for the Savannah Historic Preservation Commission.
Chelsea obtained her BFA in Interior Design from Savannah College of Art and Design in 2017 where she also minored in Architectural History and Design for Sustainability. Chelsea also holds a Certificate from New England College in Creative Placemaking. Chelsea’s areas of interest include user and community health and wellbeing, social justice, design equity and cultural competency and asset preservation.
Aaron DeRoux
Treasurer | finance@i-noma.org
Aaron DeRoux is a design professional committed to sustainable development and community engagement, with over a decade of experience in youth outreach and fundraising. A native of Maryland, he has worked with various architecture firms and government agencies in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, applying his expertise to create impactful, environmentally responsible designs. Aaron earned his Bachelor of Science from Morgan State University and later obtained his Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. As a LEED BD+C-accredited professional, he integrates sustainable practices into his work aiming to build inclusive environments.
Neşe Altıntaş
PARLIAMENTARIAN | parliamentarian@i-noma.org
Neşe Altıntaş, Assoc. AIA, AIAS, NOMA is a graduate of the Illinois Institute of Technology, where she earned her Bachelor of Architecture and a minor in Psychology with honors. Her architectural journey, shaped by a profound understanding of how space impacts mental and physical well-being, drives her to design environments that promote and foster healing.
Currently, Neşe works as an Architectural Designer at Wold Architects and Engineers, where she contributes to K-12 renovation and expansion projects. This role has provided her with the rewarding opportunity to help enhance the learning environments of future generations while continuing to pursue licensure and further her career.
In 2022, as a NOMA Future Faces Fellow, Neşe interned with Quinn Evans Architects in Washington, D.C., contributing to notable projects such as the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum renovation. Following her graduation in 2023, she served as an Internship Coordinator at Landon Bone Baker Architects (LBBA), where she mentored high school students through design-build projects and post-occupancy evaluations.
Neşe’s dedication to empowering youth and emerging professionals is reflected in her extensive leadership and advocacy work. Through her long-standing involvement with I-NOMA’s Teen Design Build and Project Pipeline programs, Neşe has inspired and championed countless students by introducing them to the transformative possibilities of architecture and design-related career paths. Her commitment extends to the ACE Chicago Mentor Program, where she collaborates with high school students to nurture their creative potential and guide them toward meaningful careers in design.
As a member of the AIA Chicago Young Architects Forum Committee and Chicago Women in Architecture, Neşe actively fosters dialogue and mentorship within the design community. During her tenure with AIAS, Neşe held multiple leadership roles, including President of IIT AIAS, Events Chair, and Co-Chair of the AIAS Council of Global Representatives, where she organized initiatives that uplifted the voices of architecture students both nationwide and internationally. Additionally, as the AIASpire Student Chair and Student Director for AIA Illinois, she advocated for the needs of students and worked to bridge the gap between education and practice. Neşe currently serves as the AIA Illinois Early Professional (EP) Chicago Delegate, where she advocates for the needs of young professionals on the path to licensure.
Jasmine Gunn
DIRECTOR
Jasmine Gunn is a City Planner V for the Far South Region at the Chicago Department of Planning and Development (DPD), where she leads transformative projects that promote equitable growth across Chicago. She has managed major initiatives such as the $5.3 billion Red Line Extension Transit-Supportive Development Plan and the 95th Street Corridor Plan—DPD’s first to incorporate a health and racial equity impact assessment.
Beyond her work in public service, Jasmine is deeply committed to advancing equity and representation in the design professions. She is a past Board Secretary for the Illinois Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (I-NOMA) and has spent several years as both a past Co-Chair of the Design Build program and a long-time volunteer with Project Pipeline, supporting youth exposure to architecture and design.
Jasmine is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), where she teaches the Metropolitan Housing course, guiding students through the policies and practices shaping affordable housing development.
She holds a Professional Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) from Iowa State University and a Master’s in Urban Planning and Policy from UIC with a focus on community and economic development.
Mustapha Williams
DIRECTOR
Mustapha Williams, AIA, NOMA, LEED Green Assoc. is an Associate and Architect at Gensler Chicago. Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, he was inspired by the city’s rapid growth and development in the early 2000s—an influence that set him on a path toward architecture. Mustapha earned his Professional Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Tennessee in 2018 and joined Gensler Chicago shortly thereafter. Over the past 7.5 years, he has worked across interior and ground-up architecture projects, contributing to a wide range of design scales and typologies.
A former ACE Mentor Nashville mentee, Mustapha has remained deeply committed to mentorship and community engagement. He previously served as a mentor with ACE Mentor Chicago and currently sits on the Associate Board for ACE Chicago. Mustapha has been involved with the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) since 2017, beginning with a summer internship in Chicago. Inspired by the leadership of Jason Pugh and Oz Ortega, he helped relaunch the NOMAS chapter at the University of Tennessee. After returning to Chicago post-graduation, Mustapha joined I-NOMA, where he has served as a volunteer, Historian, and Professional Development Co-Chair.