Zena Howard, , is an American architect. She has overseen a number of high-profile projects, including the design of the

National Museum of African American History and Culture The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), colloquially known as the Blacksonian, is a Smithsonian Institution museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was established in 2003 an ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

and the International Civil Rights Center and Museum in

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...

Education

Howard graduated from

Rocky Mount High School Rocky Mount High School is a public high school in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Established in 1927, the school is in Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools. History Public education in Rocky Mount began in 1901. High school programs were established ...

in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. She received a B.S. degree in architecture from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

Career

Howard is a Principal and Managing Director at Perkins+Will in

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

. She has served as Senior Project Manager for the design of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the International Civil Rights Center and Museum in Greensboro, North Carolina, and the

Motown Museum "Hitsville U.S.A." is the nickname given to Motown's first headquarters and recording studio. The house (formerly a photographers' studio) is located at 2648 West Grand Boulevard in Detroit near the New Center area of the city. Motown founder Be ...

expansion in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. Howard is a founding member of her firm's Global Diversity and Inclusion Committee and is involved in projects and initiatives that aim to increase the number of women and minority architects.

Notable projects

* National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington, DC * International Civil Rights Center and Museum, Greensboro, North Carolina * Motown Museum Expansion, Detroit, Michigan *

Anacostia Anacostia is a historic neighborhood in Southeast (Washington, D.C.), Southeast Washington, D.C. Its downtown is located at the intersection of Marion Barry Avenue (formerly Good Hope Road) SE and the neighborhood contains commercial and gover ...

Library, Washington, DC * Tenley-Friendship Neighborhood Library, Washington, DC * Hogan's Alley Initiative,

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

* Greenville Town Common, Sycamore Hill Gateway Plaza, Greenville, North Carolina * Destination Crenshaw,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Raleigh, NC freedom park

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Zena Living people Year of birth missing (living people) African-American architects American women architects University of Virginia School of Architecture alumni Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women