Joshua A. Foster, NOMA, Assoc. AIA, ULI

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 a 2025 Columbia Young Alumni Award Honoree, a 2024 Building Design+Construction’s 40 Under 40 Honoree, 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 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 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.

Personal Design Projects

Previous Firm Projects

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, “Impactful Careers in STEAM Education,” San Diego, 2024
Keynote Presenter, “Community Conversation”, Gresham Smith, Nashville, 2024
Co-Presenter, “2% for Impact”, California Green Building Conference, Los Angeles, 2024
Panelist, Community Engagement Workshop, ULI Los Angeles REACH, Los Angeles, 2024
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

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Notable Speaking Engagements

Press Links

Community Leadership