Our Team

Tamara Emswiler Senior Program Manager for Social Impact Design at Neighborhood Allies, moved to Pittsburgh as a UDREAM Fellow in 2015 after graduating with a Master of Architecture degree from Drury University. UDREAM provided an immediate connection to other minorities succeeding in architecture within Pittsburgh. After working at Pittsburgh’s Design Center during her fellowship, Tamara earned a Master of Urban Design degree from Carnegie Mellon University. Combining her degrees and hands on experience, Tamara developed the Social Impact Design program at Neighborhood Allies in 2021 to address gaps in the community development sector as a result of the closure of the Design Center.

The program ideology is built on a variety of design equity and racial justice principles. As a founding member of the Institute of Equitable Design and Justice, and the Treasurer of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA PGH), Tamara is well positioned to center equity as the bottom line in design and development throughout Pittsburgh’s historically disinvested communities. Her professional goal is to develop a program that continues to feed the pipeline of opportunities given to emerging minority designers so that there is continued growth and representation in the fields of architecture, urban design, and development.

Tamara believes in collective decision making and distributed power. As an urban and architectural designer, she has merged her skills to assist with urban revitalization and improved quality of life of neighborhoods throughout Pittsburgh. As Senior Program Manager for Social Impact Design, Tamara oversees a project portfolio that includes architectural and urban design, public art, and place-keeping/ place-making. She uses thorough research and strong presentation skills to actively engage stakeholders in a participatory design process that is centered in equity. The outcomes of her equity-centered community development process serves as a translation of community visions to architects, planners, and artists which achieves greater resiliency and overall investment.