UNM SA+P Announces Michaele Pride as 2026 Convocation Speaker
April 29, 2026
Longtime faculty and school leader to discuss the values and vagaries of time in life and architectural practice.
Interim Architecture Chair and Design and Planning Assistance Center Director Michaele Pride will deliver the keynote address at the UNM School of Architecture + Planning’s convocation ceremony.
Harvard-trained professor of architecture and urbanist, Pride has served in various leadership roles including early on as Associate Dean for Public Outreach and Engagement and most recently, as Associate Dean for Student Equity and Success. She has been a faculty member at the School of Architecture and Planning since 2011. She is slated to retire at the end of this academic year.
Raised in Los Angeles, Professor Pride began her career as a practicing architect. She began her faculty career at Woodbury University and had appointments at the University of Kentucky and the University of Cincinnati before joining The University of New Mexico. She was also a commissioner on the City Planning Commission of Cincinnati.
DPAC is a source of pride for the school, which is the second oldest continuously operating community design center based at a public university since 1969. Her leadership in teaching DPAC studio has brought students closer to communities in need. Recent notable work was assisting with resilient recovery guidance from the Hermit’s Peak and Calf Canyon wildfires. In 2020, she was also instrumental in updating the nation’s NAAB accreditation process, a requirement of all accredited programs of architecture.
“Michaele has dedicated her expertise and guidance to our School for many years. We celebrate her contributions to not just UNM, but the many people her projects have impacted in this region,” said Dean Robert Alexander Gonzalez. “She is a stellar example of how faculty-led community-engaged scholarship can be transformative for students and communities alike.”
The School of Architecture + Planning’s convocation ceremony takes place Saturday, May 16 at 7 p.m. in the UNM Student Union Ballrooms.
