Dallas architect Clyde Porter, FAIA, received the 2009 Whitney Young Award in recognition of his efforts to encourage students from underserved communities pursue careers in architecture-related fields.

 

“Porter has always charted a course that allowed room for those whose paths are fraught with obstacles, and our culture and profession are better for it,” wrote Jeff Potter, FAIA—former president of the Texas Society of Architects and current chair of the Architects Foundation— in a 2008 letter supporting Porter’s nomination.

 

As vice-chancellor of facilities for Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD), Porter oversees planning and building programs at seven different campuses for approximately 100,000 students, the largest undergraduate enrollment in Texas. This work has allowed him to create facilities that offer many students and families their first experience of post-secondary education.

 

A cofounder of the Texas chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects, Porter has built a legacy of reaching out to emerging minority architects into the profession. At the DCCCD, he established an internship program and regularly recruited from his alma mater, Prairie View A&M University. As chair of AIA Dallas’ Minority Resources Committee, Porter began a summer internship program for a diverse pool of architects. He also has made regular outreach efforts to introduce architecture to elementary students.