Please join the College of Design for the fall 2025 architecture lecture series. 

Rayshad Dorsey, Michael Urueta (Partners of Place) 

Partners of Place (PoP) is an interdisciplinary research, ideation, and design collective founded in 2023 by Rayshad Dorsey, Joseph James, Julian Owens, Michael Urueta, and Diego Zubizarreta Otero. Rooted in social and environmental equity, PoP operates remotely, bringing together diverse perspectives through digital workflows and long-standing relationships. Their process centers on sustainable, equitable, and impactful community-driven design, integrating data visualization, historical mapping, socio-political analysis, and storytelling to create inclusive spaces.

Rayshad Dorsey is an architectural designer and educator, currently serving as an assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis and as a co-founding director of Partners of Place. He holds a Master of Architecture (M.Arch) with Distinction from Harvard Graduate School of Design, where he received the Araldo A. Cossutta Prize for Design Excellence, and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Architecture from Clemson University. Dorsey is a 2024–25 ACSA Faculty Fellow, advancing equity in architecture through climate and cultural justice.

Michael Urueta is an architectural designer, educator, and co-founding director of Partners of Place. He most recently taught at Clemson University’s School of Architecture and holds both a Master of Architecture (M.Arch) and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Architecture from Clemson University. During his time there, he was awarded the AIA Medal for Academic Excellence and was recognized as one of Metropolis Magazine’s Future 100. Urueta currently serves as the Program Coordinator for South Carolina’s chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), where he oversees initiatives such as the Project Pipeline summer camp and the Salvation Army Architecture Club.