Brent Rollins remembers his great-uncle John E. Brent as very loving and a humble man – a good guy.
But what he did not know until he became an adult was that his late great-uncle was an important architect and community leader in the City of Buffalo in the early 20th century.
Complete AIA Michigan Executive Director Position Profile
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to design.studio@hopkinsburns.com (In electronic PDF format only)
Howard Sims is the founder and chairman of SDG Associates, LLC, an architectural and planning firm founded in 1964. He graduated from Northwestern High School in Detroit, and earned Bachelors and Masters degrees in Architecture from the University of Michigan.
His architectural firm is noted for many distinguished and award winning buildings including The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and The Cobo Hall Convention and Exhibition Center. Clients of the firm are numerous and include The University of Michigan, Wayne State University, Wayne County Community College, General Motors Corporation, The City of Detroit and The City of Atlanta. He is currently licensed in Michigan, Georgia, Arizona and Ohio, and throughout his career has also been licensed to practice architecture in Illinois, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Tennessee and Florida. Both he and his firm have been the recipients of numerous awards for outstanding architecture and excellence in the field.
A long serving member of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and a current Emeritus Member, Howard was elevated in 1977 to the College of Fellows, the second highest honor that AIA can bestow upon one of its members. In 1988 they awarded him the Gold Medal of The Detroit Chapter, their highest honor for outstanding contributions to the profession. He has served on many national and local committees and has also held multiple officer positions at AIA. Additionally, he served as the first Chairman of The State of Michigan Construction Code Commission, was a member of the Board of Directors of The Engineering Society of Detroit, and is a founding member of The National Organization of Minority Architects.
With a longstanding role in community involvement, Howard has served in such capacities as the Trustee of The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, Trustee and Chairman of The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Trustee and Chairman of Oakland University, and Board Member and Chairman of The Detroit Branch of The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. He also co-chaired the Education Task Force of the Detroit Strategic Plan for the Detroit Renaissance. He is also a former Board Member of New Detroit, Inc, Metropolitan Detroit Youth Foundation, St. John’s Hospital, The Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, and The Inner City Business Improvement Form. In the business community, he has served as a member of the board of directors for Primark Corporation, Comerica, Michigan Consolidated Gas Company, MCN Corporation and DTE Energy.
Howard is a life member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and a life member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. He is currently an Emeritus Member of the Detroit Boule of the Sigma Pi Phi fraternity and has been instrumental in sponsoring educational programs for young people. Many years ago, Howard and his wife created a graduate fellowship for African American students in architecture at the University of Michigan. Later, they created additional annual student award programs open to students studying Social Work, Education and Architecture. Recently, he endowed a fellowship in Alternative Energy Applications and Sustainable Architecture at Lawrence Technological University.
Design schools vary more than schools in other professions. In most law schools, contracts are taught the same way; anatomy teaching varies little from medical schools in one region to another; and accounting is taught according to nationally established guidelines.
But at professional design schools, while digital rendering may be taught similarly throughout the United States and Canada, structures courses emphasize different factors in San Francisco and Florida. Water penetration has different meanings in New Orleans and Minneapolis. Schools with engineering affiliations are distinct from schools with interior design or urban planning affiliations; and urban schools generally address community planning differently than rural schools. Then there are differences in personnel, geography, funding sources, histories, leadership, and student bodies.
