DIG’s LoriAnne Jones Named to BD+C’s 40 Under 40

LoriAnne Jones, senior project manager at DIGroup Architecture (DIG), has been named among the 40-Under-40 Class of 2023 “rockstars” in the architecture, engineering, construction (ACE) and real estate development fields by Building Design + Construction Magazine, a leading national industry publication. Jones is part of an elite nationwide class of individuals who standout for their career achievements, passion for the AEC professions, involvement in industry organizations and service to their communities.

Cited as a “Tech Titan” by BD+C, Jones was recognized for spearheading DIG’s Revit-intense projects to ensure software is leveraged efficiently in its architecture, interior and graphic design solutions. In addition, Jones helps shape DIG’s reputation as a tech-forward design firm within the New York-New Jersey-Philadelphia corridor and beyond.

This unique proficiency was showcased during Jones’ involvement in DIG’s Virtua Health hospital transformation project in Camden, N.J. Through the smart use of Revit and other tools, DIG successfully engaged client stakeholders and architectural colleagues in the healthcare planning process. The result: a project well-tuned to a complicated series of programmatic, technical and budgetary needs.

“In addition to delivering meaningful architecture to my clients in the healthcare and education sectors, I strive to advance the profession as a leader and champion of diversity,” said Jones, who represents a third generation of African-American women in AEC and is one of 500 licensed African-American female architects in the United States.

Since joining MBE-certified DIG in 2017, where she was drawn to its “Architecture for Change” philosophy of delivering high-caliber spaces within underserved communities, Jones has spearheaded the firm’s growth in designing Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC). To date, she has developed seven FQHC projects. Key among these assignments is a decade-long relationship with Urban Health Plan ꟷ one of New York’s largest FQHCs.   

“LoriAnne’s professional achievements are just one facet of who she is as a person and what inspires and motivates her to be a trailblazer for other women and people of color in the AEC and related STEM fields,” said Vincent Myers, co-founder, principal and president of DIG, which is the largest African-American-owned architectural firm in New Jersey and the only architectural firm ranked as a top minority-owned business in Philadelphia. “She knows that exposure matters and is tireless in her efforts to represent what architecture is and what an architect can look like.”

For the past 15 years, Jones has been involved in the ACE Mentor Program of New Jersey where, in addition to mentoring hundreds of diverse high school students, she is a board member and team leader. In addition, she established an ACE team at her alma mater, John P. Stevens High School in Edison — the only New Jersey student group to achieve a merit placement as First-Runner-Up in the 2018 National Construction Industry Round Table (CIRT) Competition.

She also volunteers with the NAACP Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological & Scientific Olympic (ACT-SO) Program, where she started out as a judge for the Sustainable Building Challenge. Currently, Jones serves as a mentor to student participants — one of whom became a state bronze medalist.

Professionally, Jones also served two terms as AIA-Central NJ president and is now advising its 13-person board on strategic growth while working as an At-Large Trustee for the state chapter. Furthermore, she co-planned and executed the 2022 Legacy Dinner, which brought seven FAIA section members and 40+ emerging professionals and architects together for roundtable discussions and a keynote presentation. AIA-NJ named her Young Architect of the Year in 2020.

A graduate of New Jersey Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Architecture, she also holds an MBA from Rutgers University. Upon completion of her AXP work experience, Jones passed the seven-part ARE upon her first sitting. In addition to AIA certification, her credentials include NOMA and LEED AP BD+C.