A Black woman might feel like the odds are stacked against her in the male-dominated field of architecture and construction. Plus, English isn’t the first — or even the second language — for Wenguel Yohannes, a construction manager for one of Dallas’ premier multifamily developers, Alamo Manhattan.
But this story isn’t about how Yohannes beat the odds and became successful in a man’s world. It’s about what she’s doing to empower other young people of color to do the same.
Leading by Example
Yohannes is a board member of the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects and for the past two years, she’s chaired the Project Pipeline camp for youth.
“We try to work with schools to get engagement,” she said. “The last two years we’ve had about 25 kids for a two-day camp. We go through what a typical architect would go through and talk about constructability. I’m really passionate about getting kids exposed early on. Mentoring is really near and dear to my heart.”
Yohannes mentors young people in the University of Texas at Arlington’s architecture and city planning program, at CityLab High School, and through the Young Women’s Preparatory Network.
“I look for opportunities,” Yohannes said. “Those are the things I never had growing up, and I want to give back.”
Journey to Alamo Manhattan
Yohannes, 38, was born in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia.
Her father was a civil engineer.
“As a kid, I used to draw a lot,” she said. “My dad would tell me, ‘You draw really straight lines. You should consider architecture.’ I would go to job sites with him, so I was exposed to the field of construction relatively early. He would give me his engineering scale or special pens and pencils. Had I not been exposed, I don’t know if I would have pursued this field. It’s a male-dominated field. I wouldn’t have seen it as an option.”
Her first language was Amharic and she attended a private French school. Her parents were educated professionals. At the time, Ethiopia didn’t really have a middle class, Yohnanes said.
“We were a monarchy and then we were under Communist ruling, and then democracy came,” she said. “There are a lot of different things that have occurred to not let the middle class come into play. When I grew up, you definitely had two classes.”
While her family would not be considered poor, her life has not been void of challenges.
Having never spoken a word of English, Wenguel Yohannes moved to Maryland when she was 10 years old. As a young adult, she relocated to earn a degree in architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington.
“I had every intention of moving back to the northeast,” she said. “I graduated in 2008 when the economy tanked, so I hunkered down and ended up staying here.”
Although her parents retired in Ethiopia, her sisters and four nephews live in Dallas, so Yohannes says she’s built a life in North Texas.
“I wouldn’t go anywhere else,” she said.
Yohannes worked as a senior project architect at Page Southerland Page and has about 14 years of experience in healthcare and higher education development.
She joined Alamo Manhattan in August and is the only female member of the construction team.
“I loved all the people, and the culture within Alamo was fantastic,” she said. “It just made sense to make the move.”
Founder and president Matt Segrest said Wenguel Yohannes is an exceptionally talented and driven professional.
“We are thrilled to have her at Alamo Manhattan,” he said. “She represents excellence to us and the fact that she is a woman is ancillary — though I will readily admit that we like diverse viewpoints and experiences in the company. There is no ‘cookie cutter’ Alamo Manhattan person, other than an adherence to our Ethos.”
Leaning Into Construction And Architecture
Yohannes is currently working on a multifamily development in Portland with an affordable housing component and Phase Two of the Victor Prosper project in Dallas’ Bishop Arts district. The 210-unit luxury condominium development is slated for completion in the fourth quarter of 2024.
While she says she’s become a little desensitized to being the only Black woman in the room, Yohannes is not afraid to set people straight when they question whether she belongs in a meeting with owners, contractors, and architects.
“I will say that at Alamo, it’s not a thing that comes up,” she said. “In past lives, I’ve walked into rooms where they wouldn’t acknowledge that I was the architect or they didn’t think to ask that question. I would have to be like, ‘I’m your point of contact.’ I go in knowing these things. I will educate you if you need educating. I don’t do it in a hostile way. People need grace. It’s an added thing for a woman, and a woman of color, to have to deal with. You go through it so much, it’s like breathing at this point.”
There are more challenges “with the race aspect than the gender aspect,” she explained.
“I think that’s because there have been conscious strides made to make sure the gender gap is being dealt with versus the harder one, which is race,” Yohannes said.
In 2021, Black women made up 0.4 percent of licensed architects in the U.S.
“We need more of us, and that onus kind of lies on those of us who have gone through it,” Yohannes said. “I want to be able to pave the way, or at least just bring the progression a little bit farther than the people before me did, so we don’t have to have this discussion.
“I can just sit down and do my work and not really care about it, but I think this is a field that can benefit from diverse thought processes,” she added. “We bring a different perspective. We’ve done things, we’ve built buildings for a certain demographic. Since we bring that different perspective, the spaces we live in have an effect on us. Making it more inclusive is what we should all be striving for.”
