Celebrating Our African-American Leaders : Black History Month at Public Works
It was a small village and a set of Legos that inspired two of Public Works ’ black pioneers to pursue life-changing careers in design and construction .
Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru and Brook Mebrahtu , a project manager for our bureau of Building Design and Construction , knew their career aspirations at an early age . Their paths to success weren ’ t found easily , and they both faced challenges in their fields with few black role models .
They shared their stories at a Black History Month presentation that Public Works held on Feb . 23 highlighting African-American trailblazers in the design and construction industries .
Nuru , the first African American to head Public Works , has been in the role since 2011 . Prior , he served for 11 years as Public Works operations chief .
Nuru left his native Nigeria for Kansas State University , where his father had attended . He knew he wanted to be a design professional , but wasn ' t sure which concentration to pursue – until he saw a slideshow presented by the landscape architecture program . There was a photo of a man fishing from a boat that reminded him of home . The colors and design in a rendering hearkened back to the farm where he grew up . That was it : He decided to become a landscape architect .
With a degree in hand , Nuru began corporate jobs in landscape architecture . But he found it hard to harness the passion he found in Zaria , the Nigerian town where he went to high school . There , the focus was on improving community by fostering community – bringing people together to share in work , meals and sports . Ultimately , he had to make a tough decision : Would he continue down the path as a corporate landscape architect or pursue something he believed would be more meaningful ?
“ If you don ’ t believe you ' re in the right place , you need to follow your mind and follow your heart ,” Nuru told the crowd .