Ciara Gogan
(she/her)
Moody Nolan Architects
PIOW Board Member
Mara is a licensed architect with 30 years of experience. A Boston resident with roots in the South Shore and the Cape, she spent 12 years running her own practice, focused on residential work and local housing initiatives, such as Habitat for Humanity. That path led her to national leadership opportunities in inclusion and belonging, LGBTQIA+ advocacy, transgender visibility, large-scale affordable housing projects, and broad efforts toward social and spatial justice in practice.
At Moody Nolan, Mara’s project work spans mixed-use, multifamily, affordable, and mixed-income large scale housing, as well as K-12 educational projects across the country. As the firm’s J.E.D.I. Program National Leader and an ERG Champion, she advocates for equitable outcomes at the highest levels in the industry. She co-founded “Kaleidoscope”, the 45-year-old company’s first LGBTQIA+ employee resource group.
Mara also co-chairs the Boston Society of Architects’ (BSA) E.D.I. Network. Through her work at the BSA and Moody Nolan, she also contributes to the AIA’s national DEI leadership and the Large Firm Round Table Inclusion + Belonging Committees. She serves on the boards of the Cape and Islands Transgender Emergency Fund and the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance Committee. She is a leader for the Boston Out in Design A/E/C social networking group and an active participant in NOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects) initiatives. Most recently, she joined the board of Pride in Our Workplace, extending her impact on LGBTQIA+ workplace equity.
Mara welcomes candid and difficult conversations about the challenges we face today.
In her last corporate role, Ciara pioneered groundbreaking initiatives, including a
company-wide allyship program, building and restructuring ERGs, and creating a
resource guide for gender transition, driving significant increases in workplace inclusivity
as affirmed by employee surveys. She is also a writer, with contributions to Huffington
Post, Thrive Global, and other platforms. Her writing amplifies the voices of
marginalized communities and challenges readers to embrace diversity, equity, and
inclusion.