The Professional Achievement Awards celebrate and recognize achievement at all levels of the profession within our community. The objective is to promote engagement within the chapter and recognize valuable contributions of members who are serving the community and proactively improving the architecture profession.
The AIA Oregon Executive Committee selected 2 Professional Achievement Awards from those nominated.
Young Architect Award - NICOLE BECKER, AIA
With her enthusiastic and unwavering foresight, Nicole has provided countless volunteer hours at this early stage of her career to encourage, educate and elevate the next generation of architects in Oregon and beyond. Representing AIA Oregon as the state representative to the Young Architects’ Forum, and leading the AIA Oregon Emerging Professionals Committee, she has fostered a culture of inclusion, collaboration, mentorship, and vision. The Pacific Northwest has a better built environment through her architectural practice and dedicated service.
Our 2023 Young Architect Honoree is an Associate and Project Architect at ZGF Architects in Portland, OR. The dichotomy between the natural and built environments has always inspired her to seek out challenges in both arenas as she strives to make a more holistic impact on people and planet. In just six years in the profession, she has served in numerous capacities for the AIA, NAAB, and NCARB; including currently as Oregon’s State Representative to the Young Architects Forum. In 2022, she was named an Associate at ZGF after just a year with the firm. She is equally passionate about advocating for the next generation of designers as she is about mentoring the next generation of mountaineers. Outside of architecture, she is an avid dog lover and accomplished mountaineer who volunteers her time rescuing senior dogs and training, educating, and leading alpinists with a focus on gender equality in the mountains.
Congratulations to NICOLE BECKER recipient of the 2023 Young Architect Award!
President’s Award - JAY RASKIN, FAIA
For his outstanding service to the chapter as a volunteer and vital member of the AIA Oregon Legislative Committee, where he has brought his understanding of sustainability, resiliency, disaster response, and historic preservation to affect Oregon State Law and Administration. His dedication to the safety and security of Oregonians in the event of earthquake and tsumani have left us all better protected. We are truly grateful for his thoughtful preparedness.
Our 2023 President’s Award winner is a citizen architect, who has woven the threads of disaster response and architectural practice, planning for disaster recovery, historic preservation, and sustainability with a vision for community resilience. He has expanded his understanding and influence in resiliency planning as an elected official in Cannon Beach and further impacted Oregon through his involvement in the development of the Oregon Resiliency Plan. He can be relied on as an advocate for the profession and participates with the AIAO legislative committee. He helped to establish national standards as the chair of the National Institute of Standards & Technology’s (NIST) Community Resilience Panel which was tasked with the mission to reduce barriers to achieving community resilience.
Through his leadership and tireless efforts, AIA Oregon led the effort to create the position of State Resilience Officer for Oregon. In this process he has been the face of our profession to the legislature and state agencies, prodding and educating them into awareness, writing the planning documents, and enabling legislation that has created action and results – while also enhancing the public perception of architects.
Congratulations to JAY RASKIN, recipient of the 2023 AIA Oregon President’s Award!