Kaley Fought, AIA
Treasurer, AIA Oregon
In 2013, I attended my first AIA meeting as a fresh hire with CB Two Architects in Salem, and I must admit, I came away rather shocked at the limited representation of women in attendance - me. This is a story many women in the architecture field have experienced, but I’m thrilled to see the significant shift that has occurred since then. With the encouragement and support of coworkers and leadership in my firm, I joined the AIA Salem Board as an Associate Director a year later, motivated to expand the role of architects, and women in architecture, to have an impactful presence locally, as well as regionally. As an Associate and Project Architect for CB Two, I work on a variety of project types ranging from commercial remodels to new healthcare facilities. For numerous reasons, local community projects resonate most deeply with my architectural philosophy. The outreach and impact of civic work in Salem is fundamentally engaging as I am frequently directly involved with these projects as a citizen, long after my role as architect is complete. I am currently focused on the new YMCA facility in the heart of downtown Salem. I served on the Salem board as Director until 2017 when I was elected President of the AIA Salem chapter, eventually facilitating Salem’s participation in the state-wide merger to AIA Oregon. Last year, I had the pleasure of working as the Chair of the Shift19 Oregon Design Conference alongside our incredible staff. In my current role as AIAO Treasurer I provide feedback on and oversight of the budget, focusing on finding ways to utilize our funds in impactful ways. I’m excited to be a part of the team facilitating and creating programming for members that elevates your experience both as an architect, and as a member.
As both Amy Vohs and Curt Wilson have emphasized in their correspondence, AIAO is striving to create robust connectivity throughout the organization in order to strengthen our relationships internally and externally. Our quarterly themes of Policy and Advocacy, Emerging Technologies, People and Culture, and Climate are the umbrella themes for programming this year. In each of these themes, we can strengthen our unified voice through education, awareness, mentorship, and celebration of architecture. We have a number of established committees whose work has, and will continue to, lay the groundwork for start-up committees locally and state-wide. Each of the Section Directors are coordinating committee open houses to share ideas and provide insight for increasing engagement and participation. I encourage you to attend, and bring someone along with you! There are a variety of ways to get involved and share in our continued efforts to expand the reach of architecture, increasing participation at local and regional levels, building credibility with communities and leadership, and ultimately to facilitate Architects leading conversations affecting the built environment and urban fabric. Now more than ever our collective voice as a profession needs to be heard.
My initiation into state-wide AIA involvement began when I attended my first Oregon Design Conference in 2016 at the encouragement of my firm and came away feeling inspired and invigorated. Having participated in other fantastic design conferences, I found that the ODC has a unique combination of camaraderie and creative energy that sets it apart. We are in the early stages of planning the Oregon Design Conference 2021, and are looking for members interested in joining the planning committee. Building on last year’s theme, our focus is on seeking new perspectives, both within and beyond the traditional profession of architecture. We will continue to develop a more specific theme for 2021 once a committee is established. AIA Oregon, and the Oregon Design Conference, offer a unique platform from which we can elevate these conversations, critically placing us in front of policy makers and community leaders. If you are interested in joining the planning committee, please email me at kaley@cbtwoarchitects.com, or Curt Wilson at cwilson@aiaoregon.org.