Message from the AIAO EVP/CEO

 

Heather Wilson
AIA Oregon Executive Vice President/CEO

Dear AIA Oregon members,

I hope this message finds you well. Fall is here, and right now, so many things are swirling – the leaves, to begin with, but also back to school (and sick days off from school already), back to events, and back to another AIA Membership renewal season!

As your AIA Oregon EVP/CEO, I want to take a moment to remind you of the value of your membership and to encourage you to renew your dues when you see the reminders begin next week.

AIA membership is an investment in your career and in the future of the architecture profession. AIA members receive a wide range of benefits, including:

  • Access to professional development resources, such as continuing education courses, online learning tools, and networking events.

  • Advocacy for the profession at the state and national levels.

  • Support for research and innovation in architecture.

  • Access to a community of over 95,000 architects and allied professionals.

In addition to the benefits listed above, AIA Oregon members also enjoy a variety of local benefits, such as:

  • Discounts on events and programs offered by AIA Oregon.

  • Opportunities to volunteer and get involved in AIA Oregon's committees and task forces.

  • Direct access to AIA Oregon leadership and the opportunity to attend Board meetings as a guest.

To get the most out of your AIA membership, I encourage you to participate in our events and programs, volunteer your time, and network with other members. AIA Oregon offers a variety of ways to get involved, so there is something for everyone.

Here are a few ideas for how to participate in AIA Oregon:

  • Attend our monthly membership meetings and events.

  • Volunteer on a committee or task force.

  • Mentor an emerging professional.

  • Write an article for our newsletter or blog.

  • Present at one of our events.

  • Get involved in our advocacy efforts.

How much should you participate to get the most out of your membership?

The more you participate, the more you will get out of your AIA membership. It sounds like a cliché, but just ask anyone you know who is active – they will agree. And here’s another truth - even if you can only participate a little bit, it is still worth it. Every bit counts.

Here are a few suggestions for how to get the most out of your membership, even if you are short on time:

 No matter how you choose to participate, I encourage you to get involved and make the most of your AIA membership. Together, we can build a stronger future for the architecture profession in Oregon.

Watch for your renewal letters starting next week. To to join, or reinstate or your AIA membership, please visit here.

Thank you for your continued support of AIA Oregon.

Sincerely,

Heather Wilson, EVP/CEO, AIA Oregon

Message from the AIAO EVP/CEO

 

Heather Wilson
AIAO EVP/CEO

Next steps for AIA Oregon Headquarters Task Force

Dear AIA Oregon members,

I am writing to update you on the next steps for the AIA Oregon headquarters task force. You may have seen our Thursday Roundtable originally scheduled for this evening is cancelled. With the limited number of registrants, we decided we could meet individually with those who still have questions, feedback, or input. Please feel free to reach out directly at any time.

As you know, the task force was created to develop a vision for AIA Oregon's new headquarters that would serve our statewide community, represent the best of architecture, model climate resilience, support a diverse, inclusive profession, and offer opportunities for partnership and collaboration.

To do that, the task force has been working hard to gather input from AIA Oregon members and stakeholders throughout the state. We have held a series of listening sessions, conducted surveys, and engaged with members on social media. This has been a coordinated and thoughtful approach led by Elisa Ahn, AIA and Alan Scott, AIA, the task force co-chairs. Along with our communications consultants, they conceptualized and presented complex issues and considerations with digestible graphics and easily understood prompts for feedback. Our full task force includes members from every section and most levels of membership. Thank you for your efforts.

Task Force Members:

Alan Scott, AIA Portland
Elisa Ahn, AIA Portland
(co chairs)

Matt Jacoby, AIA Portland
Mohamed Fakhry, AIA Portland
Abraham Rodriguez Guzman, AIA Portland
Sara Bergby, AIA Bend
Ian Schmidt, AIA Bend
Samuel Uccello, AIA Southern Oregon
Bill Seider, AIA Eugene
Kaley Fought, AIA Salem

What the task force learned is that our membership has different needs in different areas, and to serve the whole state, we’ll need to be innovative, collaborative, and thoughtful. Mainly, members want us to consider their desire for a fiscally responsible solution. Universally, members want us to remain aware of what they want most out of a solution that serves us all:

  • Multiple locations across the state, to better serve our statewide membership.

  • Spaces that are flexible and adaptable to meet the changing needs of our members.

  • Spaces that are welcoming and inclusive, and that reflect the diversity of our profession.

  • Spaces that are sustainable and resilient, and that model the best practices of good design.

See all the results and feedback we’ve received so far: 
www.aiaoregon.org/creating-a-new-hq

The task force and Board of Directors will now engage in the process of developing a detailed plan for implementing these recommendations. This plan will include a timeline, budget, and funding strategy.

We will be sharing the task force's plan with AIA Oregon members in the coming months. We will also be holding another series of town hall meetings to get feedback on the plan and to answer any questions that members may have at that time.

I am grateful to the members of the headquarters task force for their hard work and dedication. I am also grateful to all the AIA Oregon members who have participated in the task force's process and who have shared their input. Thank you for all you have done to create a new headquarters that will serve our statewide membership and the architecture profession in Oregon for many years to come.

Sincerely,

Heather Wilson

Message from the Chair of the Committee on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (CoEDI)

 

Mohamed Fakhry, Associate AIA
Chair, Committee on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (CoEDI)
Co-Chair Emerging Professionals Committee (EPC)

Hope these first few months of summer have been as warm and sunshine filled as ever!

I have never been more optimistic about the future of design as I am today. I know and believe that each of us are beautiful and amazing humans in our own ways, in how, we each contribute and challenge the profession of architecture, and push for more diversity, more equity, and more inclusion, within and beyond the walls and barriers that reflect architecture as a whole.

Over the course of the past few months, I have been pondering many questions regarding the AIA Oregon Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (CoEDI) commitment to DEI efforts in Oregon and beyond. Earlier in the Spring, I remembered that our opportunities to share spaces, sit together, engage, and critically discuss DEI have always been a challenge. This idea of us being able to better the profession from many different perspectives and many different experiences made me ask, what can we, as architects and designers do better and more? Why do we as architects and designers need to do better and more?

I realized that asking these questions together to find solutions will not just reflect what CoEDI stands for, but further help us address some of the many challenges the design profession faces to this day! These thoughts and questions, combined, made we wonder, can we "Elevate" design? and more specifically, what will it take to “Elevate” design as the future stays ever brighter on the horizon?

My hope and commitment as chair of the CoEDI is and will remain the same -  to give us all a platform to engage, learn together, and ask questions, acknowledging and pushing for DEI education as much as we aim to answer and solve historical problems. That is why I am extending you all an invitation to attend this year’s Future Vision Symposium, which will be held Virtually on August 17 & 18, 2023, followed by an in-person evening social on August 18 at DLR Group in Portland to celebrate our learning together!

CoEDI has been able to reach out to and invite 16 amazing humans that include the AIA 99TH President Emily Grandsatff Rice, FAIA and many more. This will give us all an opportunity to be in the room, and listen, and ask, and learn about the many different ways  we can approach this idea of how to "Elevate" design. 

From panel sessions discussing Women in Leadership, Women in Sustainability, the importance of understanding the challenges of accessibility, and the Pipeline Between Academia and Practice, this year Future Vision has me excited, and it is my hope that you are as well. As August gets close and the sun keeps beaming its golden rays, I am very much looking forward to meeting some, if not, many of you at the virtual symposium and in-person reception. We have so much to learn together.

Warmest Regards!