On the last day in December, I was listening to a podcast piece about habits–about how to start new ones, how to disrupt unhelpful or unhealthy ones, how to break them down into tiny bits and ultimately try to become a better person with the new habits that I will implement smoothly, effectively, and with no trouble or sacrifice at all–as I confidently assure myself every January. It will be like magic, right? Yet more often than not, my track record suggests otherwise. Other than a recent resolution to floss more consistently (stemming from the post-grad school financial shock of my first significant dental procedure), I have an admittedly poor record with immediate follow through on my resolutions. I am an aspirational person, but usually by the grey days at the end of January, my big goals have shrunk to small goals, if they still exist at all. I suspect I am not alone.
Michael Spory, Assoc. AIA
And yet, I look back and realize that even if those resolutions did not immediately pan out, that resolving myself to stretch and grow in new ways each year has positively bent the arc of my life in the long run. In the act of reflecting every new year, I can clean off the dust of the everyday chaos of deadlines and redlines and take stock of who I have been–and more importantly–who I want to be. Not just trying to go to the gym more often, but someone who takes action on my holistic health more intentionally. Not just checking off the next professional credential, but understanding what is piquing my curiosity and holding my creative attention. Not just trying to quantify ways to appease my internal sense of my own racism, but undertaking the steady, consistent work to undo the white supremacy where it shows up in my life.
For me, this realization helps shape the often slow, sometimes frustrating back-of-house efforts that begin the new year. As the AIA Virginia representative for unlicensed professionals across the commonwealth of Virginia, I am looking ahead to how to bend the arc of our emerging professional architectural community more towards excellence, more towards equity, more towards connection in a challenging year for designers everywhere. In serving your needs, I am committed to the following:
To connect our five distinct chapters in more concrete ways, building bridges across professional networks and universities to celebrate and share what each of our components does really well.
To increase opportunities for allyship and equity-building for women, LGBT, BIPOC, folks with disabilities, and non-traditional professionals.
To find ways to better serve our design outposts in under-resourced cities and the rural areas outside of Virginia’s traditional design geographies.
To supporting entrepreneurship and design organizations (and the people running them) that don’t always look like traditional architectural practice.
If you find that you are inspired by something in these goals–please please please get in touch with me. Our AIA Virginia team is always looking for new team members–emerging leaders who can take on the big and small things that serve each other and our communities in better ways. Will you come join me?
In that podcast that I mentioned, the host suggested breaking down new goals into the tiniest bits possible, to build on small successes consistently. As 2021 gets underway, I wonder what these first small successes will look like over the next weeks and months, as we work together to build and celebrate the good daily work of design in ourselves, our neighborhoods, and across Virginia.
In solidarity and action, Michael Spory, Associate AIA spory@vmdo.com
Just a few fun things to click on:
Some dope projects. The Architect’s Newspaper announced its 2020 Design Awards list, which features Virginia’s own Memorial to Enslaved Laborers at the University of Virginia as Project of the Year.
Something to jumpstart your ARE studying. AIA Northern Virginia is gearing up another round of ARE prep courses, which will all be virtual for the time being. If you are anything like me, having others to share the ARE studying gauntlet with is an invaluable resource and motivator. More info here.
Something to join. VANOMA (recently founded in the fall of 2020) is up and running. Get info and connected to its efforts, and join the meetings to learn more. They can be found on social media here.
MEETING RECAP AIA Virginia | 2020 Board of Directors December 10, 2020 Zoom Virtual Meeting
Motions Made and Approved: The Board of Directors of AIA Virginia voted as follows: ● Approval of October 9, 2020 Meeting Minutes ● Approval of Proposed Bylaws Changes for Presentation to the Membership
Written reports were provided for the following consent agenda items:
• PAC Update • General Assembly Special Session Wrap-Up • Membership Update • Amber Book Update • Virginia NOMA Update • Mid-Career Professionals Program Update • Emerging Leaders in Architecture Update • Operation: Reach, Retain, and Develop Update • AEC Symposium Update
Members may request a copy of these written reports by emailing AIA Virginia Executive Vice President, Corey Clayborne, FAIA at cclayborne@aiava.org.
This is the last meeting of the 2020 AIA Virginia Board of Directors.
Please help us welcome Jody Cranford to the staff of AIA Virginia as a part-time sales representative. Jody lives and works remotely from her “Garoffice” (garage office) in Lancaster PA.
Jody has been working with Regional AIA Chapters since 2007, helping increase chapter revenue through Advertising, Sponsorship, Event, and Allied membership Sales. Her focus is on helping connect suppliers and vendors to Architects in need of their services through AIA.
If you have a favorite consultant or vendor you believe could benefit from engagement with AIA Virginia members, please email Jody their contact information and she’ll reach out and present the benefits of supporting AIA members throughout the Commonwealth.
It’s been said that the darkest part of the night comes just before dawn. The new year holds a promise with vaccines starting to roll out, renewed focus on social justice and movement on climate action. We move forward with hope.
Looking Back
Sean Reilly, AIA
We’ve all been warmed by fires we did not build. I am so grateful for the hard work of all our past AIA Virginia executive vice-presidents, staff members, presidents and boards. On behalf of our profession, I want to thank my predecessor, 2020 President Beth Reader, FAIA for her effective and grace-filled leadership through an unprecedented, yet highly productive year. We move forward with a solid foundation and momentum.
Looking Ahead
In a few days, we celebrate Martin Luther King Day and in February, Black History Month when we as a nation celebrate the achievements of and pay tribute to generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in America. I am inspired by the life story of Congressman John Lewis whose mission was creating a future without racism.
“We must use our time and our space on this little planet that we callEarth to make a lasting contribution, to leave it a little better than we found it”
Rep. John Lewis
John struggled to overcome obstacles his entire life starting right at the beginning, growing up the son of sharecroppers near Troy, Alabama. As a child, he enjoyed feeding and caring for the family chickens. One day, there was a terrible storm with high gusty winds. John joined hands with his aunt, siblings and cousins, over a dozen of them as they moved their small bodies around trying to keep the swaying, creeking little wooden house on its foundations. Young John Lewis learned about working with others toward a common goal that day. As a human rights protector and congressman, Lewis was able to go far toward achieving his life’s mission by working with others.
The 2021 AIA Virginia team is dedicated to going far to achieve its mission of serving our members, advancing their value, and improving the quality of the built environment. The AIA Virginia Board consists of 27 individuals from around the state with members from each Chapter, the accredited schools of architecture, an Associate Director and Executive Vice-President (EVP). The Board is supported by an outstanding staff of four led by our EVP, Corey Clayborne.
AIA Virginia’s Board is grouped into four Councils that develop and implement the 2020 – 2022 Strategic Plan including Advocacy, Education, Member Services and Outreach. Six goals that guide the Councils’ efforts include:
Develop our future leaders
Celebrate design excellence that reflects who want to be as a profession
Advance initiatives that support Justice, Equity, Inclusion and Diversity
Broaden our tent through strategic partnerships
Help you get the most out of your membership
Be a financially strong and growing organization
Implementation of these goals is creating a vibrant and engaged membership, inspired to make a positive impact on people’s lives and their communities.
There is an African proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” The AIA provides each of us the opportunity to go further together toward achieving our professional mission and goals. You are an important part of this work and we are here to support you. We believe you will find the connections, resources and services AIA Virginia provides to be valuable to your careers and firms.
If you have already renewed your membership – Thank You! If not, you can renew here www.aia.org/renew. If you are not sure about renewing, I would welcome a personal call or email from you. We need your input to continue to provide the level of service members expect and be the voice of the architecture profession in the Commonwealth.
I am grateful for the privilege and opportunity to serve as your AIA Virginia 2021 President. I hope 2021 is a more just, peace-filled and healthy year for all of us.
As a Design Principal at CannonDesign, Ken Wiseman leads the firm’s creative process to conceive, refine and implement innovative, living-centered design solutions for clients. His creative leadership embraces visioning, programming, master planning, architectural design, and interior design. Additionally, he provides advice and consultation regarding the wide range of issues that inevitably arise when creating new places. While his primary focus has always been on design, he also served as President of the firm and was a member of the Board of Directors for over a decade. He was responsible for the firm’s design quality and process methodologies. He represented the firm at the AIA Large Firm Roundtable for over a decade and was a leader of the LFRT Deans Forum.
Ken has been named a Distinguished Alumni of The Ohio State University. He has lectured and taught at over twenty universities and has been a registered architect in multiple states and provinces. Ken served on the Recreation Access Advisory Committee of the United States Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board and in late 2019 completed his service on the NAAB ARC Steering Committee, which revised architectural accreditation standards and procedures. He is currently a board member of the Greater Washington D.C. Board of Trade, his local planning committee, and a member of the national AIA/AGC Joint Committee, which is focused on improving communication, integration, work force diversity and collaboration in the design and construction industries.
W. Kenneth Wiseman, FAIA
Ken has designed Olympic Sport facilities, mixed-use urban places, corporate headquarters, justice facilities, science and technology facilities, community spaces, health facilities, and virtually every type of building found on a college or university campus. His planning innovations resulted in new conceptual models and standards for sport facilities and campuses that have been adopted by institutions globally. His design innovations include the first precast dome ever constructed and the world’s largest wood roof.
His design work has been recognized with 31 awards for design excellence, including awards from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC). Five of his buildings have obtained LEED platinum certification. Ken’s work has been featured in a wide range of media outlets, from the NBC Nightly News and the Today Show, to Architectural Record, Architect, the Globe and Mail, Canadian Architect, Interiors, and USA Today.
His career accomplishments include the design of the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, which was described as “the finest center of its kind in the world” by IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch. Ken’s design of the Richmond Oval, which was the speed skating venue for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, received the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s Innovation in Architecture Award of Excellence, and the Green Building Practices Award from the Globe Foundation and World Green Building Council. The IAKS (International Association for the Construction of Sport and Leisure facilities) designated the Richmond Oval as one of the “50 Most Influential Sports Buildings Designed in the Last 50 Years”.
Where did you go to college? -The Ohio State University – Master of Architecture -The Ohio State University – Bachelor of Science, Architecture
Would you recommend studying architecture to a young person? Absolutely, and I do that regularly.
What does it take to be an architect? Creativity, curiosity, optimism, a desire to make or improve something, and love of life.
Was there an architect that particularly inspired you? Ms. Patricia Swan, AIA: Pat was my first mentor. She evolved from being my supervisor to teacher, to collaborator, to friend, to inspiration. She was the first female Associate Partner at Skidmore Owings and Merrill. She was possibly the most complete and well-rounded architect I have ever had the privilege of knowing. I miss her.
What are you currently reading? Several years ago my sister gave me a Kindle, so I now have multiple books in progress. My current reading includes The Peripheral by William Gibson; Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl; Atmosphaera Incognita by Neal Stephenson and Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth and Happiness by Richard H. T Haler and Cass R. Sunstein.
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had? The best meal I ever had was at Tante Louise in Denver Colorado. It was my first date with my wife and I have no idea what we had for dinner.
Why do you volunteer with the AIA? My motivation is to help improve the profession and increase our relevance in society.
When I first joined the AIA Virginia Board of Directors, all of the Directors had to go around the big conference table in The Branch House, introduce themselves to the group, and state why they joined the AIA. I probably had a different reason than the other Directors—I joined primarily because of isolation.
So, let me back up just a bit. When I started working in architecture firms after college graduation, none of the architects I worked for were AIA members, and their opinions about the organization were pretty negative. When my husband Chuck and I started our firm three years later, one of the first things we did was join the AIA. One of the primary reasons was because, living in a small town, we felt totally isolated from other architects.
Soon after joining, Chuck and I began attending AIA Northern Virginia design award celebrations, and soon met many friendly architects. Since neither of us had ever had a mentor, it was so helpful to be able to ask fellow architects how they dealt with common problems in practice, like clients not paying their invoices, or dealing with confusing building code language. We started attending AIA Virginia events in Richmond, too, including the annual “Building Virginia” conference (now it’s known as Architecture Exchange East) and the biennial Design Forum, held in different locations across the Commonwealth. We met many wonderful architects from all across Virginia at these statewide events. I definitely think that one of the best things about being an AIA member has been the friendships that I’ve formed with architects from all across Virginia.
During the pandemic, people all over the world are dealing with feelings of isolation. Don’t let yourself feel this way about your fellow architects, though. Become more active in the AIA, and use the network of its roughly 2400 members within the Commonwealth of Virginia, to feel a sense of comradery within the profession. Reach out.
During 2020, AIA Virginia reached out to its members to give them avenues of inclusion and community in many ways. We began a mentorship program for new graduates, in conjunction with AIAS (American Institute of Architecture Students). We began a new NOMA chapter in Virginia (National Organization of Minority Architects). We held Town Halls with the five component chapters to get feedback on members’ needs. We did an outreach program to firm leaders to determine how their businesses were faring during the pandemic. We still (virtually) held signature events like Arch Ex, Visions, Design Forum, and yafCON (Young Architect Forum Conference). We had a resource page on our website for helpful links for dealing with COVID-19 and the Paycheck Protection Program. We held quarterly small, medium, and large Firm Roundtables.
As I mentioned earlier, my AIA membership has allowed me to form great friendships with fellow architects. This year, I always looked forward to my weekly meetings with our Executive Vice President, Corey Clayborne, and our 2021 President, Sean Reilly, both of whom have become good friends. It’s hard to believe this is my last President’s letter. From now on you’ll be hearing from Sean. He has been working hard for the last several years, particularly in the area of government advocacy. He is a very caring and thoughtful architect who will do a stellar job leading us in 2021.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your AIA Virginia (COVID-19) President this year. It has been an honor and a privilege.
We are always excited to welcome new members to Virginia. The following members recently joined the ranks of AIA Virginia.
New Architect Members
Mr. Kyle W. Fell, AIA (Northern Virginia) Mr. Duane M. Harver, AIA (Hampton Roads) Ms. Jennifer Heller, AIA (Northern Virginia) Mrs. Mariel C. Heredia-Torres, AIA (Northern Virginia) Yung-Han Chang, AIA (Hampton Roads) Ms. Katherine J. Flanigan, AIA (Northern Virginia) Ms. Sara C. Lanier, AIA (Richmond)
New Associate Members
Ms. Alexandra M. Foster, Assoc. AIA (Northern Virginia) Mr. Wentao Gao, Assoc. AIA (Northern Virginia) Mr. Brian C. Gore, Assoc. AIA (Richmond) Miss Amanda K. Harlow, Assoc. AIA (Northern Virginia) Mr. Brian Spitnale, Assoc. AIA (Northern Virginia) Ms. Xinzhi Chang, Assoc. AIA (Blue Ridge) Mr. Pablo D. Martinez, Assoc. AIA (Northern Virginia) Miss Roberta S. McCord, Assoc. AIA (Northern Virginia) Mrs. Meredith Sells (Northern Virginia) Ms. Sarah E. Violi, Assoc. AIA (Northern Virginia) Zahra Zolfaghari, Assoc. AIA (Blue Ridge) Mr. Elie Khoury, Intl. Assoc. AIA (Richmond)
AIA Virginia Allied Members
Anthony Stazzone, Marino WARE Industries Marie White, APCO Sign Systems Jack Heisler, President, J.A. Heisler Contracting Co., Inc. Jimmy Keith, President, Keith Fabry Reprographic Solutions Stan Black, Wealth Innovations Justin Trent, Managing Director, Lynch Mykins Structural Engineers, PC Dan Longenderfer, Director of Marketing, York Building Products Elizabeth Woods, Nydree Flooring Kevin Harris, AGS Stainless, Inc. Gil Carpenter, Batchelder & Collins Jimmy Wickham, Dormakaba USA David Weber, Epic Metals Tuan Tran, Guardian Glass Kelly Batchelder, Nello Wall Systems Ivy Bohn, Nichiha USA, Inc. Greg Spencer, Residential Elevators Matt Smith, Sherwin Williams John Stahl, Swirnow Building Systems David Trautman, Vitro Architectural Glass Jeff Gary, Project Manager, Arch Resources
MEETING RECAP AIA Virginia | 2020 Board of Directors October 9, 2020 Zoom Virtual Meeting
Motions Made and Approved:
The Board of Directors of AIA Virginia voted as follows:
● Approval of August 7, 2020 Meeting Minutes ● Approval of August 31, 2020 Meeting Minutes ● Approval to change the name of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee to the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee in the Rules of the Organization. ● Approval of including the Finance Committee to the Rules of the Organization. ● Approval of the Secretary’s Advisory Committee’s governance efficiency recommendations for presentation to the membership.
Written reports were provided for the following consent agenda items:
PAC Update
General Assembly Special Session Update
Gubernatorial Appointments
Membership Update
Amber Book Update
Virginia NOMA Update
Emerging Leaders in Architecture Update
Operation: Reach, Retain, and Develop Update
Partnership with Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy
Virginia Energy Efficiency Council Membership Swap
AEC Joint Owner Forum – Department of General Services
AEC Conference Update
Members may request a copy of these written reports by emailing AIA Virginia Executive Vice President, Corey Clayborne, FAIA at cclayborne@aiava.org.
The next meeting of the 2020 AIA Virginia Board of Directors will take place Thursday, December 10, 2020.
