Greetings Colleagues,
I hope the Summer months find our membership doing well and that you have been able to take some time off for travel and relaxation from your busy practices. I am pleased to provide you with a report on the activities of AIA Virginia for the second quarter as well as July 2016.
The Board of Directors and staff of AIA Virginia have been busy working on matters of interest on behalf of our members. At its meeting held on June 17, the board adopted the tri-annual update to our 2017-2020 Strategic Plan, adopted the FY2017 budget, and also approved a phasing out of supplemental dues over a four-year period. We were pleased to report these actions to our members during the virtual meeting of the membership which was also held on June 17.
STRATEGIC PLAN
The board was committed to a deep dive into the strategic planning process this year as the first update to the strategic plan following the Centennial celebration of AIA Virginia in 2014. The five primary goals of our strategic plan are:
- Elevate public awareness by positioning architects as vital contributors to our built environment.
- Advance the knowledge and expertise of members.
- Advocate for the profession.
- Implement a communication program that informs and facilitates connections.
- Become a model of a strong nonprofit and vibrant membership organization.
The plan provides greater detail on each goal with implementation plans which the board and staff will be working on in the months ahead. I would like to thank Mr. Bill Brown, AIA, who chaired the strategic planning team as our President-Elect, Ms. Rhea George, AIA Virginia Managing Director who led efforts on behalf of our staff, Ms. Sarah Milston who was our lead consultant from The Spark Mill and all of the people who contributed to the strategic planning effort.
SUPPLEMENTAL DUES
The elimination of supplemental dues has been called for by many of our members for many years. After much study, our leadership plans to implement a four-year approach in which supplemental dues for AIA members are eliminated in 2017, followed by Associate members in the second year, non-member architects in the third year and finally technical employees in the final year of 2020. This plan will be voted on by the membership at the Annual Meeting during Architecture Exchange East on November 3, 2016. As savings in dues expenses are recognized by our members and their firms, we are hopeful that you will consider supporting AIA Virginia in other ways such as sponsoring programs which are of importance to your firms.
LARGE FIRM ROUNDTABLE
On June 14, with 24 people in attendance, we convened the third meeting of the AIA Virginia Large Firm Roundtable which is meeting on a semi-annual basis. In addition to updating those present on the activities of AIA Virginia and sharing ideas of mutual concern, we also heard a report from Patrick Cushing, Esq. of Williams Mullen on the legislative matters of interest to our members including procurement issues, SWAM definition of small business, and consideration of the future of historic tax credits in Virginia.
GOVERNMENT ADVOCACY
On legislative matters, Mr. Tim Colley, AIA, Vice President of the Advisory Council on Government Advocacy has been active in leading our efforts along with Ms. George. Mr. Colley attended the AIA SpeakUp! conference in Washington D.C. in July which provided training for developing legislative strategies for AIA components. Ms. George also attended SpeakUp! as well as the State Government Network meeting where she served on a panel discussing the work in Virginia being done relative to licensing in multiple jurisdictions. Our government advocacy is important for our profession. Please consider giving to AIA Virginia Political Action Committee (http://aiavapac.org/), even if it is a small amount, many voices will help us be heard by our legislators.
PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE
Vice President of the Advisory Council on Professional Excellence, Ms. Elizabeth Reader, FAIA, has been working with AIA Virginia Education Director Marshall Dreiling and other staff and council members on the planning of Architecture Exchange East in November which will feature as keynote speakers Ms. Rosa Sheng, AIA, of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson and founding Chairperson of The Missing 32% Project, and 2013 AIA President Mr. Mickey Jacob FAIA who is a 2018 candidate for Mayor of Tampa, FL. Additional seminars have been added to the program and the Branch Museum of Architecture and Design will be responsible for architectural tours.
Ms. Maggie Shubert AIA is chairing the committee which is planning “The Art of Practice”, a one-day bi-annual conference scheduled for the Spring of 2017 in Northern Virginia presented by AIA Virginia designed to build skills required by our profession. Topics for discussion will include firm culture, marketing, new technology trends, and how to grow your practice. With relevant content for both small and large firms, no matter what stage in your career, we are sure there will be something for everyone.
FINANCIAL AND MEMBERSHIP REPORT
The fiscal year for AIA Virginia ended on June 30, 2016, and we are pleased to report that we finished the year with an excess of $24,701. AIA Virginia Membership as of May 31 was reported at 1,553 AIA members and 417 AIA Associate members for a total of 1970 members. Our retention rate is at 93% which represents the highest number of members and retention rate over the last four years.
COMPONENT COLLABORATION
The five AIA components of Virginia and AIA Virginia continue to collaborate and communicate on its programs to improve the experience and value to our members. We held a conference call on July 26 with leadership from the six Virginia components and with our sister component from AIA West Virginia to discuss strategies to promote stronger working relationships among the components. I encourage you to get involved with the activities of your local component as well as AIA Virginia. There are many excellent activities and programs in the works.
THE BRANCH MUSEUM OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
Congratulations to The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design for their successful fund-raising effort of over $1,000,000 in order to receive a matching grant of $500,000 from the Cabell Foundation.
OUR VISION AND MISSION:
AIA Virginia continues to work hard to bring significant value to our members, provide programs and services which are relevant to our fast-changing profession and to celebrate the prosperity of our members. Our mission is to be the voice of the architecture profession in the Commonwealth, dedicated to serving our members and through a culture of innovation, AIA Virginia empowers its members, advances their value, and inspires the creation of a better-built environment.
THANK YOU:
Thank you to our Executive Vice President and CEO Helene Dreiling, FAIA, for her leadership and thank you to our AIA Virginia staff for their service to our membership.
Most important, thank you for being a member of AIA Virginia and for your contributions to our profession and practice of architecture in the Commonwealth! Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions or suggestions for AIA Virginia.
Sincerely,
Nick Vlattas, AIA
AIA Virginia President 2016