New AIA Board Structure Approved

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At the National Convention in Chicago, the membership of the AIA took a key step toward creating a leadership structure that is more nimble and better able to respond to the Institute’s challenges and opportunities.“This new governance structure will make sure the AIA can speak with a [adrotate banner=”61″]clearer voice, move quicker to address its members’ concerns, and better represent its membership,” said 2014 AIA President Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA. “It paves the way for more Repositioning the AIA efforts to take root, helping us better serve all AIA members.”

Convention delegates gave final approval to a plan that restructures the Institute’s governance on Saturday, the last day of AIA Convention 2014 in Chicago. Bylaw amendments adopted by them will reduce the size of the Institute’s Board of Directors and augment the AIA’s governance structure by adding a new body, the Strategic Council, which will inform the Board and other Institute bodies of important professional issues. Read more>>

Changes Coming to the AIA and VSAIA

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Alert members will have read recently of proposed changes in governance of the American Institute of Architects.  On Sept. 20, the AIA Board of Directors adopted resolutions that are expected to lead to the restructuring of the board, diminishing the Institute’s governing board to an 11-member group charged with overseeing the internal management and finances.  A larger council, with representatives of the diverse makeup of the AIA — regions, knowledge communities, and affiliated groups — will become the “think tank” for the profession, assessing where the profession and its professional society should be moving.

On the same day, the Virginia Society AIA Board of Directors adopted a new strategic plan that will guide its work over the next three years.  Starting, of course, with the members, strategies and tactics will evolve from the fundamental statement that “Member needs, values, and aspirations will inform the Society’s programs and services.” Acknowledging that neither architects nor their professional society work in isolation, “The Society will strengthen and enrich its strategic relationships.” Addressing the profession’s expectations that the Virginia Society will act as advocate for the profession, “The Society will inform the public of its members’ concerns and achievements.” From that single statement, the Society will revisit and revise the way it talks to the public about architects and architecture.  Finally, in order to achieve all that members have come to expect of its statewide society, the Society must revisit and refresh itself as an operating entity.  Thus, “The Society will be structured and financed to ensure operational sustainability.”  In making this statement, the Board of Directors has committed to a rigorous examination of its programs and their effectiveness, of the structure of the board of directors itself, and of the funding mechanisms that are available to provide the wherewithal to fulfill its obligations to Society members.

While much remains to unfold in the AIA’s “repositioning” project, the Virginia Society’s launching of its new strategic plan promises — in the same year it celebrates 100 years of service to the profession and to society — to provide a way for Virginia to share in the careful recalibration of a profession that will continue changing in the 21st century.

Repositioning Town Hall Registration Open

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The AIA’s Repositioning initiative, which began more than a year ago, is a research and assessment effort that identified specific areas in the AIA that require real and meaningful change for the organization to remain relevant to members and the profession of architecture. The recommendations of LaPlaca Cohen, the consultants that conducted the research and analysis, focused on three core areas: AIA leadership structure, institutional framework and operational focus.

The AIA has engaged Kotter International, the foremost expert in change management, to help implement the next phase of Repositioning. Their expertise, mapped onto the AIA’s strategy and vision, will point the way forward, thoughtfully and operationally. Kotter joins world-renowned design firm Pentagram in the Repositioning effort to bring clarity and focus to AIA leadership structure, institutional framework and operational focus.

The AIA will hold quarterly Virtual Town Halls to give members a forum to speak out and gather great ideas. Robert Ivy, FAIA, EVP/CEO and Mickey Jacob, FAIA, 2013 AIA President, invite you to join them as they have an open conversation about the progress of AIA’s Repositioning efforts. Registration is now open for the October and December sessions. Please share your voice.

Registration information for Friday, Oct. 25, 1-2 p.m.

Registration information for Wednesday, Dec. 4, 1-2 p.m.

Institute Repositioning Initiative Begins Next Phase: A Letter from Bob Ivy, FAIA

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Thanks to you and your passion, the AIA repositioning initiative is off to a very encouraging start. We are seizing the moment and building greater relevance for you, our profession, and the Institute. Conversations and feedback from members across the AIA in chapters large and small have been laced with thoughtful ideas, ranging from considerations in decision making to Institute priorities.

Like architecture, the repositioning effort contains its own structure. We have just completed the “programming” phase, which, like our own work in architecture, embodies extensive research. Through this investigation, our partners LaPlaca Cohen and Pentagram have distilled the best insights from voluminous earlier research, immersed themselves in numerous contemporary interviews with members, clients, and the public, and fielded surveys that brought to the surface recurring themes, clarifying public perceptions of architects and the value we offer.

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