AIA Virginia Newsletter: January 2026

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Hello, 2026!
As we begin the new year, many of us see this as an opportunity to start fresh and commit to self-improvement.
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Gearing up for the Virginia General Assembly
The pitch is being readied. The legislative players have been duly elected – and will in fact continue to be, owing to the knock-on effects of special elections.
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Hill Day is Coming Soon!
Members and their guests are invited to convene at the Virginia General Assembly to observe and perhaps even participate in the legislative advocacy process.
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Leaders in Architecture & Business Program
Applications are open until February 13th for the 2026 LAB Program. Apply today!
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Member Roundtables
Join your peers to discuss the issues and trends in your firms or non-traditional practice at the virtual meeting of the Firm-Size and Non-Traditional Member Roundtables, February 25, 2026. FREE.
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2025 By the Numbers
Thanks to our volunteer leaders and collaborators, led by President Meagan Jancy, AIA, here are the highlights from 2025.
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Design Forum XVII
The 17th Virginia Design Forum will be held on Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2, 2026, at the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. Registration is opening next month.
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Meet the 2026 ELA Class
The 2026 class of Emerging Leaders in Architecture launched their year of leadership development sessions last week. Meet these exceptional young leaders.
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ELA Scholarship Awarded
The R. Corey Clayborne FAIA Scholarship has been awarded to a member of the 2026 class of Emerging Leaders in Architecture.
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Service through Gubernatorial Appointments
With a new administration sworn in this week, there are fresh opportunities to serve the Commonwealth.
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AIA Virginia Prize Competition
The 2026 competition takes place over the weekend of January 30. Faculty at James Madison University are finalizing the brief for the students of UVA, Virginia Tech, WAAC, Hampton, JMU, and William & Mary.
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LAB Program Informational Zoom
Join us on January 28th on Zoom to learn more about the Leaders in Architecture & Business program. This is your chance to hear from past participants and ask questions.
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Meet the Board
Welcome your 2026 Board of Directors, and thank you to those completing their service on the board.
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New YAR, John McKenna, AIA
In this role, I am eager to serve as the liaison between our local Emerging Professional (EP) community and the Young Architects Forum (YAF).
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Happy New Year from the SFx
The first National Small Firm Exchange meeting of the year will be held on Thursday, January 15th, and we will follow up with a Commonwealth-wide meeting the following Thursday, January 22nd.
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Welcome New Members
We are always excited to welcome new members to Virginia. The following members recently joined AIA Virginia.
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Newly Licensed
We all understand the dedication and effort required to study for and pass the ARE. Congratulations to the following member for passing their exams and gaining licensure.
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Amber Book
Are you ready to get licensed? Access the Amber Book for 60 days for just $99.
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ARE Prep for 2026
AIA Northern Virginia’s VIRTUAL 2026 ARE Prep Series kicks off TONIGHT with an NCARB Roundtable, followed monthly, February-July, with one-day virtual Saturday ARE Prep Classes.
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Remembering and Appreciating Ed Slipek
Edwin John Slipek, Jr., Hon. AIAVA, passed away on December 15, 2025, at the age of 75, following a brief illness.
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AIA Virginia Foundation
Tax-deductible donations can now be made for the AIA Virginia Prize.
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Review AIA’s Strategic Plan 2026-2030
AIA invites you to review the draft of AIA’s Strategic Plan 2026-2030 and share your insights to ensure our shared vision reflects the needs of our profession and communities.
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Featured Job Listings
VIA design – Project Architect https://www.aiava.org/project-architect-2/
VIA design – Project Leader https://www.aiava.org/project-leader-2/

PAC Opt-out
If you do not want any of your 2026 dues going to the AIA Virginia PAC, you can opt out here.
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Review AIA’s Strategic Plan 2026-2030

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Hello and Happy New Year!

AIA invites you to review the draft of AIA’s Strategic Plan 2026-2030 and share your insights to ensure our shared vision reflects the needs of our profession and communities. 

After reviewing this document, you can share your feedback through a short survey or join us for a public comment session to share your thoughts directly with AIA leadership and help finalize our path forward.

Here is the copy for the plan in it’s entirety with links embedded:

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Draft Strategic Plan 2026-2030 – Link to Website

This draft strategic plan outlines AIA’s proposed mission, vision, guiding principles, and strategic priorities for the next planning period. 

Mission 

Empowering the architecture profession to create transformative places for every community. 

Vision 

Drive positive change through the power of design and focused advocacy. 

Guiding principles 

These principles guide how AIA interprets and implements this strategic plan. They clarify the intent behind the goals and strategies and connect AIA’s mission and vision to long-term commitments to equity, resilience, climate leadership, and the public good. 

Architecture is for everyone 

Design should serve all people and communities, ensuring access, inclusion, and relevance across the built environment. 

The future is regenerative 

We must move beyond minimizing harm to create buildings and places that restore ecosystems, strengthen communities, and support a climate-positive future. 

Together we amplify impact 

Collaboration across the profession and with partners expands our ability to achieve meaningful, lasting change. 

Strategic goals & strategies 

The following goals define what AIA seeks to advance over the next strategic period. Each goal is supported by focused strategies that outline how progress will be achieved. 

Goal 1 

Elevate architects as essential leaders of the built environment. 

Strategies 

  1. Strengthen advocacy capacity at the local, state, and federal levels through actionable guidance and cross-component support. 
  2. Support members in communicating their unique value to clients, partners, and communities. 
  3. Lead targeted public outreach and develop engagement tools that reinforce the role of architects in advancing community well-being and quality of life. 

Goal 2 

Equip members to drive practice innovation and design performance. 

Strategies 

  1. Emphasize business acumen and financial sustainability within professional development offerings that strengthen practice success. 
  2. Expand and modernize access to shared knowledge and resources across practice settings, design roles, and career paths. 
  3. Integrate emerging technologies into practical tools that support improved firm performance and project outcomes. 

Goal 3 

Advance an equitable and accessible profession that inspires entry, advancement, and participation across the career journey. 

Strategies 

  1. Increase representation and retention of underrepresented populations pursuing licensure, firm leadership, and AIA involvement across career stages. 
  2. Partner with aligned organizations to connect architects and design professionals as mentors with underrepresented students from kindergarten through college, supporting entry into and success in the field. 
  3. Strengthen geographic reach and cross-component coordination to ensure consistent access to career-shaping resources and networks across the profession. 

Goal 4 

Accelerate progress on climate change mitigation and adaptation, with architects leading solutions for buildings, infrastructure, and communities. 

Strategies 

  1. Support wider adoption of design excellence tools and climate action commitments into everyday practice outcomes. 
  2. Make the business case for a high-performance built environment-zero-carbon, healthy, equitable, and resilient-and share practical ways for members to apply it. 
  3. Work with industry leaders across the building community to align metrics and drive momentum for regenerative design beyond 2030. 

How to provide feedback 
We invite feedback on the clarity, focus, and completeness of this draft plan to help finalize AIA’s path forward. We welcome input on whether the proposed mission, vision, principles, goals, and strategies reflect the priorities needed to advance the profession and the built environment. 

After reviewing this draft, you can share your feedback through a short survey and join an open comment session to share your thoughts directly with AIA leadership. 

Service through Gubernatorial Appointment

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Many AIA Virginia members serve Virginia through gubernatorial appointments. Architects serve on critical boards and commissions such as our regulatory board: the Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects – APELSCIDLA. They also serve on the Art and Architectural Review Board, advising on the design of Commonwealth buildings. And they contribute to bodies like the Fair Housing Board, the State Building Code Technical Review Board, the Secure and Resilient Commonwealth Panel, and the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities.

You are encouraged to contact AIA Virginia EVP Paul Battaglia if you are interested in serving.

The process to be considered for (re)appointment includes:

  1. Researching openings/positions
    Consider current boards/commissions and available seats to find ones that match your interests and qualifications. Many positions have specific eligibility requirements. https://www.commonwealth.virginia.gov/va-government/boards-and-commissions/comprehensive-board-listing/
  2. Completing the online application or nomination form
    Use the Virginia Governor/Secretary of the Commonwealth appointment system to submit your application. https://www.commonwealth.virginia.gov/va-government/boards-and-commissions/vaid
  3. Notifying AIA Virginia
    Let us know that you have applied. We can then contact the Secretary of the Commonwealth in support of your application.

Appointees serve at the pleasure of the Governor. It therefore follows that the pool of applicants is purged at the end of each administration. This means that individuals who want to be considered for appointment, or reappointment, need to renew their application soon after – but not before – inauguration. Abigail Spanberger is set to be sworn in as the 75th and first female governor of Virginia at noon on Saturday, January 17, 2026.

Remembering and Appreciating Ed Slipek

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Edwin John Slipek, Jr., Hon. AIAVA, passed away December 15, 2025, at the age of 75, following a brief illness.

Through his writing and editorial leadership, with the Richmond Mercury, Style Weekly, and Richmond BizSense, Ed brought clarity, intelligence, and critical insight to discussions about the built environment, helping to explain why architecture matters and how it shapes culture, cities, and everyday life.

Ed’s journalism was marked by curiosity, rigor, respect for the discipline of architecture, and – on occasion – some pointed critique. He played a significant role in elevating architectural discourse in Richmond amongst both professional and public audiences, giving voice to important ideas and projects while holding the profession to thoughtful account. AIA Virginia conferred Honorary Membership on Ed in recognition of his enduring service to architecture through communication. His contributions were also celebrated by the Historic Richmond Foundation, the Branch Museum of Architecture and Design, and the International Council of Fine Arts Deans.

He will be remembered for his integrity, generosity, and unwavering belief that well-communicated ideas broaden the understanding and appreciation of architecture.

AIAVA 2026 Hill Day is Coming Quickly

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We will hold a Hill Day at the Virginia General Assembly on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.

Members and their guests are invited to convene at the Virginia General Assembly to observe and perhaps even participate in the legislative advocacy process. The itinerary will include touring the State Capitol and the General Assembly Building (which recently won a state design award), meeting with elected officials and lobbyists, observing proceedings during the House/Senate Floor Session(s), and witnessing/participating in (Sub)Committee Meetings – since this will be a Tuesday, these will most likely be on the House side. This is your chance to see the legislative wheels in motion – and see how Patrick Cushing (our contract lobbyist) and Paul Battaglia (your EVP) spend most of their time during January and February.

This free event offers 6.5 LUs.

You can see the itinerary and register here>> https://www.aiava.org/hill-day-2026/

Gearing up for the Virginia General Assembly

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The pitch is being readied. The legislative players have been duly elected – and will in fact continue to be, owing to the knock-on effects of special elections.

There are many new faces in the General Assembly – a timely reminder that the important work of our Political Action Committee is never complete. Your contribution allows that work to continue and is greatly appreciated. Donate to the PAC>>

For our part – we are gearing up to monitor the proceedings and advocate for our interests.

The AIAVA delegation to the Joint Legislative Committee (“joint” because we collaborate with ACEC-VA; our brothers and sisters in engineering) includes Rebecca Aarons-Sydnor, Assoc AIA, Ed Gillikin, AIA, C.J. LaMora, AIA, Caitlin Morgan, Assoc AIA, Stephen Weisensale, AIA, and Paul R Battaglia, AIA. Patrick Cushing continues to provide effective support and sagacious counsel as our Contract Lobbyist. We will be reviewing the bills and determining whether and how we will support, oppose, or continue to monitor those proposed pieces of legislation.

Let the games begin!

Throughout the session, we will provide Legislative Updates on the progress of the bills, typically on Friday afternoons. The first update is scheduled for later this week – so keep an eye out for that. And please contact us if you have any questions or you think you might have something helpful to add to the discussions or the bills. Submitting to our Subject Matter Expertise Portal helps us readily identify those who might be able to assist.

Happy New Year from the SFx

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It is an honor and a pleasure to have been named as the Small Firm Exchange’s representative at the National level.  We are just getting started and we are looking forward to growing the SFx over the next year.  This is a new role for me, and I will be looking to the small firm community for your assistance as we grow this resource.  I would like to thank Dan Zimmerman for his tireless effort as the prior SFx Rep.  He has been a great wealth of knowledge, and I will continue to seek his guidance. 

The first National SFx meeting of the year will be on Thursday, January 15th, and we will follow up with a Commonwealth-wide meeting the following Thursday, January 22nd, at 12:30 PM.  We will continue to hold Commonwealth-wide meetings one week after each National meeting and will start by using their agenda to inform our own meetings.  For the time being, we will host SFx VA meetings on Microsoft Teams until we can implement a more official communication tool with the assistance of AIA Virginia.  Below are the meeting credentials; feel free to distribute this to any other small firms that may be interested.  Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you have any questions, comments, or ideas. 

C.J. LaMora, AIA, NCARB, CDT, CSI
cj@circlesquarecross.com

January 22nd meeting:
Microsoft Teams 
Meeting ID: 223 290 501 820 52
Passcode: Cc6P6pV9

Hello, 2026!

Posted on by cguske

As we begin the new year, many of us see this as an opportunity to start fresh and commit to self-improvement. It is also a vital time to reflect on the past year—acknowledging our successes while shedding habits that no longer serve us in favor of those that do.

As I begin my term as AIA Virginia President, I am looking at our organization through a similar lens. Much like making a New Year’s resolution, the Board and I will be scrutinizing our current initiatives to ensure they deliver the highest value to you. We are committed to identifying what can be improved, what has run its course, and what is currently missing from our toolkit.

Like any resolution, we have the best chance at success if our goals are realistic, measurable, and—most importantly—guided by the Mission and Core Values of AIA Virginia.

To that end, our Board will convene in a few weeks for a two-day retreat to begin crafting our next Strategic Plan. Our aim is to approach this with open minds. We will conduct a thorough assessment of our current reality, identify our strengths and weaknesses, and target new opportunities for growth. From there, we will define specific action plans—including clear responsibilities and timelines—and establish KPIs to measure our success.

This strategic plan will not be a document that sits on a shelf. It will serve as our “North Star” for every decision we make as an organization. I am honored to be a part of this process and look forward to providing you with an update after the retreat.

Lastly, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve as your President. My sincere thanks go to Meagan Jancy for her exceptional leadership and mentorship last year. It was a pleasure “riding shotgun” with her; I hope to match the level of commitment and dedication she continues to provide to this organization.

Sincerely,

Bill Hopkins, AIA
AIA Virginia President

New YAR, John McKenna, AIA

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I am honored to begin my term as the Young Architect Representative (YAR) for AIA Virginia. In this role, I am eager to serve as the liaison between our local Emerging Professional (EP) community and the Young Architects Forum (YAF).

My journey in architecture, from obtaining licensure to founding MC3 Design, has been driven by a desire to understand the full lifecycle of the built environment. As I step into this leadership position, my primary goal is to advocate for the advancement of our EPs by fostering an entrepreneurial mindset within the profession. I believe that by equipping young architects with a stronger grasp of project leadership, strategic management, and the business of architecture, we can empower them to take greater agency in their careers and provide more impactful value to the communities we serve.

As the YAR, I will be working closely with my local AIA Northern Virginia Young Architects Forum as well as chapters across the state to report on EP activities, coordinate outreach, and ensure our voices are heard at the national level. I am particularly committed to identifying and nominating my peers for leadership awards and opportunities, ensuring that the incredible talent within Virginia is recognized and elevated.

The “Young Architect” stage of a career is a critical period of transition. It is when we move from technical mastery to professional leadership. I look forward to working with AIA Virginia’s leadership to ensure our emerging professionals have the resources, mentorship, and platform they need to navigate this transition successfully.

I am eager to engage with all of you over the next two years. Whether you are an EP looking for ways to get more involved or a seasoned architect interested in mentoring the next generation, please reach out. Let’s work together to build a more agile, diverse, and leadership-oriented future for Virginia’s architectural community.–

John McKenna, AIA, NCARB
jmckenna@mc3group.com

Newly Licensed

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We understand the dedication and effort required to study for and pass the ARE. Congratulations to the following member for passing their exams and gaining licensure. This is great news that thrills all of us and we are so proud to call you architects!

Kelly Evans, AIA (Coastal Virginia)

Have you recently passed the ARE? Change your membership to Architect at me.aia.org

Are you ready to get licensed? AIA Virginia has discounted 60-day Amber Book subscriptions. Read more about it here>>

Support our Associate members on their path to licensure with your support of the discounted Amber Book subscription. Donate to the AIA Virginia Foundation

Have questions about licensure? Contact AIA Virginia’s State Licensing Advisor, Gina Robinson, AIA, at gina.robinson@hdrinc.com