Author: cguske

I began my presidency by sharing with you my professional path and the lessons I’ve learned. Over the last 12 months, I’ve come to understand more deeply the diversity that each of us brings to this organization, and to our profession, based on our paths, passions, and purpose. And I’ve seen firsthand the care and commitment that each of you brings to improving your practices, your profession, and the places that you impact.

We are, by nature, people with a vision. We can’t do what we do without faith, hope, and a lot of persistence. We practice in a time of great revelation, and therefore a time of great responsibility. With an unsurpassed understanding of our impact on the natural environment comes responsibility for positive impact. With an increasing knowledge of how space affects our well-being comes a responsibility for promoting health. And with an increasing recognition of our incredible diversity, and that of the people and places we serve, comes responsibility for compassion, empathy, and community-building. Our organization continues to strengthen and grow, but it takes each of us, every day, to leverage our own unique gifts and perspectives, as well as those with whom we serve, to maximize our impact for good. Our individual strengths, coupled with our collective diversity, IS the superpower with which we rise. Over the past 12 months, I’ve witnessed our members, and our staff harness their passions and purpose to move us forward in many ways, and I’ve collected some of them. So, it’s with immense gratitude that I offer a list of 50 things AIA Virginia did in 2024. And although there are certainly many missing, it’s clear that when we combine efforts based on our paths, passions, and purpose, we have incredible reach and impact, together.

Kelly D. Callahan, AIA
2024 President, AIA Virginia

50 THINGS AIA VIRGINIA DID IN 2024

1. Launched a 501c3, the AIA Virginia Foundation, and accepted our first tax-deductible donations
2. Awarded the inaugural R. Corey Clayborne, FAIA scholarship to 2024 ELA class member Philip Baxter, Assoc. AIA
3. Grew AIA Virginia membership to over 2500 members
4. Significantly reduced our overhead costs and shifted resources to serve our members
5. Our ELA Executive and Local Planning Committees planned and executed the 2024 ELA (Emerging Leaders in Architecture) program (their project was a highlighted session at ArchEx)
6. Our BOD welcomed Dr. Daya Taylor, chair of the architecture department at Hampton University, as a new board member
7. Our BOD welcomed Ashleigh Walker (Associate Director), Shawn Mulligan (AIA Central Virginia), Nea Poole (AIA Richmond), TJ Meahan (AIA Northern Virginia) & Michael Schwartz (AIA Northern Virginia) as new board members
8. Hosted the 1st bi-annual leadership roundtable w/ state + local chapter leaders
9. Welcomed Delaney Ogden to our staff as director of education
10. Welcomed Irem Sezer, Associate AIA to our staff as our first VA Sea Grant Fellow
11. Hosted presenters Billie Tsien, Rick Joy, Dwayne Oyler, & Ted Flato for a world-class Design Forum 2024 at VCU’s ICA
12. Joined over 350 AIA Virginia members at AIA’24 in Washington, DC
13. Attended the annual meeting at AIA’24 and voted on behalf of our members for 2025 leadership and policies
14. Celebrated the elevation of AIA Virginia members Michelle Amt, Ed Ford, Mel Price & Bruce Wardell to fellowship
15. Celebrated with Paula Loomis, FAIA as she received AIA’s Award for Excellence in Public Architecture
16. Celebrated with Quinn Evans as they received AIA’s Architecture Firm Award
17. Celebrated 8 national awards that went to Virginia firms and clients at AIA’24
18. Attended educational sessions presented by AIA Virginia members at AIA’24
19. Hosted the 2nd bi-annual leadership roundtable w/ state + local chapter leaders
20. Hosted town hall happy hour events in partnership with each of our five local chapters (and met many of you there)
21. Celebrated with local chapters Blue Ridge, Northern Virginia, Coastal Virginia, Richmond, and Central Virginia at their honors and awards ceremonies
22. Our members attended meetings with state legislators, and state caucuses, and advised as subject experts on issues affecting our profession
23. Successfully supported a bill to increase the historic rehabilitation tax credit from $5m to $7.5m per year
24. Successfully supported the delay of state legislation to mandate universal license recognition
25. Successfully opposed revisions to reduce the 2021 building code by 25%
26. Celebrated Michael Spory and the design committee for hosting an outstanding design forum by all measures
27. Our MCP task force planned a mid-career professionals program to launch in 2025
28. Expanded access to Visions honors + awards gala and included it with a 3-day registration to ArchEx
29. Offered A.R.E. candidates Amber Book subscriptions for only $99
30. Our EVP conducted over 20 in-person firm visits to hone our advocacy efforts
31. Liaisoned with strategic counselor Fobert Easter, FAIA on AIA national issues
32. Hosted quarterly new member Zoom calls and welcomed dozens of new members
33. Our BOD retooled our investments and increased returns on long-term savings
34. Shared highlights of our programs + events at quarterly leadership exchange calls with NY, NJ, PA, Iowa, NC + WV, along with VANOMA and local Virginia chapters
35. Our EAC (education advisory council) landed Jeffrey Mansfield of Mass Design as our keynote speaker at ArchEx
36. Initiated a bill and secured sponsors to create an apprenticeship path to licensure
37. Hosted lunch with faculty and staff and toured VT’s WAAC (Washington Alexandria Architecture Center) with the BOD
38. Our VA COTE (Committee of the Environment) created and shared a three-part virtual workshop on energy modeling
39. Toured Jefferson’s poplar forest + the villages at Staunton with our historic resources committee
40. Our Fellows held their annual Fete in Charlottesville and breakfast at ArchEx
41. Made great progress toward a PAC (political action committee) fundraising goal of $60k led by our PAC Board of Trustees
42. Our Outreach Advisory Council worked to standardize requirements for state + local award submissions
43. Bestowed honorary membership upon Stewart Roberson
44. Honored Krystal Anderson, AIA + Sheena Mayfield, AIA with emerging architect awards
45. Recognized Caitlin Morgan, Assoc. AIA with the Virginia Associates award
46. Bestowed the T. David Fitz-Gibbon Virginia Architecture Firm Award to VIA design architects
47. Recognized Kathryn Prigmore, FAIA as the 2024 William C. Noland medalist
48. Landed Mark Cavagnero, FAIA as our 2024 design awards jury chair
49. Welcomed Craig Hartman, FAIA, Curtis Clay, AIA, Paul Woolford, FAIA & Bill Leddy, FAIA as 2024 design awards jurors
50. Celebrated 19 design awards at Visions for Architecture gala in the categories of architecture, contextual design, adaptive use, historic preservation, interior design, small projects, smaller projects, and unbuilt work