R. Corey Clayborne, FAIA was in the innagural ELA class of 2009. Corey has served at local and state AIA components and now is the AIA Senior Vice President, Knowledge & Practice. Corey is a strong believer in increasing diversity in the profession and offering opportunities for all to gain knowledge and advancement in their careers.
In 2022, AIA Virginia established a scholarship in Corey’s name to honor his dedication to emerging professionals and provide financial assistance to those interested in participating in the ELA program. The R. Corey Clayborne, FAIA ELA Scholarship is available to any ELA applicant with financial need, either to cover tuition or travel expenses for their class year.
The inaugural scholarship is awarded to 2024 class member Philip Baxter, Associate AIA, an Associate Architect at DNA-Workshop Dyke Nelson Architecture in Richmond. In his application for the scholarship, Baxter commented “I learned about ELA through the Architecture Exchange where I developed a strong network of mentors and insight, who inspired me with their stories of how much the ELA program really changed their lives and accelerated their careers. I was inspired by the challenge, and in life, anything worth doing is going to be difficult, but the reward is exceptional.”
Congratulations, Philip!
Donations to the R. Corey Clayborne, FAIA Scholarship can be made through the new AIA Virginia Foundation in the coming months. To make your donation, contact cguske@aiava.org.
Meet the Emerging Leaders in Architecture class of 2024! This year’s class of 15 comprises architects and associates from around the state and students from Hampton University and Virginia Tech. We will be traveling around the state throughout the year for our educational sessions and focusing on the Alexandria/Arlington area for this year’s class project. Would you like to support the class as they travel around the state? Contact Cathy Guske, cguske@aiava.org for more information. Be sure to follow the ELA Instagram account at ela_aiavirginia to follow their progress throughout the year.
KJ Ammon, Associate AIA (AIA Richmond nominee) Philip Baxter, Associate AIA Zachary Britton, Associate AIA (AIA Blue Ridge nominee) Danielle Corbin, Associate AIA (AIA Central Virginia nominee) Miguel Gereda, Associate AIA Noor Hadi, Associate AIA Ananth Jayaraj, Associate AIA Tony Lin, Associate AIA (AIA Hampton Roads nominee) Brynn McClatchy, AIAS (Virginia Tech) Shukrullo Miruaydullaev, Associate AIA Niki Pardakhti, Associate AIA (AIA Northern Virginia nominee) Amari Ross, AIAS (Hampton University) Emily Savoca, AIA Irem Sezer, Associate AIA Jessica Somgynari, AIA
The AIA Virginia Prize is a design charrette that engages students at all of the architecture programs in Virginia. Conducted simultaneously at each institution, students are given the competition program Friday at 5 p.m. They work over the weekend to create a board presenting their design solution by 9 a.m. the following Monday. The competition is intended to promote collaboration between the profession, students and professors in Virginia.
The first round of submissions is juried at the university level and up to 10 finalists from each school will be sent to be juried at the state level.
The 2024 competition takes place over the Feb. 2-4 weekend. Faculty at Hampton University are finalizing the brief. The challenge brief will be posted to this page at 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 2 and submissions are due to the school at 9 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 5.
We wish the participating students a pleasant outing and look forward to considering and celebrating their proposals.
For the last several years, we have been fortunate to have Sydney Huibregtse, Associate AIA serve as our State/Territory Associate Representative (StAR). Our organization and our members have benefitted greatly from Sydney’s dedicated and thoughtful service. Thank you, Syndey.
Sydney Huibregtse, Assoc. AIA
Sydney has decided to step down from that role, and we are now in search of another StAR.
And what is a StAR? StARs serve on the National Associates Committee (the NAC). The NAC is the voice of Associate members of AIA. It represents and advocates for both mainstream and non-traditional associates – who constitute 19% of national AIA membership – at all components of the AIA. By promoting excellence, providing information and leadership, fostering inclusiveness, and encouraging individual, community and professional development, the NAC strives to integrate the growing associates community of the profession into a strong voice within the AIA. Representatives to the NAC are known as State Associate Representatives (StARs).
StARs typically serve two-year terms. Efforts include monthly workgroup calls, quarterly full committee calls, and one required in-person (travel-paid) annual meeting in Q1. Expect to dedicate 10 hours per month to this role.
If you are interested in serving as a StAR, please contact EVP Paul Battaglia, AIA before the end of the month.
The 2024 Virginia General Assembly gavels into session Wednesday 10 January and the Joint Legislative Committee (JLC) is prepped and ready to go. We have already begun to review the bills and will soon be developing our response. Reports will be issued weekly – using an improved nomenclature that will make it easier to follow the progress (and the fate) of the legislation we are tracking. Please read the summaries and contact Paul Battaglia, pbattaglia@aiava.org with your observations about how the proposed legislation might affect you or your practice. Recommendations for how to improve/amend a bill are always welcome.
In addition to our efforts in Virginia, we will be headed north to advocate at the federal level. Hill Day is scheduled for Wednesday 28 February during the AIA Leadership Summit in DC (TU 27 FEB to FRI 1 MAR).
The ritual of setting intentions at the start of the New Year may be something humans have practiced for millennia, but that doesn’t mean it’s any easier to stick with it. A discouragingly high percentage of New Year’s optimists either lose track of progress on their resolutions, forget about them entirely, or set their goals too high. While there’s plenty of research and writing on how to set goals and follow through with them, it’s easy for us to get discouraged or lose motivation if we feel we’re falling behind or not meeting our own expectations.
If you’re a Candidate who has resolved to earn your initial license in 2024, tracking your progress and keeping the end goal in sight is paramount to your success. Whether it’s finishing the process or starting from scratch, taking on one exam division at a time or all of them at once, maintaining your motivation is often the hardest part of the licensure process. To start the New Year, I’d like to offer some tips from other Candidates and recently licensed Architects that might help you get started.
Learn about your Benefits. Ask your supervisor or firm’s HR department what support or resources are provided for aspiring Architects. Whether it’s study materials, reimbursement for exam fees, or a bonus when you finish the process, most firms offer incentives for Candidates.
Find Resources for your Learning Style. There are several books that cover content for each ARE division, but online audio and video courses have become more accessible in recent years. AIA NoVA is about to kick off their annual ARE 5.0 Prep Series, which you can attend virtually. If you’re an AIA Virginia member, you can take advantage of our Amber Book discount subscription, which offers a deep discount for two months of access. Beware of free materials you find online – you get what you pay for when it comes to ARE study materials.
Set a Realistic Schedule and give yourself some flexibility. No path is a straight line, and even if you get into a groove, life happens. You could get the flu, have a family emergency, or a busy week at work, so build in some cushion so you don’t get discouraged if you miss a few days of studying.
Schedule your exams. The biggest reason Candidates don’t finish their AREs is that they’re nervous to start, but you can’t pass an exam if you don’t take it! Give yourself a few weeks to determine if your study schedule is realistic, and then start scheduling your tests. NCARB still allows candidates to reschedule each exam one time with no fee, so you still have some flexibility.
Don’t be too hard on yourself. This process is difficult, but it’s not impossible. Think of everyone you know who’s a licensed Architect and remember that they had to go through the same struggles you’re experiencing now. Take breaks, recognize small wins, and plan how you want to celebrate when you pass that last division.
Keep the End Goal in Mind. It’s hard not to get wrapped up in the process but keep your eyes on the prize. All those hours of studying are to get you as prepared as possible to pass the exams. Once you’re finished, you never have to do it again!
If you’re still on the fence about tackling your exams, ask around with friends and colleagues who have gone through the process recently. They likely have some insight and can tell you what worked best for them. The most important thing is to recognize what works for you and what doesn’t. Advice is wonderful and reassuring, but it’s up to you to put it into action and follow through.
As always, your questions about AXP, the AREs, or NCARB in general are always welcome and encouraged. Happy New Year, and good luck as you pursue those lofty resolutions.
I am very excited to begin my term as the 2024-2026 Young Architect Representative (YAR) for Virginia. This role serves as a steward for young architects across Virginia, bringing their interests and ideas to the national stage, and bringing resources from the national level to local YAF chapters. I hope to be both an excellent communicator and listener for the young architect community and beyond.
On February 2nd, I will be in Memphis for the 2024 YAF Annual Meeting. It is the one time a year all 52 YARS, 106 STARs, and 20+ Advisory Committee leaders physically come together for a full day of strategizing and planning. I am excited for who I will meet, what I will learn, and what I can bring back to Virginia. The three 2024 YAF priorities will be “Growth and Career Advancement,” “Steering the Future of the Profession,” and “Diversifying and Accelerating Leadership.” If you have any questions, ideas, or topics you would like me to keep top of mind, please let me know! My door is always open at erin@wparch.com.
I’m honored to be serving as the 2024 President of AIA Virginia. During Architecture Exchange East in November, I had the opportunity to greet the attendees and, at the risk of being redundant, I’m going to share my story with all of you. It’s framed around eight pivotal decisions that shaped my professional development and the lessons that I learned, in hopes that you’ll connect with some of them. I’m fundamentally relationship-driven, so I look forward to seeing and collaborating with you to execute the mission and vision of AIA Virginia over the next year.
I was born and raised in the suburbs of Northern Virginia. My father was in the Marine Corps stationed at Quantico, and I’m the 3rd of 4 children. We have very little means, and I had absolutely no exposure to architecture as a child. All the women in my family were teachers, and all the men in my family were investment bankers. But from a very young age, my dream was to become an architect. Lesson learned: It doesn’t matter what other people expect you to be. Just follow your dream and put your heart into it.
I’m proud to be a Hokie. I spent four years in Blacksburg, studying the modern masters, the nature of materials, and how to convey an idea through drawings. I did my 5th year thesis at the Washington Alexandria Center. Lesson learned: Winters are cold in Blacksburg, but time and memories there are priceless. And once a Hokie, always a Hokie.
My first job was in Old Alexandria. While in school, I worked part-time for Mr. Renovato, a design-build practice. On select mornings, the construction crew lead would come into the studio and look over my drawing board and tell me exactly how impossible it was to build what I had just drawn. Lesson learned: To design anything well, we need to understand the context, the connections, and the clearances of the materials. It’s critical, early in your career, to learn from the people building your projects and understand the process and limitations of construction.
I worked a few years in Alexandria documenting multi-family, residential developments, and assisted living facilities. I loved the people I worked with but realized that to exercise my modern ideals, I needed to escape colonial contextualism. So, I ran away from home, and I went to California. Lesson learned: Sometimes you must leave the people that you love to find your path.
I landed a job in San Francisco, where I worked on my first big public project, the San Francisco Sheriffs Facility. This was a low-security jail with booking and intake, medical, and psychiatric wards. In San Francisco, 2% of a public project’s construction budget was required to go toward the integration of public art. We worked with three artists, one of whom helped us to create skylit meditation spaces between the round pods that housed the cells. Lesson learned: Space can support mental health and recovery. And everyone deserves that.
I moved to Sonoma where I practiced for 13 years, designing courthouses, public safety facilities, and schools. And I found that, when lead by a limited perspective, the decision-making process for schools becomes very similar to that of jails. Lesson learned: To design for transformation, it’s critical to bring diverse voices to the table, to start with empathy, and to design with a deep understanding of the people the building serves.
I spent four years deviating from my career to build a business with my husband. At Sonoma Cast stone, we designed and produced interior concrete products – sinks, countertops, and fireplace surrounds. Lesson learned: Concrete factories are messy and smelly and loud. But product design is a heck of a lot faster than building design. Designing and executing buildings takes sustained patience, perseverance, and optimism.
In 2004 I returned home to Virginia and, although I wondered if a Hokie could find work in Hooville, for over 16 years I’ve enjoyed a meaningful career with VMDO. And, as a principal focused on the K-12 market, I feel like I have my dream job designing happy, healthy, and high-performing net-zero energy schools. Lesson learned: Thoughtfully designed space can support community, diversity, learning, and health, and I’m fortunate to work with clients every day to re-envision what schools can be.
I couldn’t be here today without the love and support of my partners at VMDO, and the legacy of leaders at VMDO that have served AIA at the local, state, and national levels over decades. And I’m grateful for VMDO‘s commitment to spend 2% of our time and resources toward volunteer, civic, and pro bono work, so it’s part of our ethos to contribute as citizen architects.
I also want to thank Past-President Rowland for his decades of dedication to this profession and this organization, for his deep knowledge of and care for the members and the issues that are important to you, and for being an incredible mentor to me over the past year. I’m especially grateful to the staff of AIA Virginia: Paul, Cathy, Keesha, and Delaney, for their dedication, diligence, and joy in the work that they do.
Lastly, I want to encourage each of you in the coming year to embrace your superpower, and to use your passion to advance the profession in some way; to serve on a committee, mentor a young professional, serve on a jury, review portfolios, meet with or write to a legislator, and donate to the PAC. Whatever it is that drives you, please use it to make our profession, our purpose, and our projects more visible and more impactful in Virginia.
Kelly D. Callahan, AIA 2024 President AIA Virginia
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 an architect!
Lindsey Buyer, AIA (Richmond)
Have you recently passed the ARE? Upgrade your membership to Architect using this AIA form. or send an email to your Member Services Director, Cathy Guske, cguske@aiava.org
Are you ready to get licensed? AIA Virginia has discounted 60-day Amber Book subscriptions. Read more about it here>>
Have questions about licensure? Contact AIA Virginia’s State Licensing Advisor, Gina Robinson, AIA, at gina.robinson@hdrinc.com
Jennifer Bailey AIA (Hampton Roads) from AIA New York Macy Carman-Goeke, AIA (Central Virginia) from AIA Washington DC Kathryn Genre, AIA (Richmond) from AIA Delaware Mina Kwon, AIA (Northern Virginia) from AIA Washington DC Rebecca Murden, AIA (Central Virginia) from AIA Pennsylvania Candace Seda, AIA (Northern Virginia) from AIA Georgia
New/Renewed Allied Members
Allison Buytenhuys, SVP at Ames & Gough Sara Griffin, Specification Sales at Thomas Harris & Co., Inc. Brian Stanley, Principal at Dunbar
