The Directors of the AIA Virginia Board held a retreat this past weekend: FRI 7 and SAT 8 FEB, at Airlie in Warrenton. Attention was focused on the current Strategic Plan (which was recently extended to 2027), and AIA Virginia’s value proposition: how that is best understood and how that might best be communicated – to both members and the public. While we continue to execute on all aspects of our Strategic Plan, it was decided that special focus will be applied towards Community Connections, Cultivating a Learning Culture, Flagship Programs, Leadership Culture, and Public Awareness. There will be much more to come.
2025 Board of Directors
Here is your 2025 Board of Directors for AIA Virginia

President
Meagan Jancy, AIA
First Vice President/ President-Elect
Bill Hopkins, AIA
Secretary
Karen Conkey, AIA
Treasurer
Amber Hall, AIA
Immediate Past President
Kelly Callahan, AIA
Executive Vice President
Paul Battaglia, AIA
Directors
Nicholas Wade, AIA
Shawn Mulligan, AIA
Jonathan Hiser, AIA
Sonia Jarboe, AIA
TJ Meehan, AIA
Derek McCalla, AIA
Phoebe A. Crisman, AIA Ex-officio University of Virginia
Robert Dunay, FAIA Ex-Officio Virginia Tech
Daya Irene Taylor, Ph.D., AIA, NOMA Ex-Officio Hampton University
Associate Director
Ashleigh Walker, Associate AIA
At-Large Director
Kendall A. Nicholson, Ed. D., Assoc. AIA
2025 Officers Elected at Annual Meeting
During AIA Virginia’s Annual Meeting of the Membership on Nov. 6, 2024, the following officers were unanimously elected to serve on the 2025 Board of Directors:
- President-Elect: Bill Hopkins, AIA (Coastal Virginia)
- At-Large Director: Kendall Nicholson, Assoc AIA (Richmond)
- For election, to serve the remainder of her predecessor’s term: Treasurer: Amber Hall, AIA (Coastal Virginia)
- For re-election, to a second term: Secretary: Karen Conkey, AIA (Northern Virginia)
- Meagan Jancy, AIA (Northern Virginia) elevates from 2024 President-Elect to 2025 President
- Kelly Callahan, AIA (Central Virginia) progresses from 2024 President to 2025 Past President
View the presentation from the 2024 annual membership meeting.
Call for At-Large Director
At its June 2022 meeting, the AIA Virginia Board of Directors created an At-large Director position, seeking applicants to serve in this leadership role.
At-large Director Position
The At-large Director is a vital link in the two-way communication between constituents of the American Institute of Architects in Virginia and the state organization. Individuals will be elected to serve on the AIA Virginia board because of their experience, contributions to the profession, and understanding of the organization, all of which should be shared with other members of the Board of Directors.
An At-large Director should bring the viewpoints of their colleagues; moreover, they have a responsibility to advise the members and stimulate them to work for results on which AIA Virginia has chosen to focus. As a member of the Board of Directors, the At-large Director’s viewpoints should be statewide in scope while at the same time representing the unique interests of each chapter’s geographic region. The term of office for this director is two years (non-renewable; non-consecutive terms).
Candidate Declaration
Any member-in-good-standing may declare their candidacy by informing the Secretary, through the Executive Vice President, of their intention to run for the At-large Director position.
Candidate submissions are due by 5:00 p.m. EDT Monday, August 5, 2024, to Paul R Battaglia, AIA | Executive Vice President at pbattaglia@aiava.org.
Candidates must submit the following:
- A candidate’s resume, headshot, and statement of philosophy. The statement of philosophy is limited to 250 words.
- A declaration indicating that the individual’s firm does not employ unpaid labor on projects.
- A statement of acknowledgment from the local AIA component that the candidate will stand for election.
- A letter of support from three different AIA Virginia members in good standing.
Voting for Candidates
Any member-in-good-standing may participate in the election of Directors. Voting will occur during Architecture Exchange East (ArchEx) at the Annual Meeting of the Membership on Wednesday 6 November 2024.
Thank You and Welcome
Our 2023 Board of Directors had their last meeting on December 15, 2023. We had a chance to thank our departing board members, Michael Poole, AIA, Jori Erdman, AIA, and Caitlin Morgan, Associate AIA. And then it was onto the first meeting of the 2024 Board of Directors! Thank you to all for your volunteer leadership.









Highlights from the February Board Meeting
Inclusivity is the theme of the brightest highlights from our most recent Board of Directors Meeting.
We have changed our Awards to afford a greater opportunity to celebrate the contributions of more of our members. The newly-created Virginia Associate Award celebrates the contributions of Associate AIA members regardless of whether they are pursuing licensure or not. Revisions to the language and eligibility criteria of the Virginia Emerging Professional Award expand the opportunity to recognize and celebrate the contributions of both Associate members and AIA Virginia members who are in good standing and have been licensed to practice architecture for fewer than ten years; more closely aligning this AIA Virginia award with AIA National’s Emerging Architect Award.
The Board of Directors also conditionally accepted the Inclusivity Into the Profession Task Force Report (the IIPTF Report). “Conditionally” only because we need to fully explore the specifics, and timetables, of each of the substantial recommendations proposed in the report. Importantly, the Board of Directors has, by this action, committed the organization to the ambitions and aspirations of the report. It now remains for us to address each and all of the individual recommendations and to develop a course of action, with consideration to both our own resources and how we might collaborate with strategic partners/allies to accomplish these transformational goals.
Call for Interest: At-large Director to the Board of Directors
At its June 2022 meeting, the AIA Virginia Board of Directors created an At-large Director position and seeks applicants to serve in this leadership role:
At-large Director Position
The At-large Director is a vital link in the two-way communication between constituents of the American Institute of Architects in Virginia and the state organization. Individuals will be elected to serve on the AIA Virginia board because of their experience, contributions to the profession, and understanding of the organization, all of which should be shared with other members of the Board of Directors.
An At-large Director should bring the viewpoints of their colleagues; moreover, they have a responsibility to advise the members and stimulate them to work for results on which AIA Virginia has chosen to focus. As a member of the Board of Directors, the At-large Director’s viewpoints should be statewide in scope while at the same time representing the unique interests of each chapter’s geographic region. The term of office for this director is two years.
Candidate Declaration
Any member-in-good-standing may declare their candidacy by informing the Secretary, through the Executive Vice President, of the individual’s intention to run for the At-large Director position.
Declarations by candidates are due August 15, 2022 by 5:00 p.m. EDT to Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA | Interim Executive Vice President at hdreiling@aiava.org.
Candidate Certification
Once this declaration is complete, the candidate will have 30 days to provide the following information for the certification process:
- A declaration indicating that the individual’s firm does not employ unpaid labor on projects (this will be provided to the candidate by AIA Virginia for completion).
- A statement of acknowledgment from the local AIA component that the candidate will stand for election (this will be provided to the candidate by AIA Virginia for completion).
- A letter of support from three different AIA Virginia members-in-good-standing.
- A candidate resume, headshot, and statement of philosophy. The statement of philosophy is limited to 250 words.
Voting for Candidates
Any member-in-good-standing may participate in the election of the At-large Director. Voting will be performed electronically commencing October 11, 2022 and concluding November 4, 2022. Results of the election will be announced on November 8, 2022.
Highlights from the June Board Meeting
AIA Virginia | Board of Directors
June 17, 2022
In-person + virtual meeting
Motions Made and Approved:
The Board of Directors of AIA Virginia voted as follows:
- Approval of the April 27, 2022 Board of Directors Special Meeting Minutes
- Approval of the May 19, 2022 Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
- Approval of the Consent Agenda
- Approval of investment report and recommendation to move a limited portion of financial assets
- Approval of the Treasurer’s report
- Approval of the recommendation of the Finance Committee to not contribute any additional fiscal year-end monies to the Financial Contingency Fund
- Adoption of the FY2022-2023 Budget
- Approval to hire the Financial Auditor
- Approval of the At-large Director election policy
- Approval of the Job Board posting policy
- Approval of Knowledge Community Grant recommendations
Motions Made and Approved in Closed Session:
The Board of Directors of AIA Virginia voted as follows:
- N/A
Written reports were provided for the following consent agenda items:
- Design Forum Recap
- Architecture Exchange East Update
- PAC Update
- Membership Update
- Amber Book Program Update
- Emerging Leaders in Architecture Update
- Disaster Assistance Committee Update
- Design Awards
- AIA Virginia President’s Town Halls Update
- HousingX Conference Recap
- Mayor’s Innovation Project – Town of Blacksburg
- AIA Annual Meeting and Voting
- Advisory Council Rosters
- Executive Committee Meeting Minutes – May 9
- Executive Committee Meeting Minutes – May 16
Members may request a copy of these written reports by emailing AIA Virginia Interim Executive Vice President, Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA at hdreiling@aiava.org.
The next meeting of the AIA Virginia Board of Directors will be held virtually on August 5, 2022.
At The April Board Meeting
AIA Virginia | 2022 Board of Directors
April 1, 2022
Hampton University
Motions Made and Approved:
The Board of Directors of AIA Virginia voted as follows:
- Appointments to the 2022 Disaster Assistance Committee
- Approval of Revisions to the T. David Fitz-Gibbon Architecture Firm Award in the Rules of the Organization
- Appointments to the Pathways into the Profession Inclusivity Study Task Force
- Appointments to the 2022 Nominating Committee
- Approval of Revisions to Director Counts in the Rules of the Organization
- Appointment to the 2022 PAC Board of Trustees
Written reports were provided for the following consent agenda items:
- Advisory Council Updates
- Strategic Planning Update
- PAC Update
- General Assembly Update
- Secretary’s Advisory Committee Update
- Membership Update
- Amber Book Program Update
- Emerging Leaders in Architecture Update
- Operation Reach, Retain, and Develop Update
- AIA National Conference on Architecture
- HousingX Conference Partnership
- Mayor’s Innovation Project – Town of Blacksburg
- Advisory Council Rosters
- Proposed Amendments to AIA National Bylaws
Members may request a copy of these written reports by emailing AIA Virginia Executive Vice President, Corey Clayborne, FAIA at cclayborne@aiava.org.
The next meeting of the AIA Virginia Board of Directors will be held virtually on June 17.
At the February Board Meeting
AIA Virginia | 2022 Board of Directors
February 18, 2022
Zoom Virtual Meeting
Motions Made and Approved:
The Board of Directors of AIA Virginia voted as follows:
- Approval of the January 29 Meeting Minutes
- Appointments to the 2022 Honors Committee
- Approval of the FY 2020-2021 Financial Audit
- Appointments to the 2022 Secretary’s Advisory Committee
Motions Made and Approved in Closed Session:
The Board of Directors of AIA Virginia voted as follows:
- Approval of the FY2020-2021 IRS Form 990
Written reports were provided for the following consent agenda items:
- Advisory Council Updates
- PAC Update
- General Assembly Update
- Member Appointments to the Dept of Housing and Community
Development Workgroups
- Membership Update
- Amber Book Program Update
- Emerging Leaders in Architecture Update
- Operation Reach, Retain, and Develop Update
- AIA Grassroots Conference
- HousingX Conference Partnership
- Mayor’s Innovation Project – Town of Blacksburg
- Advisory Council Rosters
- Joint Letter with Preservation Virginia Second Street Baptist Church Demolition
Members may request a copy of these written reports by emailing AIA Virginia Executive Vice President, Corey Clayborne, FAIA at cclayborne@aiava.org.
The next meeting of the AIA Virginia Board of Directors will be held on April 1 at Hampton University. The Board will convene in Warrenton, VA in March for its strategic planning retreat.