AIA Newark and Suburban Architects Shares Farewell Address by Outgoing President Christy DiBartolo, AIA

January 4, 2023

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AIA Newark & Suburban Architects
Farewell Address by Outgoing President Christy DiBartolo, AIA
 

Dear Members and Friends,

I am sitting here closing out 2022 as the AIANS President. It was a really great year with fantastic colleagues, and intriguing and unique programming. Here’s a quick recap:

  • Our Mastermind Groups launched. It was a huge success! Join in if you can next year.
  • General Meeting #1 was presented by Matthew Bronski, PE from SGH. It was called “Six Lessons Learned on Detailing for Durability from Six Iconic Houses.”
  • General Meeting #2 was presented by Fabian Jabro of Standard Architects, and Michael Parrella and Young-Wook Jo from Arup. It was about the design and construction of The Little Island off the West Side of Manhattan Island.
  • The Trade Show at Glenpointe Marriott was yet again a success, thanks to Jim Ramentol and his team.
  • The Presidents’ Gala was combined with the State’s ceremony and took place at The Stone House.
  • We held a highly successful student art/architecture contest for children, grades 6-12, all thanks to John Fallon and his team.
  • General Meeting #3 was at the Turtle Back Zoo. We were given a behind-the-scenes look at the operations of some of the exhibits, and a briefing by Lorrie Sciabarassi, AIA of Comito Associates, and Michael Piga of French and Parrello Associates.
  • The Design Awards was once again a great showcase of our members’ talents. Thanks to Alex Gotthelf, Paul Tiajoloff and their team.
  • The Board of Trustees Retreat was a tremendous opportunity for our Officers and Trustees to ensure that we continue to keep our eyes on our mission of providing great content to our members.
  • At the Van Vleck House in Montclair, we held a continuing education technical seminar series. Thanks to Geeta Shah and her team.
  • We toured Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, during it construction. It’s expected to reopen in 2023. Thanks to Lisa Walzer and Mike Hanrahan.
  • The Roundtable was facilitated by Erica Spayd and was entitled “Designing the Future of Architecture Practice.” Marvin Clawson, AIA, Dean David Mohney, FAIA, Diana Nicklaus, AIA, and Elizabeth Chu Richter, FAIA were our panelists.
  • After too much time in isolation, we held a highly successful networking event at The Famished Frog in Morristown.
  • At our Annual Meeting, Katie Swenson from MASS Design Group, presented an inspirational lecture called, “The Architecture of Healthy Communities.”
  • And finally, we are coordinating a second student art/architecture contest. There are over 80 entries to evaluate! Awards will be given out in January.

While all this has transpired, we continue to bulk up Sponsorship, thanks to Ben Horten and Andrew Thompson. Ron Weston has made certain that our Continuing Education efforts are in check. We have also balanced our budget, kept our accreditation, by-laws, and policies up to date. With our new Component Director Robert Epstein, we are ensuring that everything is up and running smoothly, while we bid Julie Pagnotta a fond farewell.

Special thanks to the Board of Trustees for all your hard work this year. It’s bittersweet to become the Past President. My husband and kids are thrilled to have me back, but the Board of Trustees, Members, and I have some fond memories of 2022, which has been a pivotal year on so many levels. I’m hoping we keep the energy going in 2023 and for years to come.

Christy DiBartolo, AIA

2022 AIANS President 

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