July 3, 2024

AIA NJ 2024 President Brian Penschow, AIA, gives his opening remarks the first night of the retreat.

AIA New Jersey Leadership Meets to Plan for the Future

On June 27 and 28, 2024, the leadership of the American Institute of Architects New Jersey Chapter gathered at the Nassau Inn in Princeton, NJ, to plan for the future. 

Event Chair Ronald C. Weston, AIA

Chaired by Immediate Past President Ronald Weston, AIA, the 2024 Strategic Planning Retreat was attended by representatives from across the state and all six sections. 

Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA, facilitated the live event, sharing data collected from additional members and staff by her firm, The Three Aspens, Ltd., in the weeks leading up to the meeting through the use of questionnaires, surveys and stakeholder interviews. 

Facilitator Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA

The program began with an evening of reflection on the feedback and statistics presented followed by informal conversation among the attendees. 

The following day started bright and early with a series of inspirational exercises and break-out sessions, taking into consideration environmental factors like the AIA National Strategic Plan, the economy, and societal trends that can impact the future of AIA NJ. Attendees drilled down to identify super-powers, challenges and opportunities for improvement. From this, small groups proposed potential goals and objectives for AIA NJ, that were then voted on by the attendees. 

From here, aspirational exercises explored opportunities for improvement in the areas of Advocacy, Education, Service and Organizational Vitality. Goals were then proposed and ranked by the attendees. Implementation plans were discussed and strategized, with next steps being a cohesive report generated based on the results of the retreat which will be presented to and voted on by the board at the September meeting. 

Participants Included:

2024 BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Brian Penschow, AIA | President
Andrew Thompson, AIA | President-elect
Manuel Pereiras, AIA | Vice President
Matthew Pultorak, AIA | Secretary
Ram Ramamoorthy, AIA | Treasurer
Verity Frizzell, FAIA | Strategic Councilor
Anna Chang, Assoc. AIA | STAR (National Rep.)
Abigail Benjamin, AIA | YAR (National Rep.)
Ronald Weston, AIA | Immediate Past President
Marvin Clawson, AIA | At-large Trustee
LoriAnne Jones, AIA | At-large Trustee
Simone Signorelli, AIA | At-large Trustee
Bruce Turner, AIA | At-large Trustee
Chris Brand, AIA | Section Trustee, ALNNJ
Tania Althoff, AIA | Section Trustee, CNJ

Erin Sharp-Newton, Associate AIA, Section Trustee, CNJ
Lisa Walzer, AIA| Section Trustee, NS
Irwin Kizel, AIA | Section Trustee, JS
Charles Ragonese, AIA | Section Trustee, SJ
Keith Peacock, AIA | Section Trustee, WJ

INVITED GUESTS
John Cwikla, AIA | SP Task Force, At-large
Kelli Glasgow, AIA | SP Task Force, At-large

William J. Martin, AIA | representing PA
Synde Nance, Assoc. AIA | representing EPiC
Joshua Zinder, AIA | representing SFx

AIANJ STAFF TEAM
Matthew Halpin | Executive Director
Christina Goldstein | Meetings and Events Manager
Stacey Ruhle Kliesch, AIA | PA Consultant

FACILITATOR
Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA

By Stacey Ruhle Kliesch, AIA, AIA NJ Advocacy Consultant | Posted in AIA-NJ News | Tagged: #aianjleadership, #BrianPenschowAIA, #HeleneCombsDreilingFAIA, #RonaldCWestonAIA, #StrategicPlanRetreat | Comments (0)