The American Institute of Architects New Jersey Chapter 2025 President Andrew Thompson, AIA, NOMAC, Is Installed

January 15, 2025

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2025 AIA NJ President Andrew Thompson, AIA, NOMAC, on left, was presented his gavel by Immediate Past President Brian Penschow, AIA.

The American Institute of Architects New Jersey Chapter 2025 President Andrew Thompson, AIA, NOMAC, Is Installed

On Saturday, January 11, 2025, the 2025 President of AIA New Jersey, Andrew Thompson, AIA, NOMAC, was installed by Strategic Councilor and Past President, Verity Frizzell, FAIA, at the Board Installation and Awards Dinner held at The Stone House at Stirling Ridge. Immediate Past President Brian Penschow, AIA, served as Master of Ceremonies for the evening and had the honor of presenting Andrew with his gavel. 

Andrew addressed the audience of colleagues, award winners and associates with the following warm and grateful remarks.

 

“Good evening and I hope everyone here is enjoying themselves. It feels good being amongst my AIA New Jersey family.

For our sponsors who are here tonight, we thank you for your generosity that helps our programs and initiatives keep going.

To PSI, thank you for stepping up and being there to assist AIA New Jersey, and a special thank you to Christina Goldstein who could not be with us this evening.

I want to thank Newark and Suburban, my section, who 12 years ago made me feel welcome and gave me the support to become a board member and later President during the pandemic. We grew much stronger during those times.

Last, I want to thank Brian Penschow our immediate Past President of AIA-NJ. If you want to know how passion for this organization could be embodied in a person one should just look at Brian. This man loves this organization and has done so much to keep us on a path where we can thrive and prosper. The AIA has recently reached its milestone of 100,000 members but if we had 100,000 Brians our profession and the world could be so much better. His leadership taught me how to be a better leader, how to listen, how to make the right decisions and how to keep our board members on the same page. Brian, my brother, thank you.

As I stand up here, I wonder, what the heck am I doing up here and what happens next?

I am up here because board members have expressed their confidence in me to be here. They saw something in me that I did not, and it took a while to finally say I am ready for this.

My roots are not in New Jersey. I was raised in East Flatbush, Brooklyn NY, went through the NYC Public schools system, and saw things on the streets of Brooklyn and NY I shouldn’t have seen but I always knew there was a better path for me. My parents made sure that I stayed on the right path and when I decided to study architecture, my father was my strongest supporter. I am not an NJIT alumnus, I went to Pratt Institute. I think we have Pratt alums here with us tonight. That school tried to break my spirit in the beginning, I never gave up and I had professors who worked with me and helped me realize my potential.

Eventually, I left Brooklyn and moved first to Irvington NJ, where I met my wife then moved to East Orange, where Sheila introduced me to my first opportunity as a “Citizen Architect” when I served on the Planning Board of East Orange. I met a fellow architect Joe Bianco, an AIA New Jersey member and we became good friends.

I moved to Union, NJ and discovered this wonderful university, Kean University, which at the time was beginning its program for architecture.

I want to give thanks to Camille Sherrod and Dean Mohney, who invited me to crits at Kean University, where I was impressed not only by the students, and their work but by the diversity of the student body.

So for the NJIT folks, you have a special place in my heart, too. It was at NJIT that I met the first NOMAS chapter in New Jersey, and one of those members, Brian C Lee, is not only the 2025 Whitney Young Award winner but is the current President of the National Organization of Minority Architects. NJIT also helped by giving NJ-NOMA space to conduct meetings and sponsor lectures.

I joined AIA Newark and Suburban after being a member of AIA Brooklyn and AIA New York for several years. I loved being an Newark and Suburban member because instead of wine and cheese at membership meetings, I got a full sit-down dinner! I knew I was coming back for more!

So these days there seems to be a theme or saying for what one wants to do for organizations. President-Elect Jessica O’Donnell asked me and I said, not my thing, but I thought about it later, and I got one: “Moving Forward.” A lot is happening in this world, but one thing I keep hearing is why aren’t architects valued? That has to stop. I became an architect because when I looked around in my neighborhood at the burnt-out buildings and lots filled with rubble and trash, I wondered what could I do to change this environment. Be an architect! Architects are the catalyst for change and we need to be recognized for that.

I sat with Seth Leeb at the Tri-States conference this year and he told me all the work he has done with Habitat for Humanity. Architects such as Seth should be recognized by the public for the work that they have done. As an organization as we work together for the common good of our profession to promote the value of our work and our profession and us, we Move Forward. To our students in the room tonight, we see you. You are the next generation. 2030 is coming, AI is here. You will be the ones we will look to, to Move Forward.

2025 is the year the new Strategic Plan begins for AIA NJ. I want to thank Ron Weston, who could not be here tonight, and the 2024 Strategic Planning Committee. This plan will help make AIA-NJ stronger and more relevant to our membership. Most importantly, it will help make stronger connections to our local sections throughout the state.

Lastly, over the years, I have gone around the state (thank God NJ is a small state) and met many of our members in our sections. I appreciate seeing the diversity in our membership because frankly, that is what our country is. Architects League, Newark and Suburban, AIA Central, AIA Jersey Shore, AIA South Jersey and AIA West Jersey, I see you. We see you.

AIA-NJ is nothing without its sections and we will keep working to make sure our sections have what they need to be successful.

I am thankful to our 2025 Board members, I am thankful to my family, but most importantly I am thankful to all of you, my AIA brothers and sisters for giving me the opportunity to work to make this organization Move Forward and I will do all I can to serve in your best interest.

Thank you and God Bless.”

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