March 2, 2025

Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman with AIA New Jersey Representatives

AIA New Jersey Has Successful Visit to Capitol Hill

AIA NJ Young Architects representative Abigail Benjamin, AIA; AIA NJ President Andrew Thompson, AIA; President Elect Jessica O’Donnell, AIA; and AIA West Jersey President Lauren Harris, AIA.

On Wednesday, February 26, 2025, representatives from AIA New Jersey, its sections and allied organizations visited Capitol Hill, Washington, D. C. as part of the 2025 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Leadership Summit. 

AIA New Jersey President Andrew Thompson, AIA, NOMAC; Executive Director Matt Halpin; President-Elect Jessica O’Donnell, AIA; Strategic Councilor Verity Frizzell, FAIA; Young Architects Representative Abigail Benjamin, AIA; Associate Representative Michael Rosado, Associate AIA; Legislative and Government Affairs Chair Kurt Kalafsky, AIA; New Jersey Political Action Committee Vice-Chair Stacey Ruhle Kliesch, AIA; and representative and NJ NOMA President Taylor Latimer, Associate AIA, NOMA; AIA West Jersey President Lauren Harris, AIA; AIA Architects League of Northern New Jersey President Chris Brand, AIA; President-Elect Eric Lam, AIA; and Vice President Cheryl Fothergill, AIA; AIA Central Jersey President-Elect David von Stappenbeck, AIA; AIA Newark and Suburban President-Elect Kelli Glasgow, AIA; and Trustee Shiva Khodadadi, AIA, divided up by voting district to meet with elected officials and legislative assistants from across the state. 

Congressman Herb Conaway with the AIA NJ Delegation

Appointments included the offices of United States Senators Andy Kim and Cory Booker, and Congresspeople Bonnie Watson Coleman, Mikie Sherrill, LaMonica McIver, Tom Kean Jr., Frank Pallone, Donald Norcross, Herb Conaway, Chris Smith and Josh Gottheimer. The issues discussed included Federal Tax Policy, Resilient Design Policy, Housing Policies, Federal Design Policy, and Federal Design Fee Policy. 

AIA New Jersey encourages all of our members to actively engage with elected officials, locally, on a county level, statewide or federally. Serve on a planning, zoning or land use board. Run for office. Be available as a resource to our legislative leaders. We have plans in place for a New Jersey legislative day, tentatively planned for May 15th in Trenton. If you would like to be involved, please e-mail Samantha Cathcart at  scathcart@njpsi.com. 

By Stacey Ruhle Kliesch, AIA, AIA NJ Advocacy Consultant | Posted in AIA Central New Jersey, AIA Newark and Suburban, AIA West Jersey, AIA-NJ News, Architects League of Northern New Jersey, Associates, Diversity, Emerging Professionals, EquityInArchitecture, Legislative & Government Affairs, Women in Architecture, Young Architects Forum | Tagged: @AIALeadershipSummit, #AbigailBenjaminAIA, #AIAHillDay, #AIALeads25, #AIANewJersey, #andrewthompsonaianomac, #CapitolHill, #CherylFothergillAIA, #CitizenArchitects, #DavidvonStappenbeckAIA, #EricLamAIA, #JessicaODonnell, #KelliGlasgowAIA, #kurtkalafskyaia, #LibertadLaurenHarrisAIA. #ChrisBrandAIA, #matthalpin, #MichaelRosadoAssociateAIA, #ShivaKhodadadiAIA, #StaceyRuhleKlieschAIA. #TaylorLatimerAssociateAIANOMA, #VerityFrizzellFAIA, AIA, Congressman Chris Smith, Congressman Donald Norcross, Congressman Frank Pallone, Congressman Herb Conaway, Congressman Josh Gottheimer, Congressman Tom Kean Jr., Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, Congresswoman LaMonica McIver, Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, Federal Design Fee Policy, Federal Design Policy, Federal Tax Policy, Housing Policies, Resilient Design Policy, Senator Andy Kim, Senator Cory Booker | Comments (0)