March 5, 2025

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The February American Institute of Architects Strategic Council Report

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From: 

Jessica O’Donnell, AIA 
Strategic Council At Large Representative
2025 Moderator

The Moderators and President-Elect Azaroff, FAIA, recently reviewed Board feedback on the January Council Memos; that feedback has been distributed to the study groups to help enhance and refine their areas of focus. As we look towards the end of 2025-Q1, all study groups are finalizing their particular areas of study based on preliminary investigations and feedback from the Board.

As many of you know, 2025 is the 10th anniversary of the Strategic Council. We have a dedicated group of 2024 Bethune Fellows who have volunteered to strategize anniversary celebrations. Stay tuned for more information and ways you can share your Council stories.

We extend a heartfelt congratulations to Councilors Garfield Peart, FAIA and Jeffrey Seabold, FAIA, who were recently elevated to Fellowship!

The Council has onboarded liaisons from AIAS, NAC, and YAF – we are grateful for their participation and insights across our seven study groups!

We are looking forward to our upcoming Spring Council assembly on March 5th where we will continue to explore, collaborate, and refine each group’s area of study.

Jessica M. O’Donnell, AIA 2025 Moderator + Abigail R. Brown, FAIA 2025 Vice Moderator
Special thanks to our committee chairs who help guide our work and inform our decision-making process: Jeff Seabold, AIA (Best Practices Committee Chair), Mary Womble, AIA & Marc Mondor, AIA (Communications Co-Chairs), and Mike Daly, AIA (Elections Chair).

COUNCIL NEWS

THE COUNCIL WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU
One of our initiatives this year is to not only to continue sharing out what the Council is working on, but also provide increased opportunities for people to meaningfully engage in our work. We have issued a survey to provide key data points to assist our study group’s efforts.

STUDY GROUP UPDATES
**These updates are a current snapshot of each study group and are not all-inclusive of work done to date or work planned for the coming months**

AIA of the Future is wrapping up an informal SWOT analysis and obtaining feedback from various internal AIA sources, such as volunteer leaders and CACE, as well as external sources including NOMA and ASLA.

Architect of the Future is in the midst of their ‘Discover, Gather, Inspire’ phase to help them envision the profession 20 year from now. By integrating equity, wellbeing, and the business of architecture into their study group framework, they hope help AIA shape a future where architects are seen not just as designers but as key agents of societal progress.

Climate Responsive Design & Leadership is collaborating with CCADE, COTE, and other KCs to identify, curate, and amplify the information that practitioners need to realize the vision of Design Excellence established by the Institute. Next steps include integrating ‘what’s on the horizon’ within this climate lens.

Connected Communities is collaborating with the AIA Advocacy team and the Government Affairs Committee (GAC) to look at the impact and perspective Chief City Architects can bring to the topic of equity in housing. The group is also assessing the implications of technology on housing equity and potential collaboration opportunities with Communities by Design and AIA Trust.

Digital Architecture is advancing the AI Resolution to help ensure AIA takes a leadership role in shaping AI adoption, ethics, and industry guidelines. In the coming weeks, they will explore various avenues including AI ethics, authorship, contracts, and business implications.

Resilient Practice Models is exploring ‘research in practice’ and how firm culture catalyzes evolution of practice. They will be collaborating with the AIA Research department and the Digital Architecture study group as they outline their next steps.

10-year Valuation and Future Blueprint is utilizing AI to help synthesize past Council work and has reviewed both the Council bylaws and Members Voice Task Force findings. Next steps include analysis of this information and exploration of potential future improvements to the internal Council framework and final report outlines.

ENHANCE YOUR SUSTAIN-ABLITIES

The future is now when it comes to facing challenges related to extreme weather conditions around the globe. Our 2025 Climate Responsive Design & Leadership Study Group has created the attached ‘Climate Corner’ 2-pager to offer actionable steps anyone can take today and reminders of key resources that exist to assist your efforts. This month’s topic: Designing for Urban Heat. CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE SUPPLEMENT.

 

INSTITUTE NEWS

AIA RESPONSE TO EXECUTIVE ORDERS THAT AFFECT OUR PROFESSION

The AIA responded to the recent executive orders from the White House that present challenges to the profession, including withdrawing from the Paris Agreement and ending federal EDI programs. The complete response can be found here.

AIA ELEVATES 93 ARCHITECTS TO THE COLLEGE OF FELLOWS

The AIA is elevating 83 member architects and 10 non-member architects to its College of Fellows. Less than 3% of AIA members hold the prestigious FAIA designation, which recognizes exceptional work and contributions to architecture and society. Congratulations to all the new Fellows! The complete list can be found here.

2025 AIA TRUST COMPONENT GRANTS PROGRAM

The 2025 AIA Trust Component Grants Program supports component projects, conferences, and publications that help to foster leadership, advance management education, and increase the effectiveness of professional practice.
The deadline for completed applications to be received by the AIA Trust for consideration is close of business on Monday, April 14, 2025.

EIGHT AIA MEMBERS DECLARE CANDIDACY FOR THREE OFFICES

The following members have declared their intent to pursue the offices of At-large Director, Treasurer, or President-elect at the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design 2025:

At-large Director (one will be elected): Adam Viorel Pantelimon-Negrut, Intl. Assoc. AIA; Jason Takeuchi, AIA; Jeff Pastva, FAIA; Stephanie Leedom, AIA

Treasurer: Brad Benjamin, AIA; Lisa L. Kennedy, FAIA

2026 President-elect: Timothy C. Hawk, FAIA; Yiselle Santos Rivera, AIA

More information about the candidates and the AIA Annual Business meeting can be found here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

June 4-7 AIA Conference on Architecture & Design 2025 Boston, MA Link to Early Access for Tours

July 16-17 Architects in Action Virtual
November 3-5 Women’s Leadership Summit Atlanta, GA
December 3-5 AIA Governance Week Washington, D.C.

For more events, visit the AIA events page at: https://www.aia.org/community/events

Feedback
We value your input! If you have questions or ideas for the Strategic Council, email us at StrategicCouncil@aia.org.
To learn more about the work of the Strategic Council, please visit the Strategic Council webpage at AIA.org.

By Stacey Ruhle Kliesch, AIA, AIA NJ Advocacy Consultant | Posted in AIA-NJ News, Uncategorized | Tagged: #AIANews, #AIAStrategicCouncil, #AIAWIANJ, #JessicaMODonnellAIA | Comments (0)