The AIANYS committees worked hard in 2012 to assist in planning programs and supporting various AIANYS activities. Below is a brief synopsis of each committees work in 2012 written by the committee chair. Thank you to all of our committee chairs and members for volunteering their time and helping to make 2012 such a successful year!

Emerging Professionals Committee   

Chair: Nicolette Feldser, Assoc. AIA, AIANYS Associate Director

Members: Venesa Alicea, Regional Associate Director, Ken Baviello, Jassica Sheridan, Sara Katz, Michael LaValley, Thom Penn, NYS IDP Coordinator, Jeff Smith, John Whelan, Anthony Huskisson, Georgiana Hayes, Illya Azaroff, NYS YAF Liaison, Abram Adly, Quentin Castle, Jaclyn Tyler, Tyler Hopf, AIANYS Student Director

     The AIANYS Emerging Professional Committee's mission is to advance the goals and objectives of Associate Members of AIANYS, and address the specific needs of interns: work place, IDP, licensure requirements. Here are some of the 2012 highlights: 

Expanded Committee Involvement

     The Committee kicked off the year by focusing on expanding the involvement of allied Emerging Professionals groups, including the YAF Regional Liaison, NCARB State IDP Coordinator, and Student Director. The goal was to create a discussion about Emerging Professional Membership with representatives from each level of AIA Emerging Professional membership categories.

First Annual ARE Scholarship

     For the first time AIANYS offered an Statewide ARE Scholarship. The Committee drafted guidelines for this award, which were then approved by the Board of Directors.  The Scholarship Committee included AIANYS and AIA National Leaders, along with Emerging Professional Leaders from New York State and representatives of New York State's College of Fellows. Karen Kubey received the award this year along with free attendance to the AIANYS Convention where her accomplishments were recognized as part of the State Awards Ceremony.

Unpaid Internships Letter

     During the course of the year, several members of the Committee raised concerns over the issue of Unpaid Internships within the state. A letter was then drafted by members of the Committee to be distributed to all members of the AIA in New York State, all NYS Schools of Architecture, NYS NCARB IDP Coordinators, and AIAS members. The letter was distributed by the 2012 AIANYS President, Kelly Hayes MacAlonie and received an overwhelming response from the membership. As a result, the Committee has decided to distribute the letter annually to all members within AIANYS and has been contacted by members of the media and the AIA National Associates Committee to aid in the development of similar letters to be distributed across the country.

EP Logo Competition & Logo Guidelines

     The Emerging Professionals Committee also offered a statewide competition this year to design a logo to represent Emerging Professionals members in the AIA. The selected logo will appear on Committee communications next year so Associate Members and other Emerging Professionals throughout the state can easily identify communications that relate specifically to the activities and announcements that pertain to them. The Committee is also drafting guidelines for the use of the logo on all official AIA correspondence.

Annual Associates Survey

     The Committee conducted its 3rd annual Associate Member Survey during the fall of 2012. The survey was intended to help all AIA components in NYS understand the needs and demographics of the Associate Members. The survey was offered to all AIANYS Associate Members with over 150 responses. The breakdown by component is available to Component leadership upon request.

Convention Programming

     Two Associate Member programs were offered during the 2012 AIANYS Convention in Saratoga Springs. These program offerings included an ARE Structures Prep Course with Marc Mitalski, followed by an Associates Roundtable Discussion and presentation by Jane Kolleeny, AIA Consultant to the Repositioning Initiative.

Government Advocacy Committee

Chair: Timothy G. Boyland, AIA, VP, Government Advocacy 

Members: Margaret Castillo, Burt Roslyn, Anthony P. Schirripa, David Businelli, F. Eric Goshow, Francis Murdock Pitts, Laura Cooney, Jay Bond, Jeff Mural, Stuart Markowitz, Joseph Piriano, Sebastian D'Allesandro

     Our organization has continued to broaden its advocacy efforts in recent years and rise to new challenges. 2012, in particular, has been an active and eventful year for our advocacy and legislative team, as well as the organization in general. Our strategic planning retreat, held in Albany, helped to identify priorities and resources as we develop both short-term strategies and long range goals to span 2013 to 2015, and beyond. 

     The Government Advocacy Committee was hard at work in 2012. Bills addressing tax credits/incentives, professional practice, sustainability and green building were among those highest on the AIANYS priority. One of the most significant success of 2012 was the passing, in both houses, of our Historic Tax Credit bill. The foundation for our 2013 legislative agenda has been set in place, create and promote a collection of bills linked by major common threads such as quality of life, built environment, disaster preparedness, economic stimulus, professional licensure and insurance, and sustainability, all sharing the Organization's focus on practicing architect issues. 

     As New York State reels from the effects of another hurricane, October's Sandy, the issues of disaster preparedness, recovery and reconstruction remain a priority. The Committee has been communicating with legislators who represent some of the hardest hit areas and will continue to do so. Good Samaritan legislation is an integral component of disaster recovery and is once again front and center for our legislative team. 

     Through our work to identify and/or oppose "bad" bills this year we may have found future legislative partners, or perhaps even AIA champions. The Committee and legislative team's dialogue with several legislators has served to broaden their understanding of Architectural practice and built environment issues for which the AIA should be THE sounding board for our New York State Legislators. We look forward to furthering that dialogue and working with these legislators. For a complete 2012 legislative agenda, go to www.aianys.org,

under Government Advocacy.  

     2012 marked our Organization's fourth annual Leadership Advocacy Training Webinar, this year entitled,"Building a Year Round Chapter Advocacy Program and 2012 Legislative Briefing". This free training seminar and discussion platform was designed to provide members, especially unstaffed component leadership, with effective year-round tools for lobbying in their own districts and in Albany on AIA Lobby Day.

     AIANYS Lobby Day 2012 once again brought component leaders from around the State to Albany. By all accounts this year's Lobby Day advocacy efforts found a captive audience in both houses as AIA Architects walked-the-walk in the State Capital.

     AIANYS renewed its participation in AIA National's State Government Network. At this year's SGN Conference, in Denver, members of our organization delivered seminar presentations on government engagement and other topics. We also successfully rallied support for the creation of a National Unlicensed Practice Task Force which includes AIA Architects from New Jersey, Michigan, Colorado and New York. 

     Thanks to AIANYS members generous donations to the NYS Architects Political Action Committee (NYSAPAC), AIANYS leadership and members around the State were able to attend numerous events for legislators this year.                                                                        

     Looking ahead to 2013, AIA New York State will continue on the current path developing both short-term strategies and long range goals that directly respond to the needs of our component organizations and the many individuals that comprise AIANYS. The diversity, talent, and vision of AIA Architects are a resource that, once recognized by our elected officials, can influence a more pro-active, rather than re-active, legislative system.

Planning, Budget and Finance Committee

Chair: Eric Goshow

Members: David Businelli, Jeff Smith, Kelly Hayes McAlonie, Laura Cooney, Mary Burke, Ric Stott and Robert Stanziale

     The Planning Budget & Finance Committee met throughout the year. The committee worked to keep the 2012 budget in line and on target.

     They did offer suggestions to restructure the operation budget to align with the newly adopted strategic plan.

Public Advocacy Committee

Chair: Raymond Beeler, AIA, VP, Public Advocacy

Members: Julia Hafftka-Marshall, Gary Richmond, Ric Stott 

PR Postcard

     Following up on two years of successful distribution of our award winning "Every Building Has an Architect" postcard to editors and journalists statewide, we produced the State version again and were able to assist 4 Components in producing their own "Chapter specific" postcards for local use. The Southern, Peconic, Westchester + Hudson Valley and Brooklyn Chapters all participated this year. AIANYS was honored with the 2012 Grassroots Component Excellence Award for Public Affairs and Communications at the National Grassroots Convention in Washington, DC in March for this programs success in spreading the message that Architects must get credit for projects every time they are published or mentioned in the media. 

Newsletter

     We've continued the process of upgrading AIANYS's quarterly newsletter, Architecture NYS, to include expanded substantive content, design work, reports from individual Chapters and reports on the Governmental Advocacy/Public Advocacy initiatives at both the State and Chapter levels. The "Design Matters" column has featured work from the Brooklyn, Buffalo /Western NY, and Central Chapters. And we've been able to publish articles on issues of interest to our members such as Professor Edward Steinfeld's article "From Accessibility to Universal Design" and State Convention speaker Billy Procida's article 

Media Campaign

     A new initiative was launched this year to produce a radio advertisement promoting the value of the Architectural profession and our organization to the public in the Albany area. The 30-second spot ran on two radio stations in this "test market" for a period of two weeks, reaching an estimated 70,000 listeners. AIANYS was able to give the Central and Peconic Chapters grants to run their own version of the ads on local radio stations in their areas. 

Media Kits

     A second new initiative by the Public Advocacy Committee this year was the production of a "Media Kit" available for use by Components across the state. The kit includes information on how Architect's should talk to the media, a list of AIA experts that are available to journalists and editors for fact checking articles, links to information sources on Architecture and media, links to information on developing a communications plan as well as a digital version of our "Every Building Has an Architect" postcard. Spearheaded by Communications Director Stephanie Quirini, the Media Kit was distributed at the National CACE meeting in Seattle and presented as a positive example of what State Components can do for their Chapters. 

K-12 Educational Initiatives

     And finally, we have prepared a web based resource documenting the K-12 educational initiatives currently being run by Chapters across the state. Content includes program descriptions, sample lesson plans, examples of student work and pictures of kids learning about Architecture and design. As part of an expanded two-year effort, we have identified two Chapters that do not have any K-12 programs and we'll be assisting them next year in starting their own programs. It will soon be posted on the AIANYS website.

Public Sector Practice Committee

Members: Burton Roslyn, Francis Pitts, Rich Pospula, Chris Lopez, David Abramoviz, Esq., Eric Goshow, Randy Collins

     The Public Sector Practice Committee was very active this year meeting with the State University Construction Fund (SUCF), the Office of General Services (OGS) and Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY). All of the meetings were constructive and helpful in advancing issues faced by architects in working with the respective agencies. Issues have centered around contract and reporting requirements, and multiplier guidelines, among others. Recent meetings with the Fund have been joint sessions with ACEC members. These meetings will continue to be scheduled to keep the lines of communication open between AIANYS members and state agencies.