Call for Nominations for 2015 AIANYS Officers, Associate Director and NAC RAD

     One of the most important functions of a local chapter is its participation in the AIA New York State's nominations process. Each year, the Nominating Committee requests chapters to consider the names of qualified individuals for the following AIANYS offices/positions: President-Elect; Secretary; Treasurer (elected for a two-year term); Vice President of Government Advocacy and Vice President of Public Advocacy. AIANYS also elects the following Directors at Large: Associate Director, NY Region Representative to the National Associates Committee and Student Director.

     Nominations are due by June 13, 2014. The elections are held at the Annual Meeting in conjunction with the AIANYS Design Conference.

     Complete information has been sent to the Chapter Presidents, President-Elects and CACE. Contact your local chapter for more information. 

     For Honor Award information, go to: www.aianys.org.

     If you have questions on the 2014 Honor Awards, please contact Georgi Ann Bailey, CAE, Hon. AIANYS, Executive Director at gabailey@aianys.org. 

Margaret Castillo, AIA, Elected as VP, Government Advocacy

     An election of Vice President, Government Advocacy was held to fill the unexpired term of Jeff Mural, AIA.In March, VP, Government Advocacy, Jeff Mural, AIA, announced he and his family will be relocating out of state in April. The Board elected Margaret Castillo, AIA, New York Chapter as the VP, Government Advocacy to complete Mural's term at the April 28th Board of Directors Meeting. Margaret was serving as Director for AIA New York on the Board.

2014 Excelsior Awards for Public Architecture Reception Held   

     AIANYS held a reception for the first-ever Excelsior Awards for Public Architecture on April 28, 2014 at 60 State Place in Albany. Over 70 people attended this reception which honored 11 projects with Excelsior Design Awards and three individuals with Excelsior Professional Awards. To see a listing with photos of all the recipients, go to: http://www.aianys.org/awards/excelsior_recipients.shtml 

The Excelsior Awards Planning Committee Members are:

Pictured (left to right): Eric Goshow, AIA, Past President, AIANYS, Goshow Architects; Anna Campas, AIA, AIAENY Past President, OGS; Chris Lopez, AIA, Vice President, Plan Architectural Studio; Co-Chair: Sandra Daigler, AIA, Chief Architect, DASNY; Chuck Szuberla, AIA, Assistant Commissioner of School Operations, SED; Co-Chair: Kelly Hayes McAlonie, AIA, Past President, AIANYS and Associate Vice Provost, University at Buffalo. Not pictured: Chris Marcella, RA, Director of Design Services, SUCF.

Special Thanks to the Excelsior Design Awards Jury:

Pictured (left to right): Chris Mendel, RLA, Andropogon Associates; Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard, PhD, Superintendent, City School District of Albany; Honorable Jack McEneny, Former Member of NYS Assembly and Kelly Hayes McAlonie, AIA, Co-Chair, Excelsior Awards Planning Committee. Not pictured: Chair: Dennis A. Andrejko, FAIA, Chairman, Golisano Institute for Sustainability, M. Arch Program, Rochester Institute of Technology and Susan McClymonds, AIA, Past President, AIANYS.

Paul Segal, FAIA (left) and Rick Bell, FAIA, Executive Director, AIANY (right) stand with the Henry Hobson Richardson Award recipient, Jonathan Kirschenfeld, AIA.

The Excelsior Awards were held in the recently renovated 60 State Place in downtown Albany.

2014 AIANYS Architects in Albany Lobby Day

     2014 Architects in Albany Lobby Day was held on April 29, 2014. The day began with a continental breakfast followed by a legislative briefing from Rich Leckerling, Hon. AIA, Legislative Counsel. Following the briefing, the chapters went to their scheduled meetings with legislators. AIANYS leadership met with Assemblymember Deborah Glick (with members of AIA New York); Senator Michael Ranzenhofer (with members of AIA Buffalo/Western NY); Senator David Valesky (with members of AIA Central NY); Assemblymember Michael Cusick, Assemblymember Steve Cymbrowitz; Senator John DeFrancisco; Senator Kemp Hannon; Senator Andrew Lanza and Senator Jack Martins and with the staff of: Assemblyman Joseph Morelle (with members of AIA Rochester) and Senator Kenneth LaValle.

     Over 50 AIANYS members attended Lobby Day and 98 meetings were held.  The 2013 AIANYS Design Award recipients design boards were displayed in Legislative Office Building during Lobby Day. Raymond Beeler, AIA, President, AIANYS was introduced on the floor of the New York State Assembly by his State Assemblymember Amy Paulin. The introduction was the first of its kind for AIANYS, and proved to be the highlight of a successful 2014 Lobby Day.

     Ray Beeler, AIA, President and Tim Boyland, AIA, President-Elect, were also guests that day on Capital Pressroom, a popular radio program featuring analysis from seasoned political reporters and Albany insiders. Ray and Tim discussed the need to pass the Good Samaritan Act with host Susan Arbetter. To listen to the audio, go to: http://www.wcny.org/cpr042914/ 

     AIANYS encourages members who attended Lobby Day to follow up with the legislators they met with and for all members to meet with their legislators in district throughout the year. To see the 2014 AIANYS Legislative Agenda, go to: http://www.aianys.org/main/government_advocacy.shtml.

Photo 1: Leadership of AIANYS, along with members of AIA New York and ASLA met with Assemblymember Deborah Glick.

Photo 2: Burton Roslyn, FAIA, Regional Director; Bob Stark, AIA, AIANYS Board member and member of AIA Buffalo/Western NY; Senator Michael Ranzenhofer; Ric Stott, AIA, Secretary and Mike Anderson, AIA, AIA Buffalo/Western NY on Lobby Day.

Photo 3: Leadership of AIANYS met with Senator Jack Martins on Lobby Day.

Photo 4: Raymond Beeler, AIA, President, AIANYS was introduced on the floor of the New York State Assembly by his State Assemblymember Amy Paulin.

AIANYS Leadership Visiting Chapters

     Ray Beeler, AIA, President, Georgi Ann Bailey, CAE, Executive Director and the three Regional Directors: Tony Schirippa, FAIA, Burt Roslyn, FAIA and Randy Collins, AIA are visiting the chapters across the state to provide updates on AIA Repositioning and what is going on at AIANYS. So far there have been visits made to AIA Brooklyn, AIA Eastern NY and AIA Staten Island. In addition, a meeting was held with the members of AIA Central NY, AIA Eastern NY, AIA Southern NY and AIA Rochester's leadership. More meetings with chapters will be scheduled in the upcoming months. 

Keynote Speakers Announced for AIANYS Design Conference October 9-11, 2014 in Saratoga Springs

     AIANYS recently announced the keynote speakers for the 2014 AIANYS Design Conference. Stephen Chung, AIA, host of the new travel and architecture show Cool Spaces on PBS will be the featured keynote speaker! The other three keynotes are: Corie Sharples, AIA, Principal, SHoP Architects who will present on Thursday, October 9th; Scott Simpson, FAIA, Principal, Jacob Global Buildings who will speak on Thursday, October 10th and Richard Maimon, FAIA, Principal, KieranTimberlake who will speak on October 11th. More information to come on these exciting keynote events!

     The Design Conference will be held in Saratoga Springs. The theme for the inaugural conference is "New Practice/New Design," an exploration of the dramatic changes architects are seeing in the Practice of Architecture and the innovative design work that results and will be woven throughout the conference.

     This event will include: an Opening Night Party on October 9, 2014; two Keynote events Thursday, October 9 and Saturday, October 11, 2014; the Trade Show on October 10, 2014 and the Design Awards Dinner on October 10, 2014.

     The Exhibitor and Sponsorship registration is open! To see the various packages available and to register, go to: http://www.cvent.com/d/r4qzjf/4W.  

There are levels available to fit every budget!

Russell A. Davidson, FAIA Running for AIA 2015 First Vice President/2016 President-elect

     Russell A. Davidson, FAIA has declared his candidacy for the office of AIA 2015 First Vice President/2016 President-elect.  Elections will be held at the AIA 2014 National Convention and Expo in Chicago June 26-28.

     I feel strongly that over my 15 years as an AIA leader I have accumulated a great deal of knowledge about what members truly value and how best to deliver it. 

Equally important to me is the feeling that the very core obligation of our professional association is only just beginning to be appropriately addressed.  I am passionate about the issue now defined as, "Elevating Public Awareness."

     This is the very reason I first got involved in my local AIA component and continues to motivate me to get the AIA to focus on this critical initiative.  I feel that I have made meaningful contributions to real progress on the public awareness front and have developed a strong voice that is listened to by staff and other members of leadership.

     A sense of urgency permeates my participation with the AIA.  I feel that our membership deserves more value for their dues dollars - now!   Many of our practitioners and firms, including my own, are fighting real battles every day to maintain and build value in the services we deliver and are at constant risk of being overrun by competing "allied" professions and predatory and unfair procurement or bidding processes. 

     I believe that the AIA at all levels, especially National, does not pay enough attention to the magnitude and seriousness of the threats outside the door each day for all practicing architects. 

     I feel that my continuing insistence that the AIA focus on effectively communicating the value of an Architect to the full range of "client" publics will propel the AIA closer to fulfilling its primary role as the complete advocate for the profession.

     The president of the AIA sets the agenda and I am committed to finding the issues that benefit all constituencies within our diverse membership including emerging professionals, minority architects, sole practitioners, small firms and large firms. I am committed to advancing the AIA's leadership role in sustainability and as the profession on the leading edge of the Nation's design and construction industry. 

     For more information on my views forward, please visit my website:  http://russarchitect.com/.

Francis Murdock Pitts, FAIA, Declares Candidacy for AIA 2015 Vice President

     Francis Murdock Pitts, FAIA, member of AIA Eastern NY and former AIANYS President, has declared his candidacy for the office of AIA 2015 Vice President.  Elections will be held at the AIA 2014 National Convention and Expo in Chicago June 26-28.

     Frank has served the profession in leadership positions at the Chapter, State and National level since the mid-1980's.  His services have included a stint as President of the AIA's Academy of Architecture for Heath and service on the Professional Interest Area Executive Committee.  

     Frank wants to continue to serve to help advance three issues where his own passions align with the profession's needs:

MEMBERSHIP VALUE 

     As a practicing professional operating a firm, Frank has come to deeply understand that aligning resources with mission are critical to achieving value in service delivery.  He is convinced that this is a truism for both our practices and our AIA.  Frank has been a leader in responsible budgeting and program prioritization focused on delivering beneficial services to members at a reasonable cost.

RELEVANCE AND PROSPERITY 

     We have a habit of celebrating the great at the expense of the good.  Our focus on the most beautiful buildings and those that design them comes with the risk that this signature work is seen as the thing that we value most....and at the expense of knowing and communicating the many and other ways that we provide services with significant value.  We need to understand deeply the many ways that architects practice successfully and profitably and the diverse ways that we make a difference for our clients and communities.  We will change the value equation and the prosperity of our profession if we understand and celebrate what we all do, instead of focusing on the work of  the famous few.

SUSTAINABILITY AND A HEALTHY PROFESSION

     From our first days in studio in school right through retirement, most architects struggle to find a balance between work and family or self.  Our professional commitment is extraordinary, but it comes at costs that make it difficult to sustain our profession.  Fewer and fewer graduates are seeking licensure.  While women make up half of the classes in architecture school, women are woefully under-represented in firm leadership and only 18% of licensed architects are women.  Our ability to develop a diverse profession founders unnecessarily on artificially high barriers to diverse participation.  We would benefit, collectively, from a conversation about successful practice models that foster a better life work balance and that encourage greater diversity in practice.

ARE 5.0 to Launch in 2016

     ARE 5.0 will launch in late 2016 and incorporate new testing technologies to replace the graphic vignette software, which has been in use since the exam was computerized in 1997. This new version will align closer to how an architect practices today.

     The future exam will include six divisions, and each will be standalone, single test administrations. This structure results from an effort to align the ARE with the more commonly defined professional architect activities of practice management, project management, and project design.

     Leading up to the launch of ARE 5.0 in 2016, NCARB will provide ongoing updates to candidates about the development of ARE 5.0, as well as resources to help prepare for the transition to the future exam.

     For more information, go to: http://www.ncarb.org/en/ARE/ARE5.

AIA Westchester + Hudson Valley Golf Outing June 9, 2014

     AIA Westchester + Hudson Valley is holding their 2014 Golf Outing Scholarship and Education Fundraiser on Monday, June 9, 2014 at Hollow Brook Golf Club, Cortland Manor, NY.  Registration begins at 11 AM, Lunch at 11:30 AM, Golf Shotgun start at 12:30 PM and Dinner at 5 PM. Proceeds benefit the chapter's annual scholarship program.  

     For more information, go to: http://www.aiawhv.org/events/event_details.asp?id=429333&group=.

Enter Your Chapter Events on the AIANYS Online Calendar

     AIANYS has an online calendar on the website that all chapters can now submit events to. It's easy and only takes a few minutes. Go to: http://aianys.org/members/index.php?m=1&p=1.

     You can also see what other Chapters are up to all around New York State.

AIANYS PAC Events

     By donating to the NYS Architects Political Action Committee (NYSAPAC), you have helped to fund the opportunity for AIANYS to support the following event in May: Senator Kenneth LaValle (R) (AIA Peconic) and in-district: Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel (D) (AIA Long Island); Assemblyman Robin Schimminger (D) (AIA Buffalo/WNY); Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli (D) (AIA Central NY) and Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (D) (AIA Westchester + Hudson Valley).

AIANYS Welcomes Individual Allied Member

     AIANYS would like to welcome back individual allied member:

Paul Dudley, ID Signsystems, 410 Atlantic Ave. Ste. 401, Rochester, NY 14609; Email: pdudley@idsignsystems.com, Website: www.idsignsystems.com; Phone: 585-266-5750; Fax: 585-266-5798

     Allied Membership allows corporations and individuals not otherwise eligible for AIANYS membership to participate in some services.  For more information and the online Allied Membership Application, go to: http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Onsite/Welcome.aspx?e=595c258a-ef44-488d-b1c4-cc6bb3bcf41d.