AIA Oregon Professional Achievement Awards
Celebrating Excellence: Honoring Our 2025 Professional Achievement Award Recipients
Each year, AIA Oregon proudly recognizes members who embody the very best of our profession—those who inspire through leadership, creativity, and service. The Professional Achievement Awards exist “to celebrate and recognize achievement at all levels of the profession within our community.” These honors highlight the members who strengthen our chapter through engagement, mentorship, and the advancement of architecture as a force for positive change in Oregon and beyond.
This year’s recipients exemplify those ideals through their dedication, integrity, and passion for shaping both our built environment and our professional community.
2025 Emerging Professional of the Year: Savannah Sinowitz, AIA
The Emerging Professional Award recognizes Associate AIA members who demonstrate exceptional leadership, creativity, and service early in their careers. Savannah Sinowitz, AIA, stands out as a dynamic voice in the profession—an emerging leader whose work reflects both design excellence and deep community commitment. Through her contributions, Savannah is helping define what it means to be a new generation of architect: engaged, thoughtful, and fearless in shaping a better future for the profession and for Oregon’s communities.
2025 Young Architect of the Year: Elizabeth Lagarde, AIA
The Young Architect Award honors those who have already made significant professional contributions in the early stages of their architectural journey. Elizabeth Lagarde, AIA, exemplifies this spirit through her leadership, design vision, and ongoing dedication to mentorship and advocacy. AIA Oregon celebrates Elizabeth not only for her accomplishments to date but also for the promise of her continued impact—a recognition that serves as both a milestone and a launchpad toward national recognition through the AIA’s Young Architect Award program.
2025 President’s Award: Brian Cavanaugh, AIA
The President’s Award is one of AIA Oregon’s highest honors, presented to an individual whose distinguished leadership and sustained service have profoundly advanced the architecture profession. This year, we are proud to recognize Brian Cavanaugh, AIA, whose influence extends far beyond project work. Through his unwavering commitment to design excellence, mentorship, and community leadership, Brian has elevated the conversation around architecture in Oregon. His example continues to inspire fellow practitioners and future generations alike.
AIA Oregon Professional Achievement Awards
Introduced in 2018 to replace the singular Emerging Professional of the Year Award, these awards celebrate and recognize achievement at all levels of the profession within our community. The objective is to promote engagement within the chapter and recognize valuable contributions of members who are serving the community and proactively improving the architecture profession.
President’s Award
The AIA Oregon President’s Award is given to an individual AIA member for significant contribution to the architecture profession through distinguished leadership and service over an extended period of time. These services, exceeding those expected in any official capacity, and by leadership, has advanced the cause of the profession and provided an inspiration to his/her fellow practitioners.
Eligibility: Current and previous AIA Oregon members that have been licensed to practice architecture for more than 20 years by the submission deadline are eligible.
Young Architect Award
The Young Architect Award honors individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the architecture profession early in their careers. AIA Oregon sees this award as a stepping-stone to the National Young Architect Award application and aims to support Young Architects in their career pursuits through this recognition.
Eligibility: AIA members who are in good standing and have been licensed to practice architecture fewer than ten years by the submission deadline are eligible. The term ‘young architect’ has no reference to the age of the nominee.
Emerging Professional Award
The AIA Oregon Emerging Professional Award is given to individual Associate AIA members to recognize outstanding leaders and creative thinkers for significant contributions to their communities and the architecture profession. This candidate should exemplify excellence and service in one or all of the content categories described in the entry requirements.
Eligibility: Current AIA Oregon Associate members or recent graduates (within 18 months) of an accredited architecture degree program are eligible.