John Flynn, AIA
AIA Oregon President
Hello, Colleagues –
I hope that everyone’s Fall is off to a great start! AIA Oregon has had a quietly busy Summer and is looking forward to an even busier Fall. I’m writing today to give you a debrief and a look-ahead on what’s going on at AIA Oregon.
Summer Highlights
Strategic Planning Retreat Members from all tiers of AIA Oregon leadership gathered in Bend in mid-May for our first Strategic Planning Retreat in several years. Board members, committee leaders, national representatives, and AIAO staff spent 2 ½ days working on optimizing our efforts as a member-services organization and elevating our profile in, and contributions to our communities. The results of this retreat are the first steps towards prioritizing strategic initiatives that will realize our mission and vision for the coming years. We are committed to revisiting our strategic plan on a biennial basis going forward. Stay tuned over the next few weeks as we share this important planning effort with you all.
AIA25 In June, many AIA Oregon members traveled to Boston for the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design 2025. I was honored to vote on behalf of AIAO members at the Annual Business Meeting, where we elected new National Board members, amended selected by-laws, and passed a resolution on AIA’s policies toward artificial intelligence. This resolution calls for “a formal establishment of AI Usage Policies, an AI Education & Exchange Platform, an AI Ethical Framework (AI’s integration into [our] Code of Ethics), and incorporating AI into the next AIA 5-year strategic plan.”
Big Sibs Conference August saw AIA Oregon host the annual Big Sibs Conference. Big Sibs is a peer group consisting of volunteers and staff from AIA’s 20 largest components. This two-day summit is an opportunity to share experiences and expertise, address common problems, and exchange best practices between components. Evelyn Lee FAIA, 2025 AIA President, was in attendance and also engaged with AIA Oregon members in a separate Q&A session. Thank you to AIAO Staff, who worked tirelessly before and during this successful event.
Summer Socials Of course, Summer brings with it each Section’s Summer Social. I hope that you all had a chance to attend your local event and meet up with colleagues. We appreciate our Section Directors and Directors-elect for planning and organizing these always popular gatherings.
Fall Look Ahead
2026 Budget and Dues Increases Okay, this first one is important for everyone to know. On the cusp of Fall, the AIA Oregon Board of Directors, in conjunction with the Executive Vice President/CEO, begins to develop the organization’s budget for the coming year. One of the first questions is always, “What are we going to do about member dues?” Your member dues are divided into two parts: National dues and Component (State) dues. For 2025, AIA Oregon did not increase state dues for members. But for the coming year 2026, the Board has determined that a state dues increase will be necessary. Our reasoning is straightforward. We want to deliver clear and measurable value to membership. We want to provide more professional development opportunities, more accessible and reliable programming, and more opportunities for advocacy and community engagement. To achieve these goals, we need financial stability and solid reserve funds. We’ll be communicating more on this subject in October as we finalize our 2026 budget.
Chris White Golf Tournament The Chris White Scholarship Golf Tournament is right around the corner. This is the tenth annual edition and it tees off on Friday, September 19th. REGISTRATION CLOSES TOMORROW! This event benefits the Chris White Fund for Emerging Professionals, which supports one of our newest and most successful programs, “Project ‘Almost’ Architect.” PAA provides study materials’ mentorship, and events that help guide emerging professionals towards licensure. I hope to see you there!
Housing Oregon Conference AIA Oregon’s Housing Advocacy Committee (HAC) will present, and staff an outreach table, at this year’s Housing Oregon Conference, September 15th & 16th at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. The panel presentation will address bridging the gap between affordable housing policy and the practice of architecture. HAC’s goal is to promote the design community’s potential for direct effect on policy makers, developers, and local jurisdictions within the realm of affordable housing. I want to recognize committee co-chairs David Mojica, Assoc. AIA, and Molly Culbertson AIA for their unwavering dedication to this AIA Oregon committee and its efforts.
New AIAO Committees We are proud to announce the formation of two new AIA Oregon Committees, coming this Fall. The Historic Resource Committee will advocate for architectural heritage and promote the role of the historic architect within the profession and the building industry. The Committee on Practice and Licensure will focus on equitable pathways to licensure for associate members throughout the state. And it will be the new “home” for Project “Almost” Architect.
2025 Oregon Architecture Awards Finally, later this Fall, AIA Oregon will present the Oregon Architecture Awards. Mark your calendars for Friday, October 24th at Revolution Hall in Portland. This year’s esteemed jury is led by Douglas Ito FAIA, Principal at SMR Architects in Seattle and Recipient of the 2024 AIA Whitney M Young Jr. Award. We’ve received over 50 submittals for recognition and the evening, as well, includes awards for Professional Achievement.
That’s all I’ve got for now. I hope that you all are looking forward to joining your fellow members in an exciting Fall season with AIA Oregon!
