Message from the AIA Salem Section Director

Daniel Roth, Associate AIA
AIA Salem Section Director

Hello all. My name is Daniel, and I am currently serving as Salem’s Section Director. I am 26 years old, and I am a native of Salem, back in my hometown, and doing what I love. If I’m being honest, these last six months have been a blur. In September 2019, I was approached by longtime AIA volunteer (and current Treasurer) Kaley Fought, asking me if I wanted to take the reins as Section Director in Salem. Not fully knowing what I was getting myself into, I said “Sure, why not!” And suddenly I, an associate member not even two years removed from graduate school, was cast into a leadership role that now feels a lot bigger than anything I had envisioned when getting started. So here I find myself, learning a lot very quickly, and working to help provide an AIA section that members are proud to be a part of.

Getting involved in a leadership role was not something that I had planned to do so quickly, or really planned to get into much at all. It just sort of...happened. My main draw to leadership was that I could learn from others and network with people in the profession who have accomplished far more than I have. And those opportunities have come in spades. I have been able to have conversations in my community with firm leaders who I would not normally get a seat at the table with. I have worked with AIA staff who have worked tirelessly to provide events and structure for members to feel the value of their membership. For crying out loud, I just met the president of AIA National, Jane Frederick, FAIA, at the AIA Grassroots conference a couple weeks ago and was able to have a conversation with her. I never would have received those opportunities without the AIA.

I would like to appeal to all of Oregon's emerging professionals to get involved in the AIA. You may be in a situation in your office environment where you feel like you aren’t getting the experience and growth that you wished you could. Or you may wish that you were able to engage in more conversation about sustainability, or diversity, or you want to meet a community of people that is working towards licensure. The AIA is an amazing resource for you to find a seat at the table of your choice, and also provides resources like the Chris White Scholarship, awarding individuals like these 2019 winners with funds to begin the ARE exams. There are so many staff members in the AIA who are passionate about developing events and resources to help you grow and stay excited about the profession you are in. In Salem, for example, we are working to develop an Emerging Professionals committee that provides a space for people to study for the AREs together, or to understand the business of architecture more clearly, or just to enjoy a drink with people who are on the same track you are. And we need leaders to help move these events forward. The greatest thing about the AIA is that you could have just graduated from school yesterday and you could still have a major impact. Please join us.

I would also like to appeal to all of Oregon’s members who have been in the profession for decades. Maybe you’ve wanted to get involved for years but never found the right fit. Maybe you have volunteered in the AIA before and “done your time,” so to speak. Please get involved or stay involved. We need your advice, your expertise, and your input to continue moving forward. We would love your leadership on committees, and we would love your presence, for instance, at emerging professional events to share your perspective and help impact the next generation of architects. Your continued help is greatly needed. Please join us.

If you have questions about how to get involved or want to learn more, please contact your Section Director. We would love to hear from you and help you get involved. I would also like to quickly mention that the application window for the 2020 Chris White scholarship has been revealed in today’s T@3. Please take advantage of this wonderful resource!

Message from the Programs Committee Chair

Krista Phillips, FAIA
AIAO At Large Director and Programs Committee Chair

Greetings AIA Oregon members!  For those who don’t know me, my name is Krista Phillips, FAIA. I am the Managing Architect at Portland Community College, have been an AIA member since 2005 and was recently elevated to the 2020 College of Fellows.

Currently, I serve as an At-Large Director on the AIA Oregon Board of Directors and as the inaugural statewide Programs Committee chair.  As we head toward the end of the first quarter of 2020, I want to share some exciting updates we’ve made to programming and events planning since I last wrote to the membership in mid-November. 

The Programs Committee, represented by all five membership sections in Oregon, is responsible to the Board of Directors to oversee the guidelines for and development of annual programs and events planning for AIA Oregon.  We establish expectations across the chapter as it relates to continuing education, program development, and event planning. 

This year, the Board has initiated several new statewide opportunities framed around four quarterly themes: Policy & Advocacy, Emerging Technology, People & Culture, and Climate. These themes reflect AIA Oregon’s commitment to serving our communities and engaging with the big issues of our time.

New programs this year include a quarterly discussion and a Business of Architecture series. We’re also holding events regularly throughout the year to give members more options when choosing what types of programs they attend and when. Events generally last 1-2 hours and members can plan on an AIAO sponsored event in their section at least monthly. To learn more about what’s happening at AIAO this year, check out the Event Schedule for 2020.

Our membership is 1,500+ strong. One of the great benefits of being a statewide chapter is the opportunity to tap our deep pool of member talent by sharing stories and best practices at these programs and events. We’re thrilled to be bringing you so much quality programming in the upcoming year.

If you want to get even more out of these programs, consider volunteering with AIA Oregon! Our committee is working hard to recruit and organize planning committees for these and other new events and we’d love to have your voice in the room.  If you want to be part of the process or would like more information, please email me at:  kristarphillips@hotmail.com and I will connect you to the right opportunity.  

Message from the AIAO Treasurer

Kaley Fought, AIA
Treasurer, AIA Oregon

In 2013, I attended my first AIA meeting as a fresh hire with CB Two Architects in Salem, and I must admit, I came away rather shocked at the limited representation of women in attendance - me. This is a story many women in the architecture field have experienced, but I’m thrilled to see the significant shift that has occurred since then. With the encouragement and support of coworkers and leadership in my firm, I joined the AIA Salem Board as an Associate Director a year later, motivated to expand the role of architects, and women in architecture, to have an impactful presence locally, as well as regionally. As an Associate and Project Architect for CB Two, I work on a variety of project types ranging from commercial remodels to new healthcare facilities. For numerous reasons, local community projects resonate most deeply with my architectural philosophy. The outreach and impact of civic work in Salem is fundamentally engaging as I am frequently directly involved with these projects as a citizen, long after my role as architect is complete. I am currently focused on the new YMCA facility in the heart of downtown Salem. I served on the Salem board as Director until 2017 when I was elected President of the AIA Salem chapter, eventually facilitating Salem’s participation in the state-wide merger to AIA Oregon. Last year, I had the pleasure of working as the Chair of the Shift19 Oregon Design Conference alongside our incredible staff. In my current role as AIAO Treasurer I provide feedback on and oversight of the budget, focusing on finding ways to utilize our funds in impactful ways. I’m excited to be a part of the team facilitating and creating programming for members that elevates your experience both as an architect, and as a member.

As both Amy Vohs and Curt Wilson have emphasized in their correspondence, AIAO is striving to create robust connectivity throughout the organization in order to strengthen our relationships internally and externally. Our quarterly themes of Policy and Advocacy, Emerging Technologies, People and Culture, and Climate are the umbrella themes for programming this year. In each of these themes, we can strengthen our unified voice through education, awareness, mentorship, and celebration of architecture. We have a number of established committees whose work has, and will continue to, lay the groundwork for start-up committees locally and state-wide. Each of the Section Directors are coordinating committee open houses to share ideas and provide insight for increasing engagement and participation. I encourage you to attend, and bring someone along with you! There are a variety of ways to get involved and share in our continued efforts to expand the reach of architecture, increasing participation at local and regional levels, building credibility with communities and leadership, and ultimately to facilitate Architects leading conversations affecting the built environment and urban fabric.  Now more than ever our collective voice as a profession needs to be heard.

My initiation into state-wide AIA involvement began when I attended my first Oregon Design Conference in 2016 at the encouragement of my firm and came away feeling inspired and invigorated. Having participated in other fantastic design conferences, I found that the ODC has a unique combination of camaraderie and creative energy that sets it apart. We are in the early stages of planning the Oregon Design Conference 2021, and are looking for members interested in joining the planning committee. Building on last year’s theme, our focus is on seeking new perspectives, both within and beyond the traditional profession of architecture. We will continue to develop a more specific theme for 2021 once a committee is established. AIA Oregon, and the Oregon Design Conference, offer a unique platform from which we can elevate these conversations, critically placing us in front of policy makers and community leaders. If you are interested in joining the planning committee, please email me at kaley@cbtwoarchitects.com, or Curt Wilson at cwilson@aiaoregon.org.