For Treasurer

Douglas L. Steidl, FAIA

Professional data
• BArch, Carnegie-Mellon University, 1971
• Registrations—21 states and NCARB
• Founding principal—Braun & Steidl Architects, Akron and Columbus, Ohio, a general practice of 40 people.
AIA service
• AIA Akron—Initiated the mentorship program with Kent State University; instituted “Architecture is...,” which has introduced architecture to more than 13,000 students.
• AIA Ohio—Led a legislative program resulting in Ohio’s first seal bill and design/build legislation; restored financial stability to the organization.
• National—Proposed budget be tied to AIM objectives; served as a voice of reason on the PIA Council and its executive committee; as a member of the Treasurer’s Advisory Committee, Audit Committee, and Finance Committee, participated in guiding the AIA to fiscal responsibility.

AIA commitment
My love of architecture became a passion by the time I graduated, yet it took me another 16 years to discover that the AIA was the means by which that passion could be most effectively nurtured. In response, I’ve served in leadership positions since 1987.

The treasurer’s position
As the AIA has experienced in the recent past, it is difficult to focus on the Institute’s intended purposes when budget concerns are a vital priority. Having served on the Treasurer’s Advisory Committee, the Audit Committee, and the Finance Committee, I am fully aware of the monetary issues of the Institute. I will be dogged in my determination to maintain balanced budgets and to increase our unrestricted reserves.

The Institute
The Institute has improved its relevance through the AIM initiative, a new budget process that ties resources to AIM objectives, the advertising campaign, and a vastly more effective government affairs effort. But, it still needs to achieve:
• Staff stability
• A budget that increases reserves
• A membership strategy that encompasses broader definitions of “architect”
• Continuation of programs such as green architecture and communities by design
• Effective distribution of knowledge, including that of the PIAs
• Integrated service to members by all three component levels.

The profession
We need to acknowledge a broader vision of architectural practice to include the design of virtual realms and other design-related work areas in which graduate architects are employed. Also, we must not be relegated to executing isolated building blocks in an environment whose defining relationships are established by less-insightful players.

AIA relevance
I believe in the values of the AIA. It is the organization that on an international basis envisions and speaks for the preservation of our habitat, a healthier society, cultural enrichment, and beauty.

Copyright 2001 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.