If you want to develop the skills to become an engaged leader in your community, apply to attend the 2002 AIA Leadership Institute at Georgetown University, Washington D.C., March 21–24, 2002. The deadline for application is January 18, 2002.

The only other time the AIA has offered this course was in 1997. Members who attended that inaugural program tell us they found plenty of personal insights and inspiration to help them achieve their goals, plus a solid network of supportive colleagues who helped them focus on their vision. And their actions bolster their words, as their stories show.

Jane Frederick, AIA, inspired by her experiences at the 1997 institute, twice ran for Congress in South Carolina. In what was her second political race ever in 2001, she garnered 41 percent of the popular vote against a 30-year incumbent by focusing on issues such as livable communities, environmental protection, and education. Her determination to effect change in the national political arena is also shaped by the recognition that in the past 100 years only two architects have served in Congress. She maintains that this experience in public service has had a dramatic impact on her design process and approach to architecture.

In Buffalo, Leadership Institute alumni Clinton Brown, AIA, was named "Citizen of the Year" in 1998 by the editorial board of the Buffalo News for his "lasting impact on public planning in Western New York." Clint initiated and facilitated a public dialogue on a state-sponsored project to replace the city's historic Peace Bridge linking the U.S. and Canada. According to the Buffalo News editors, the "efforts led to design workshops and public debates that involved a wide cross-section of the community, and gave people a voice in the debates." Clint now serves on Buffalo's Citizens Planning Council, which reviews capital expenditures proposed by the city departments.

Other alumni used their experience at the 1997 Leadership Institute to reorient their careers to align with their passion. Harris M. Steinberg, AIA, expressed his thoughts on the Leadership Institute experience this way:

"The experience was truly life-changing, in that I began to understand the potential for the architect's skills beyond the drafting board," Steinberg says. "I came away inspired, energized and empowered. The Leadership Institute has taken me many places, including a teaching position at the University of Pennsylvania and public speaking at conferences in Denmark and Spain. The Leadership Institute spurred all of us on to new heights of awareness and possibility. All architects should be so lucky."

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