Through active AIA involvement for more than three decades, Harold Adams has steered RTKL's growth into a global practice with 14 offices and more than 950 professionals working in 43 countries. After beginning his professional career with Warnecke Associates, Harold joined RTKL in 1967. He was named the firm's president in 1968 and chair in 1987.

Harold earned a BArch from Texas A&M University and is licensed in 43 states and the District of Columbia. He is a full member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, a member of the Japan Institute of Architects and was one of the first non-Japanese architects to receive a first-class Kenchikushi license.

Harold received the 1997 AIA Edward J. Kemper Award for service to the Institute and the profession, was the first recipient of the Society of Military Engineers Urbahn Award for the most notable contribution to the profession of architecture, and received Sigma Tau Delta's Gold Medal. He received an AIA Presidential Citation for two decades of "inspired leadership" as founder of the AIA Large Firm Roundtable.

Recognized among his peers as a strong leader, Harold has served AIA on all levels. He has been president of the Baltimore Chapter, has sat on the national AIA Board since 2000, and, as a member of the Finance Committee, helped guide the Institute back to fiscal health. He has served on numerous key committees and task forces. He chairs the American Architectural Foundation's Board of Regents, and, as chancellor of the College of Fellows, oversaw a doubling of their endowment. Recently, the Department of State asked him to represent the AIA on an advisory panel focusing on embassy design and security.

As chair of the National Building Museum's board, Harold helped to raise architecture's profile outside the profession. He has also led economic development councils, encouraging smart growth and international cooperation, and continues to maintain strong ties with academia, nurturing the profession's next generation.

A vision

At this stage in my career, I am committed to focusing additional service to the profession. Using my business experience, I will work to strengthen the AIA, allowing the small practice as much as the large firm to share in the benefits of an inclusive AIA community distinguished by its:
• Dedication to the AIM initiatives, particularly those directed at education and livable communities
• Commitment to share best practices and enhance member services essential to today's changing profession through active participation in PIAs
• Passion for quality design and technical excellence in all aspects of architecture
• Mentoring the next generation of architects through access to the profession's intellectual capital and resources
• Meaningful interrelationships among all components and collateral organizations.

Copyright 2002 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.