Bruce E. Blackmer, AIA, managing principal of a 90-person multioffice firm, has earned both BArch and MBA degrees. His experience spans small, midsize, and large firms; government; and academia. Living in Washington, Texas, Maryland, and Minnesota has provided him with a geographically diverse perspective.

Bruce's AIA roles include all AIA Spokane leadership positions, Washington Council director and Public Awareness Committee member, the Northwest and Pacific Region's design awards chair, planning chair, finance chair, and regional director. He was an AIA Summit 2000 International Design Award program juror and has chaired several regional design award juries. He leads the national Professional Interest Areas (PIAs) Program as chair of the PIA Executive Committee and has served as a speaker at component meetings, the CACE national annual meeting, and national PIA Council annual meetings.

While today's issues are clear in our minds, issues of tomorrow are just forming. The AIA must prepare itself to leverage our resources and maximize their advantage for each member in a frantically changing world. To meet unexpected challenges and capitalize on emerging opportunities, our resources—knowledge, vision, finances, staff, members, and leadership—must all be strong and robust.

Knowledge: Member expertise and the AIA's knowledge contribution are the tools that can help advance our practices, enhance our communities, and meet the challenges society faces. The Institute plays a vital role in developing, documenting, and disseminating knowledge in collaboration with the PIAs, components, and practitioners. As the PIA ExCom chair, Bruce has the experience and insight needed to propel the research and knowledge agenda to become assets for each member.

Vision: The AIA's fleeting institutional memory is an inherent weakness. Clear vision and continuity of program is crucial to the advancement of the Institute. A commitment by leadership to build continually upon the framework of the AIA's strategic vision is vital.

Fiscal responsibility: Confronting crises and investing in opportunities requires adequate financial resources. This is critical. We must be fiscally prudent yet not fear measured risks needed for success. We must build reserves, fine-tune operational effectiveness, and maximize member value.

Staff and members: The AIA's diversity offers a tremendous strength in thinking and acting both locally and globally. We must align our resources and coordinate the delivery of services at all levels. Integrating capabilities through collaboration can exponentially increase the impact of architects in bettering our world and profession.

Leadership: Our leaders are truly committed and trustworthy. Yet "the group's" ability to make good decisions has come under question. The dynamics of Board decision making demands processes that avoid "design by committee" and instead leverage the collective genius of diverse talents to propel the AIA's future.

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