John H. Baker, AIA

We build because it is in our nature. When we build, we transform our world. The places we build shape and define us. Therefore it is vitally important that we do it well.

To build well, we need architects. We need architects to lead and to inspire us:

• To build sustainable places, places designed to use resources responsibly and with respect for the earth’s environment.
• To build safe, healthy, secure places designed to support and nurture the communities of which they are a part.
• To build fitting places designed to engage and inform us about ourselves and about our place in the world.

Leadership is built upon trust. Architects earn trust by being knowledgeable, competent, and professional. The AIA contributes to the architects’ knowledge by facilitating discovery, learning, and sharing among components and interest communities. We learn and grow by participating.

To lead, architects must have a voice and a message. Our voice comes from our shared values, and we discover it by exploring those values. Architects share a deep commitment to community, and people listen when the AIA lends its voice to advocacy on their behalf.

The AIA is a community of architects. We connect with each other at our local and state components, at national gatherings, and around common interests. We sustain our profession by tending to the education, training, and swift certification of emerging professionals.

AIA National

• Director, Northwest & Pacific Region, The American Institute of Architects, 2002–2004
• Member, Committee on Licensing, 2001–Present; Chair, 2003–Present
• Member, Government Affairs Advisory Committee, 2003–Present
• Member, State Government Network, 1998–2002

AIA Oregon

• Delegate, 1992–Present
• Vice President of Legislative Affairs, 1998 Present

AIA Portland Chapter

• Member, 1987–Present
• Committees: Urban Design, Industry Relations (Chair), Nominations (Chair)
• Director, 1992–1996
• President, 1995

Other Activities

• Director, Northwest Business for Culture and the Arts, 1991–Present
• Trustee, Oregon School of Architecture and Design, 1989–1992, Vice Chair, 1990–1992
• Teton County Planning Commissioner, Wyoming, 1980–1983

John Baker is a shareholder in Jordan Schrader PC, a Portland, Ore., law firm. In addition to the Dirt Law™ practice area focusing on real-estate development, design, and construction, the firm has established practice areas in business law, environmental and natural resources law, and dispute resolution. One of a handful of architects practicing law in the country, Baker devotes his practice to design and construction matters including the professional, business, and legal affairs of AIA architects.

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