One of the best and most personal parts of the annual Grassroots Leadership and Legislative Conference is that it offers a wonderful venue to acknowledge the hard work of many dedicated people. This year’s program honored seven programs and individuals with Component Excellence Awards—four for public affairs/communications efforts and three for government advocacy endeavors, three outstanding component executives with National Service Awards, and two AIA national component staff members with AIA Staff Awards.

Component Excellence Awards

On February 9, AIA First Vice President and Grassroots 2006 Chair RK Stewart, FAIA; AIA President Kate Schwennsen, FAIA; CACE President and AIA North Carolina Executive Vice President David Crawford; and Executive Vice President/CEO Christine McEntee teamed up to recognize the recipients of the 2006 Component Excellence Awards, presented in two areas: government advocacy and public advocacy/communications. “These awards honor creativity and deep-abiding commitment,” said Grassroots Chair RK Stewart. And the 2006 winners are:

Outstanding Overall Component Outreach Communications Program: AIA Omaha. “For raising public awareness that buildings are the leading consumers of energy, the component was both an informed advocate and model citizen in elevating, through its national capitalism lecture series, the public’s understanding and appreciation of the role architects play in the desired future of more livable and sustainable communities, and that sustainability can increase profitability.”

Outstanding Single Public Affairs and Communications Program: AIA Iowa. “For raising public awareness of architecture and design among the media and the residents of Iowa through Century of Iowa Architecture, a well-researched, written, and produced magazine that opens a window, for the public and the profession, onto the past century of Iowa’s architecture by showcasing 10 Iowa works from each decade of the 20th century. In so doing, it invites informed discussion about the paths that will lead to future achievement.”

Outstanding Overall Public Affairs and Communications Program: AIA Colorado. “For the careful planning and determined ‘Extreme Makeover’ follow-through that enhanced the graphic identity of this innovative component. Through a well-executed communication plan, AIA Colorado redesigned its Web site and quarterly magazine, Architect Colorado, enhancing the component’s voice and strengthening its financial well-being.”

Outstanding Overall Public Affairs and Communications Initiative: AIA Houston. “For its commitment as good neighbors and concerned citizens in promoting, publicizing, planning, and developing Gulf Coast Green 2005: Symposium on Building, which was four months before hurricane Katrina. The conference brought together architects and government employees from all over the country to address the challenge of sustainable design.”

Outstanding Overall Government Affairs Program: AIA Florida. “Whose innovative Breakfast of Champions program, which promoted personal relationships, elevated the profile of its members as engaged and caring citizens, and forged new, mutually beneficial relationships between Florida’s architects and legislators.”

Outstanding Overall Government Affairs Program: AIA Washington Council. “By reorganizing the state component’s structure and mission to focus solely on advocacy, the council achieved legislative success after working collaboratively with the state government to advance issues of importance that shape the practice of architecture and provide the legislative and regulatory climate to ensure more livable communities for the citizens of the State of Washington.”

Outstanding Individual Contribution to Government Affairs: G. William Quatman, FAIA. “A recognized authority on design-build and legal counseling for design professionals, he has earned the reputation as the Institute’s “Mr. Design-Build.” His tireless devotion to advancing the architecture profession and the architect’s role in the design-build process has resulted in positive changes taking place nationwide.”

National Service Awards

On February 10, the AIA national component staff members, represented by new Executive Vice President/CEO Christine McEntee, presented the National Service Award upon three component executives to celebrate their outstanding achievement and service. The executives selected by the national component staff this year are:

Amy Blagriff, executive director, AIA Honolulu. Blagriff is honored for her command of electronic communications, advocacy for emerging professionals, and passionate support of One AIA. In part, her citation reads, “She is a model leader, who understands the difference between action and position, collaboration and control, and who adopts and enables the dreams of others, caring for them with the same pride and hope as if they were her own.”

Donna Murray, executive director, AIA Mississippi. Murray, who took the helm of the AIA chapter just a month before natural disaster struck her state, is recognized for her extraordinary service in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita last year. Her citation reads, “At a time of desperate need, and in close cooperation with her peers at the state and national levels, she tirelessly marshaled resources from across the United States and rushed help to members and neighbors. Her leadership in implementing disaster assistance training and in helping to coordinate the Katrina Building Damage Assessment Program proved invaluable in furthering relief and recovery efforts throughout Mississippi.”

Lynn Robertson, executive director, AIA Louisiana. Robertson also was recognized for her tireless efforts on behalf of her chapter in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Her citation reads, “For her leadership in guiding her chapter and its members in mastering the enormous challenges posed in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Working in close collaboration with her AIA counterparts at the national and state levels in coordinating relief and recovery efforts for AIA members and their communities, her calm determination, compassion, and remarkable grace under pressure show that courage is always the surest wisdom.”

AIA Staff Awards

The component execs, in turn, got to show their appreciation and admiration for the AIA national component staff members by awarding the AIA staff awards to two outstanding individuals. This year, the component executives—represented by 2006 CACE President David A. Crawford—chose to present AIA Staff Awards to:

James “Jim” Dinegar, CAE, chief operating officer, AIA national component, “whose contagious enthusiasm and steadfast leadership in working collaboratively with the officers and members of the host chapters has ensured the resounding success of the AIA’s national convention as evidenced by a steady increase in attendance, quality, and profitability for one of the Institute’s greatest assets. By his continuing support and advocacy on behalf of all the AIA’s state and local components, he has embraced and nurtured the shared vision of One AIA, and is in everything he does a convincing argument that the path to a better tomorrow is paved by our actions today.”

David Downey, CAE, Assoc. AIA, managing director, AIA Center for Communities by Design. “In the face of devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, he embraced a leadership role in bringing architects and their fellow citizens together to address the challenge of disaster response and rebuilding. His professional dedication, creative thinking, and deep compassion promoted a greater awareness among the public and elected officials of the role architects are prepared to play, not only in rebuilding what was destroyed, but also in bringing renewed hope where there had been despair.”

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