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.”
Copyright 2006 The American Institute of Architects.
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