For Emerging Professionals, the Letters ‘AIA’ Have Meaning

What does the AIA credential mean to you as an emerging professional?

I have been licensed since 2003 but am still considered a young architect because I have been licensed for fewer than 10 years. I became an AIA member to expand my network when I first got out of school. I started working in Providence, R.I., and didn’t know anyone, so it seemed like an obvious professional network to tap. I was also going through IDP at the time and needed a mentor, so I got my mentor through the AIA. The reason I maintained my AIA membership and became extremely active with the group is because of the resources I now have available to me. My needs change as I go through my own professional development, but I have always found that whatever support I needed—whether a mentor, knowledge sharing, networking, or teaming—I have an easy in with my local AIA component and with national. I think there’s a certain amount of branding and recognition not only within the profession but within the construction industry and certainly with clients.
—Kristine Royal, AIA, Newport Collaborative Architects, Inc., Newport, R.I.

Since architects don’t have a title that we receive upon licensure, like doctors do, AIA credentials are entitlement to becoming an architect. As an emerging professional, that’s important to me because it gives me a stake in saying I am licensed without having to come out and say it. AIA means that I am licensed. There is RA for registered architects, but that is not a standard. For me, because I am incredibly involved with the AIA, the credentials mean a lot to me. For those who aren’t involved with the AIA, the credentials don’t mean anything. But I am involved at the local, state, and national level.

I’m on the YAF Advisory Committee as the communications advisor and co-editor of the YAF Connection. When I send requests for articles, having AIA on my name says I’m a licensed architect. It’s a badge of honor. I am also the Dallas representative for the Texas Society of Architects, so I represent all licensed architects in Dallas in the AIA. The AIA title means a lot to me because I obtained that position prior to becoming a licensed architect. A lot of people disagreed that I didn’t have the AIA credentials yet, so now having the AIA credentials makes a statement of your level in the profession.

When I’m talking to someone who has no idea what AIA stands for, the credential doesn’t mean anything to them. But when I’m in groups who know what that the AIA means—even if it’s just a person who knows of the AIA—it means something to them. Maybe more branding needs to be done for what the AIA represents. The AIA credentials are important to me, especially since I’m involved, and it’s from where I draw my value.
—Jennifer A. Workman, AIA, Good Fulton & Farrell Architects, Dallas

What does the AIA credential mean to you as a seasoned architect?

I’ve been registered for close to 25 years, been the past president of AIA Las Vegas, on the board here more than 10 years, and an AIA member for 20 years. The AIA credentials give you immediate recognition from clients. Sometimes they don’t understand what it means to be licensed, but they will make the leap that the designation is the equivalent of being licensed. They even sometimes think of it as more of a legal designation rather than that of a professional organization. I find that it carries a lot of weight. But the credentials don’t mean anything unless you do something with it. The more involved you are the more you get out of it, especially in positions in AIA. I get a lot of people who contact me because I’m sitting on the board or am president of the local or state chapter. Clients use this to market me. For example, at meetings with commercial clients or potential clients, they introduce me as a past AIA president.

The AIA credentials definitely open doors .It gets me in to top-level conversations with other organizations. In the past five or six years it has helped me become heavily involved in legislative affairs. At Grassroots it enables me to meet with our state legislators and senators. The AIA designation is the facilitator. It will open doors, but you have to be involved. The AIA has a social networking side because every convention is like a class reunion—it keeps me in touch.
—Curt John Carlson, AIA, LEED AP, director of design, SH Architects, Las Vegas, president, AIA Nevada

The AIA was taken seriously at my firm when I practiced. I was state and local president, and one of the partners was regional director. The AIA was heavily promoted to clients as an active marketing aspect. The overall impression was that we were deeply engaged in the support of the profession and community, and that the AIA promotes service and continuing education. We were also engaged in keeping our credentials and qualifications very current. I think the public clients reacted positively to the AIA credentials because they tended to know the AIA, and many times were also members. The interface with the public client was often another architect or engineer. Some private clients, like a community bank or teachers union, may not have heard of the AIA, but when we told them about it specifically they would say, “it sounds like you are more deeply involved in the practice and more interested in being current.”

It is not only a statement that we are up-to-date on current practice issues, like codes, managing your practice, or best practices in a particular type of design or expertise. The AIA credential was important to us as a practice and showed service to the community, such as our design awards program, activities that would engage the public and promoted public engagement of architecture, and other service aspects. It showed that through the AIA we were highly qualified architects and involved in providing community service.
—David Frommer, AIA, executive director of planning and construction, UNLV Planning and Construction, Las Vegas. Frommer has practiced in public, private, and academic roles.