The past year marked a challenge for AIA Wyoming as our longtime executive director, Susan Menghini, retired in December 2023, and we welcomed our new executive director, Jessica Howard, in April 2024. During the transition period, many of our members stepped up to continue improving our chapter through increased outreach and engagement. This was apparent at our conferences this year, which showed strong participation from our members and industry partners. As associate director, I wanted to take this opportunity to share my journey within AIA Wyoming and encourage other members to get involved and share their talents in order to continue to grow and strengthen our chapter. A passion of mine is publishing and printmaking; I was fortunate in university to have two professors who encouraged this passion by teaching me InDesign and getting me involved in a club called Collective Works. When I moved to Wyoming, my employer, Chet Lockard at CLA Architecture, encouraged me to get involved with AIA Wyoming and put me in touch with our then-executive director, Susan. When I shared my interest in publishing, Susan immediately suggested the Public Awareness Committee since they produce a calendar and publication every year — and it was the perfect fit! Being new to the state, getting involved in a committee was a great way to start getting to know the membership and our organization’s goals. After attending my first conference, I volunteered to help plan the next one and then, eventually, the next several conferences. I really enjoy conference planning, but I want to point out that this was a gradual commitment. On my first conference planning committee, the only things I did were design the logo and offer my opinion when things came up in the planning meetings. For the next one, I made the logo and made the tour map for the program. Once I got the hang of the planning process, I began volunteering for more things like coordinating with a speaker, making the program, grant writing, and working as a greeter at the registration table. Getting involved in the Public Awareness Committee and the Conference Planning Committees has helped me grow as a leader, unlock new talents and meet many people in the chapter, some who are now my mentors and friends. Joining a standing committee — Education and Resources, Public Awareness, Membership Development, Government Advocacy or a conference planning committee — is a great way to share your ideas and talents, meet other professionals across the state, advance your career and help advance the architectural profession. I encourage anyone wanting to get involved to reach out to our executive director, Jessica Howard, with your ideas. The chapter is fortunate to have you in any capacity that you want to contribute! AIA Wyoming Standing Committees Build Connections — Get Involved with AIA Wyoming! BY ELLEN MARTIN, ASSOCIATE AIA 10 WYOMING ARCHITECTURE .24 | www.aia-wyoming.org
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