2024 AIA Strategic Council Report BY DAN STALKER, AIA 2024 will mark my last year as AIA Wyoming’s representative to the Strategic Council. It has been a remarkable journey. I had the privilege of working with architects from across the globe to study critical issues impacting our profession and present Wyoming’s perspective on these issues. Now that I am poised to leave the Council, I can only look forward. The issues we discussed and the thoughtful dialogue will move the Council and our profession forward. I am enclosing a brief narrative of the goals of this year’s study groups and a glimpse into how these studies are impacting the policies of the AIA. Communications The Communications Subcommittee developed a matrix to effectively share the Council’s initiatives with the broader AIA community. The reports are divided into two categories: internal and external communications. INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS • Weekly Recap: Every Friday, we provide a comprehensive recap of upcoming events, activities and important information that councilors need to be aware of, ensuring they are always up to date. I share the weekly Friday Recaps with the board and with the State Licensing Board. Communication is vitally important! • Quarterly Reports: Liaisons from the board-level committees provide internal reports to the Council on a quarterly basis. EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS • Monthly Report: Each month, the Council produces a report that is distributed by councilors to the states. These reports are also discussed during leadership calls. • End-of-Year Yearbook: At the end of the year, the Council compiles a yearbook that includes all the work completed by the different study groups throughout the year. Elections ELECTION RESULTS AIA At-large Director - Graciela Carrillo, AIA New York AIA Strategic Council Moderator - Jessica O’Donnell, AIA New Jersey AIA Strategic Council Co-Moderator - Abigail Brown, FAIA Washington, D.C. AIA Strategic Council At-large Representatives - Angela Brooks, FAIA, California; Jamie Crawley, AIA Texas; and Gloria Kloter, AIA Florida 2024 Study Groups EQUITY The Equity Group’s internal and external subgroups are preparing recommendations for the 2024 AIA Board through several key actions. Internally, they are reviewing and potentially revising the AIA Code of Ethics to enhance EDI in the profession and built environment, researching and identifying measurable EDI indicators for architecture firms, evaluating existing EDI research tools, analyzing the impact of legal and state policies on architectural education and practice, and reassessing the business case for diversity. Externally, they are addressing gaps in the AIA Equitable Development Framework, proposing updating the Citizen Architect’s Handbook, defining roles and responsibilities for public architects, and exploring how to better advocate for architects’ roles in equity through a comprehensive mapping of key public architects. CLIMATE CHANGE/WATER EQUITY On Aug. 5, the Climate Action/Water working group presented to the Strategic Council. The working group has been meeting regularly to finalize research and documentation and developed several questions that were discussed in breakout groups during the presentation. The intent was to engage the full Council perspective to inform the final report and possibly direct future working groups. Key takeaways from this working group are that architects can take a stronger leadership role in addressing water scarcity in our designs and advocating for policy changes. DESIGN/AI The Design/AI Group presented to the Council on Aug. 27. They developed an AI-generated video featuring councilor avatars, shown below, building on the approach introduced by last year’s group. The final report and video will speak to the industry experts, academics, and practitioners that the group has engaged this year. The efforts were focused on formulating key recommendations for the board. This work will culminate in actionable insights that will help guide the AIA’s strategic direction in the realm of artificial intelligence. A key takeaway the group is developing is how show to equip our membership with the knowledge to adapt to an AI future. 19
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