I struggle to imagine the American Institute of Architects without Susan Menghini. This woman has had a positive impact on the organization … but also on my life personally. She welcomed me into the organization and helped me grow beyond expectations. I consider her to be both a mentor and a friend. Susan brought her extensive knowledge of association management to AIA Wyoming and brought the organization to an unforeseen level of professionalism. Architects are busy and volunteer their time to AIA Wyoming. Susan recognized that … and consistently kept things running even when volunteers struggled to do their part. She would send helpful reminders without making one feel guilty for being slow to address something. She made you feel great for contributing whatever you were able to give. She wanted to see the architectural profession thrive and worked hard to promote positive change. She especially understood the power of strong relationships. She believed in connections and always seemed to know who to talk to and how to get things done. She wanted to see individual architects thrive and made an effort to celebrate their achievements. She was our most enthusiastic advocate. Susan would pick up the phone and call you simply to check in; she cared about personal touches. I had the honor of working alongside Susan and getting a firsthand look at her drive, work ethic, professionalism, humor and kindness. This woman would rise to any challenge … in fact, she thrived in a crisis where most would give up. (E.g., Due to a federal government shutdown, she reorganized an entire regional conference in a matter of hours!) She was awarded the National 2015 Component Leadership Award from the AIA Council of Architectural Component Executives (CACE)… this national award is HUGE. She was a gracious and humble recipient of this incredible accomplishment. AIA Wyoming will forever be changed due to Susan Menghini. — Katie Wilson, AIA I can hardly think of AIA Wyoming without thinking of Susan Menghini. We were so lucky to have had her as our executive director for 14 years! Susan’s energy is contagious, and her arrival led me (and others) to be inspired to become more active with AIA Wyoming. I have rarely met a more organized and “together” person like Susan, and her leadership skills were the reason for our professional organization’s reemergence during her time with us. She guided our organization to be fiscally responsible and, for the first time ever, to not depend on the savings reserves for our annual budget. She was also instrumental in maintaining our membership’s high rate of registered architects — at nearly 97%! And she guided us through the inaugural component accreditation with such ease that our national organization enlisted her to help evaluate other components for accreditation around the country! Even as early as 2015 — just five years into her position with us — she was already being recognized and had already received the Component Leadership Award, a national award that recognizes the achievements of CACE executives and component staff due to her significant contributions to and leadership in association management! Susan will continue to be the benchmark by which all future executive directors will be measured. And although she has retired from this position, I and others have been in regular communications with her, and she is still advocating for our individual and collective success in the background. — Lyle Murtha, AIA Susan is the type of person who lifts others up, which in turn helps everyone around her achieve greater goals, and her impact goes well beyond just being an executive director. She was an integral part of AIA Wyoming’s growth as a chapter and helped push it to grow into what it is now. We are forever grateful to have had such a great executive director for so long! Words cannot express how much she meant to our profession and to the AIA Wyoming Chapter. Thank you, Susan, for all that you did and the lives you touched along the way! — Anthony Jacobsen, AIA I have been around for over 80 years, have been a part of many nonprofits over those many years, and you have been, by far, the absolute best executive director of any. We, the board of directors, did not have to tell you to do this or that — you had already done it! I served on the St. John’s Hospital Board, St. John’s Church Vestry and the largest nonprofit in Jackson, The Center for The Arts, among others, all with confident executive directors, and your performance topped them all! That is quite an achievement that you can always be proud of. Thank you, Susan! It has been a great privilege to work with you. You made my job easy and rewarding! — Bruce Hawtin, AIA 9
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODQxMjUw