by Genevieve Vargas, AIA
2019 AIACV President
The year 2019 came fast, I’m not sure I was ready for it, but that did not slow it down. Maybe it was the anxiety or anticipation of what was to come? We have an exciting and busy year planned at the AIA Central Valley Chapter. We continue to look for ways to support our members, whether it is through advocacy, providing opportunities for engagement, or providing those much needed ADA credits for our license renewal.
One event that I hope to bring to our membership this year is based loosely on the AIA Los Angeles “Powerful” event. This is a woman-led inspirational event that draws sell-out crowds each year. Focus topics are wide-ranging and have included “Handling Difficult Conversations with Confidence” and “Finding Your Voice.” Our planning committee is developing the event details, so please look for more information in the spring.
As you may have noticed in NOTES, we are planning another group trip abroad to attend the AIA Europe Symposium in Copenhagen, Denmark! This conference “Livability in Copenhagen, How it works, Why it works, When it works…. And Sometimes Doesn’t” is a dynamic network of design and building professionals sharing an international perspective. I attended the Barcelona Symposium in 2016 and it was amazing. I’m looking forward to another great conference put on by AIA Europe. It is not too late to join us, the registration just opened up, visit http://www.aiaeurope.org/copenhagen-program
This year will mark our 8th annual Experience Architecture public outreach event. It’s remarkable to think about how this event has evolved and grown. It was established with a goal of educating the public on what architects do. I feel like we provide more and more opportunities to connect and engage with the community during Experience Architecture, what better way to show the public what we do?
At our annual Leadership Board Retreat held in mid-January, we discussed ways to engage and provide value to members that are in the outlining communities of our Chapter. Suggestions were made that included; providing technology to call into meetings or activities or watch recordings of programs; taking events to the outlining areas; sharing how we’ve been working closely with the City of Sacramento to improve processes and how that may be implemented in other jurisdictions; and many others. We also spend time discussing the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan that is now under development.
As your Chapter President, I hope to provide support and value to our members. If you would like to discuss anything AIA related, please reach out to me at [email protected]