Laying out Ideas for Membership Feedback

Having recently returned from D.C. where I was attending the AIA National Grassroots Conference, I am excited to see many new (and renewed) efforts from our Committees and Board well underway. Three of our newer Knowledge Committees are raising the bar for participation and activity, no doubt a reflection of the motivated participants tapping into information that everyone wants access to, or creating actions that people want to be a part of.

• Design Voice is rapidly gaining members as they seek to be the "enabler" in the architectural community in connecting and collaborating design professionals with affordable housing advocacy efforts. I urge all of you to learn more about their activities, join their forum to stay in tune, and become part of the 1% Solution Chapter-wide effort. Their page should be up soon on the AIA website.
• Architecture for Health Committee Meetings have become such a hot item, that if you don't sign up early, you can't get in. Maybe we need to explore the Webinar world to give members greater access.
• Elliot Johnson, as chair of the Residential Committee, was the first chair I can recall seeing to layout a full year's worth of events on the calendar...before the year even started. The Residential Committee is connecting their respective topics to location visits and creating a truly interactive committee structure.

As part of our efforts to increase communication with the membership, I will be utilizing this blog as way to reach to the membership to gather feedback for myself, the board and staff on activities, ideas, issues in what I hope to be a very proactive dialogue. Let me know what you think and let's continue to elevate the exposure of our membership to a wide range of issues as well as elevate the relevancy of the AIA within the Austin community.

Sincerely,
Stephen Oliver, AIA
2009 President