It has been a busy first quarter of the year! Our 3 year strategic plan has been officially adopted and lots of exciting work is being done by our work groups and taskforces at the State level to carry out the vision that has been set to advocate for the profession and enhance member value. Although the efforts are mostly being led by our board members, we welcome involvement from all members in these efforts. Many hands make light work, and greater diversity of thought on our committees will surely bring about the best ideas to propel us forward.
Many thanks to Bowling Green State University for hosting us for our March meeting. It was wonderful to meet the many talented student members of AIAS and the dedicated faculty members at BGSU, and tour their newly completed Kokosing Hall. It is very inspiring to see the all the great work that is being done in the Northwest corner of our state.
At the end of February, several of our board members joined other architects from across the country for the 2025 AIA National Leadership Summit in Washington DC. In tandem with inspiring keynotes, and engaging workshops, Ohio Architects had the opportunity to meet with both of our Senators in person and several of our State Representatives to discuss the various issues that impact Ohio architects.
Our next opportunity to engage with our law makers is coming up on April 30th at the AIA Ohio Advocacy Day. I encourage all members to strongly consider taking this opportunity to have your voice heard, and help strengthen our existing relationships. We need involvement from across the state to represent the local issues that impact your practices and neighborhoods. Registration is still open, please join us!
The third installment of our reimagined State Conference since Covid is planned for September 25th and 26th in the Franklinton neighborhood of Columbus. This year’s streamlined conference will take place at the end of the week to better accommodate the busy schedules that our members keep, while still providing the time we need to celebrate our AIA Ohio Design Award winners, tour meaningful projects and be inspired by our various speakers. We will be hosting our “LU’s and Brews” rapid fire educational sessions again this year to spotlight the latest innovations in products and services through a fun and engaging format that has received lots of positive feedback over the past 2 years.
Lastly, we are very excited about the opportunity we have to spotlight the incredible work that is being done around our state through the America ByDesign series which will showcase Ohio Architects and their award winning projects. More details are to come, but in the meantime, please check out this video that shares the vision for this program: https://aiaohio.org/america-bydesign/
I look forward to the second quarter of 2025 with great optimism and I hope to see you all at one of our upcoming events. Thank you to all of the passionate members that I have the opportunity to serve alongside, your contributions are the fuel that drives AIA Ohio forward.
ERIC F. PROS, AIA, MBA, CPD
Director of Design
AIA Ohio President