At its Sept. 25 meeting, the AIA Ohio Board of Directors elected Sarah Vala, Assoc. AIA, to the position of AIA Ohio Early Professionals Director. Sarah earned her Bachelors and Masters in Architecture from Kent State University, with an urban design emphasis. She is currently employed as a Project Designer at IKM Architecture in Cleveland. Sarah will join Zach Herbst, AIA, from MSA Design in Cincinnati, who will transition to Senior EP Director. Her term will run from Jan. 1, 2026-Dec. 31, 2027.
The AIA Ohio Board also elected a replacement for the Ohio Representative to the Young Architects Forum, a position currently held by Alex Oetzel, AIA, from Moody Nolan in Columbus. Maggie Beecroft, AIA, earned her Bachelors and Masters in Architecture from Miami University. She is currently an architect at Champlin | EOP in Dayton. Her term will run from Jan. 1, 2026-Dec. 31, 2027.