February 2023 Chapter President’s letter
A personal letter from Angela Mazzi, FAIA, FACHA, EDAC on advocacy and the focus of AIA National
Happy February. It’s been a busy month, starting with our Women in Architecture Committee leading (by request) a STEM Girl’s program at the Cincinnati Museum Center. It was a great opportunity to have a positive presence for AIA in our community. We also had another well attended VISION lecture with social opportunities for WiA and our Early Professionals committees. Early March kicks off our newest committee: COTE (Committee on the Environment). If you are interested, plan to attend March 1, 5:30 pm at GBBN.
Another important event was the annual national Leadership Conference (formerly Grassroots). President Elect Zoe Gizara represented our component and had some good meetings with staff from the offices of senators Brown and Vance. Advocacy at national, state and local levels is an important way to ensure that legislation impacting practice or the value of design is introduced and supported. This round, the Democracy in Design and Resilient AMERICA acts were making their way through Congress. This conference also focuses on issues chapters face. Zoe had some great sessions on generational differences in the workforce, mentorship, ways to engage sponsors more meaningfully, assessing leadership/communication styles, and working smarter not harder. Stay tuned for her upcoming article that gets into all the details!
I always say that if you don’t like the way things are, work to change them. I encourage you to think about how you can play a more active role as an advocate for good design. Get involved in what’s going on in your municipality. Volunteer for boards or commissions where an architect’s point of view is needed. One great opportunity is coming up on March 2 with AIA Ohio executive director and lobbyist providing an update on legislation and issues in the Ohio statehouse this year. Contributing to the AIA Ohio PAC supports these bipartisan lobbying efforts on behalf of our profession.
Finally, election season for the National AIA board has begun. Candidates campaign by contacting chapter leaders to introduce themselves, and I have already had one call and two emails. It’s important that our national leadership reflects the concerns of all members. Part of how we can do that is by hearing about what’s important to you. These are some of the things I think are important to have all candidates share:
How can we reduce national dues?
How can we promote networking and collegiality at a national level so members can reach out to one another?
How can we educate the general public on the importance of design to health and well being?
Please contact me with issues you would like AIA National to have as a focus for 2024 and beyond. I will be developing a matrix of candidates and how they respond to these questions that we can maintain on our website for your reference. Let us know as well if you would be interested in being a delegate – we value your participation in the election process!
Angela Mazzi, FAIA, FACHA, EDAC
2023 AIA Cincinnati President