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President's Message
I am going to do my very best to keep this short. I would rather you be enjoying the summer than sitting here reading this. You can tell summer is nearing its end when the wheat fields are harvested and all that can be seen are fields of golden stalks, and the once late evening daylight is slowly giving way to darkness. Summer has rounded the corner.
AIA Michigan had a proposed Bylaw Amendment Change out to membership about the way Section/Chapter Directors to the Michigan Board are elected. I hope you received it and placed your vote.
As mentioned last month all of the resolutions that were brought before the National Board were approved by the general membership. I wanted to take this time to share my thoughts on what I think is the most important one to Michigan. Resolution 18-7, titled Repositioning, Member Value, and a Study of AIA Regions. As you already know Michigan is considered one of the Large States and has its own seat at the table. The intent of this resolution is to execute a study of AIA regions to document their wide variety of structures, missions, resources and programs; to review the relationship between the new Strategic Council and the regions, and to identify best practice models and opportunities to increase member value, promote collaboration among components, provide consistent member service, align the work of components at all levels and make efficient use of member duties.
I wish I knew exactly what this means to you as a member so I could share my knowledge with you. What I do know is we do not want to lose our region status. If this were to happen we could be joined with Ohio, Kentucky, or even Illinois (assuming we would be joined by contiguous states)? Thus we would only have Strategic Council Representation every other three years, six years... Are they looking to set up equally membered regions or regions
divided by land boundries/state lines?
Maybe they are just looking at equality, services offered by all the regions to its memberships so the Michigan membership would get what California or Florida has, or maybe vice versa? All I know is that after the Repositioning of Chapters and Section with what we all went through, we need to stay informed and provide National with our strong voices and opinions.
This, if it moves forward; even though it was approved by the membership at its Business Meeting, the National Board still has the power to pick and choose what it deems important and is this something they want to take on next year. All of the resolutions that were approved at the conference, I believed totaled about 1.8 million in expenditures for further studies. If all resolutions were approved, National would have to review its budget for 2019 and cut out items they are currently funding to proceed with the approved proposed resolutions. Again, stay tuned.
See you on the Island!
Yours in AIA,
AIA Michigan President
Dan LaPan, AIA
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Executive Director's Message
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Cathy Mosley, Hon. Aff. AIAMI
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Available -
Brightwood's 5.0 Study Guides! Please call 313-965-4100 or email
Evelyn Dougherty
to borrow the study materials!
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Emerging Professionals Corner
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| Matthew Guinta, AIA |
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Happy Mid-Summer!
It's a great time to be back in the USA. Michigan summers are a favorite of mine. Quick update, returning from India only makes this season better. All of our leisure sports and recreational opportunities are priceless; reason enough to live here. Reminding you, "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you", so be sure to take advantage of our great state! Get outside and get wet in the world's best collection of fresh water.
There are some great AIA programs that are worth noting this month. A member of AIA Michigan's ARCHITECT(URE) talksTM , I found to be a great way to share your knowledge with the community. Recently, I spoke to a group in Bloomfield Hills. The audience was engaged and excited to learn about the subject matter. They too are happy sharing their own perspectives and experiences with the speaker. It is a great way to get "out-there" and demonstrate expertise. I recommend looking at the website (click here) and if interested, join the already impressive list of speakers - contact AIA Michigan staff for more information.
Next, calling all Emerging Professionals- If you are interested in joining the National Associates Committee (NAC) or the Young Architects Forum (YAF), please consider a few routes to becoming involved with this thought leading crowd. The NAC is looking for At-Large Directors serving a 2 year commitment. The YAF is seeking directors to lead workgroups for the next 2 years also.
See AIA's National Call for Emerging Professional Volunteers linked here.
As promised a few more words on my great adventure of 2018: I went to India to see if we, as a profession are working better, differently, more sustainable. I found we and they, the Indian people have a raised consciousness, but struggle with balancing industry, private ownership, and public good.
Water is a hot topic. The county has an expansive coast, with miles of rivers, and many more lakes than you'd think. Access to water and sanitation is a top priority of the national government. Nearly every village now has a well and a latrine. These basics offer disease control, nourishment, and human dignity.
Adding to basic necessities, there is work to increase resiliency of their protected lands and monuments. The nation's Ministry of Tourism is currently working to improve and protect their many UNESCO attractions. This aids in social development by attracting more visitors and jobs to support them. With out places like the Taj Mahal or beaches in Goa, India would lose many tourist Rupees domestically and abroad. Architects play a key role is this social and infrastructure intense process of re-thinking great sites.
The tourism industry, much like in Michigan, plays a key role in monetizing intangible beauty. Imagine the gap in our beach front towns if more sand dunes were trucked away or if the Tahquamenon Falls were dammed for a hydro-electric plant. Right now, the discussion in India is making these kind of natural destinations, as well as the historical monuments work for the people through eco-tourism jobs, preservation / conservation contracts, and of course hospitality related careers.
I am grateful to have seen this beautiful and quickly evolving country. Also, I am more than ever thankful to be home, with the comforts of my fair state and city.
Enjoy your summer, be safe, and get involved.
Enjoy your summer, be safe, and get involved.
Matthew Guinta, AIA
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New Members!
Members who joined, rejoined or transferred to AIA Michigan!
June 2018
Juan G. Arias-Hernandez, Assoc. AIA
Kevin Bouchey, Assoc. AIA
Zachary T. Braselton, AIA
Sarah Britain, Assoc. AIA
Aditi Choudhary, Assoc. AIA
Abhishek A. Desai, Assoc. AIA
Swati Goel, Assoc. AIA
Gjeorgjia Lilo, Assoc. AIA
Salvatore Gino Lorenzano, Assoc. AIA
Joshua R. Maddox, AIA
Wandile Mthiyane, Assoc. AIA
Chandra Moore, Associate AIA
Welcome to AIA Michigan and we look forward to meeting you at future events!
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Contact the Staff
Cathy Mosley, Hon. Aff. AIAMI
Executive Director of AIA Michigan:
Events and Programming, Finances, Communications, Membership, Government Affairs, Sponsorship
Evelyn Dougherty, Hon. Aff. AIAMI
Operations Director: Event Planning and Registration, Documents,
Continuing Education, Membership, Job Board
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