Executive Vice President’s Letter

Recently, Spring was in the air in New York State. People were smiling and we were convinced winter was ending. This week reminded us that winter was not quite over. With 15 degree temperatures, we huddled down to wait a bit longer for the hopeful tone Spring brings. It has been a long winter, however, the promise of better weather gave the AIANYS Officers confidence to schedule a face-to-face meeting in Albany. While the weather turned nasty, the energizing atmosphere of an in-person meeting and the exchange of ideas reminded us why the AIA is such an integral part of our lives. The meeting went non-stop for eight hours and could have continued, but reports of bad roads signaled it was time to adjourn. The Officers covered a lot of territory. One thing that is always at the core of these strategy discussions is the never-ending answer to two questions: 1) are we providing the member value that is expected; and 2) how do we know? We have taken proactive steps to know. Since our highly successful member survey conducted in 2020, much has changed. With those changes, the rapid need to know what does and doesn’t work for you has become paramount in our decision-making process. We can no longer rely on feelings, and have made great strides in gathering and using data. We are preparing to take the next step. We have begun using a new tool, PropFuel, that allows us to ask brief questions and capture your response to better serve you. This, coupled with a virtual focus group and input gleaned from Chapter leadership meetings will give us the ability to improve your member experience. As the first quarter wraps up, we are well into our Strategic Plan initiatives. We continue to offer premium education programs including updates on NYS Codes and the Safety Assessment Program taught by Illya Azaroff, FAIA and Tim Boyland, AIA. Both of these programs fill up quickly. We also offered four HSW webinars for CE credit as part of your membership. The Board also approved a marketing partnership with AIA New Jersey and AIA Pennsylvania for the East Coast Green Conference on April 22nd and 23rd, a virtual offering that New York State members will be able to register for at the same rate as AIA New Jersey members. The Government Advocacy committee remains informed about efforts that are not in the best interest of the public or the profession and have met with associated design and construction organizations to share their concerns and initiatives. Our Communication efforts include a visibility campaign that raises brand awareness, increases visibility and demonstrates organizational value. A proactive strategy was created, identifying themes and initiatives for the year-long campaign. On May 5th, the Board of Directors will meet in-person for the first time in over two years. In addition to being a regular business meeting, the Board will discuss Climate Change and how it impacts design and the environment. The Excelsior Awards celebration, recognizing the best practices in design of government funded projects will occur the evening before. Using the Strategic Plan as a guide, we continue to progress, are mindful of our members and are thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the practice of architecture. Recently, I sent an article to the Board about how exhausted people are and how to better take care of themselves. Let’s face it, the best remedy for the winter is spring, with new beginnings and an optimistic look on what’s to come. See you next quarter!

Sincerely,

Georgi Ann Bailey, CAE, Hon. AIANYS Executive Vice President | AIA New York State