On January 27th, I was elevated into the AIA College of Fellows - less than 3% of all AIA architects are ever recognized with this honor.
Well, there goes the neighborhood.

Today is a horn tootin’ sort of day … the sort of day that has been 25 years in the making – although, if I am being honest, the possibility of this day didn’t show up on my radar screen until about I was about 32 years old. In fact, I even talked about this particular day almost 7 years ago in a post titled “The Importance of Setting Goals“.The acronym ?A.I.A.? stands for the American Institute of Architects, a professional organization for architects that offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image. This is an elective organization but if you are a practicing architect, you would be hard pressed to give me a reason why I shouldn?t be a member. If you are an architect, it is YOUR professional organization.I have been a member for decades and my involvement has ranged from extremely heavy to almost non-existent. Since early on in my career, I’ve been involved in my local and state AIA component, and over the last 15 years I have served and chaired almost every major committee. During this time I’ve met people and made connections that helped shape my early career, and in the years since, have continued to serve me well because almost every job I?ve...