December 20, 2021

One piece of current legislation that the GAC is monitoring is the Fair Chance Licensing bill. This bill has the potential to affect licensure or practice for 30-plus different occupations and professions. The current law allows each professional or occupational board to deny an individual the ability to practice due to a conviction, with few limits. An individual may be denied for a felony or even a misdemeanor that “relates” or “adversely affects” the individual’s occupation.

The past year has been a challenge for most; however, so many of our AIA Wyoming members have contributed in planning and working toward maintaining a connection with one another across the state. Our conferences this year have been a testament to what we can do as an architectural community in Wyoming. The architectural profession continues to evolve, and so does our AIA Wyoming Chapter.

As we look forward to 2022, we reflect on the journey we’ve all taken over these past couple of years. What was initially “optimism in the face of uncertainty” in February 2020 has now manifested a plethora of positive initiatives paving the road for our years ahead. Our organization’s difficult decisions over the past 18 months have equipped and enabled us for a potential future more beautiful than the one we left pre-pandemic. However, now is the time to rise and capture the opportunities presented to us, to be more than we ever have, to lead and design the future organizational model of the AIA. 2022 and beyond will be monumental!

AIA Wyoming Board of Directors and Staff Pictured above, left to right: Brandon Daigle, AIA, Treasurer; Britney Sulzen, Assoc. AIA, Associate Director; Tim Schenk, AIA, Director; Lewis Matthew Miller, AIA, President; Susan Menghini, Executive Director; Rachel Delventhal, AIA, Secretary; Clint Taylor, AIA, Past President; Dale Buckingham, AIA, President-Elect

So much change occurred in such a short period, which only increased my appreciation of the profession of architecture and the camaraderie amongst the AIA Wyoming community. Almost all our members have had to adapt through rolling shutdowns, and our AIA Wyoming Chapter has navigated many problematic realignments to include significant changes initiated at the AIA national level. Our Chapter remains in healthy financial standing because of our members, our leadership, our sponsors, and our exhibitors taking on each challenge while focusing our fellowship and stewardship.