When I was asked to write a tribute to Susan, it was hard to put into words what Susan Menghini meant to AIA Wyoming and to me! She has been the anchor for AIA Wyoming for the last 14 years, a great leader, mentor and friend. There really is not enough space in this publication to truly honor her and express everything she did for our chapter and for each one of us who is privileged to know her. Even so, I asked several other AIA Wyoming members to contribute words of gratitude to Susan … to put her in the spotlight … and to celebrate her as the best executive director that this organization has ever known! The words of each of these individuals would be echoed by the masses. Thank you, Susan, for all that you have done to make AIA Wyoming what it is today … for seeing the best in all of us … Thank you for being you! We are truly grateful!
— Rachel Delventhal, AIA
I first met Susan Menghini in Deer Valley, Utah, at a Western Mountain Region Conference. I was living in Colorado at the time, and Susan had just joined AIA Wyoming as executive director, a position she embraced with all her heart, soul and mind. I moved back to Wyoming that year and rejoined my friends at AIA Wyoming. At Susan’s prompting, I decided to join the board for a second time. Susan’s impact on my role as a leader was transformational. She not only encouraged me, but she also brought new life to AIA Wyoming. Her selfless dedication and award-winning smile brought credibility to the state, to our region and to the leaders in Washington, D.C. With Susan’s determination and support, Wyoming’s membership grew, and our reputation prospered. I will forever miss Susan’s promptings. We love you, Susan!
— Dan Stalker, AIA
AIA Wyoming board members always felt secure and safe with Susan. There is a lot to learn and know about the workings of an association. Susan took incoming board members under her protective wing and helped them learn and grow to become strong leaders and good team members. Understanding the dynamics of both the state chapter and the national organization is no small task, not to mention all the acronyms, committees and documents of each. Yet, Susan had a firm grasp of all of it and was always willing to be a resource for the incoming president to make them look good and gain the confidence they needed to represent AIA Wyoming well at state and national events.
Susan set a high bar of excellence for AIA Wyoming. A standard that will forever be etched in the minds of those who she worked with. Her attention to detail and diligence put AIA Wyoming in a place of prominence at the national level despite our small size. The architects of Wyoming are highly engaged in the chapter due in large part to Susan’s promotion and gentle arm-twisting. She was an expert at maintaining the balance of not over-extending volunteers but, at the same time, not letting them off the hook when they had committed to participating.
As an executive director, Susan was exceptional! As a person, Susan is fun and made the state conferences fun! We will all miss Susan’s energy and zeal for life. I wish her well in the days ahead!
— Dale Buckingham, AIA
I struggle to imagine the American Institute of Architects without Susan Menghini. This woman has had a positive impact on the organization … but also on my life personally. She welcomed me into the organization and helped me grow beyond expectations. I consider her to be both a mentor and a friend.
Susan brought her extensive knowledge of association management to AIA Wyoming and brought the organization to an unforeseen level of professionalism.
Architects are busy and volunteer their time to AIA Wyoming. Susan recognized that … and consistently kept things running even when volunteers struggled to do their part. She would send helpful reminders without making one feel guilty for being slow to address something. She made you feel great for contributing whatever you were able to give.
She wanted to see the architectural profession thrive and worked hard to promote positive change. She especially understood the power of strong relationships. She believed in connections and always seemed to know who to talk to and how to get things done.
She wanted to see individual architects thrive and made an effort to celebrate their achievements. She was our most enthusiastic advocate. Susan would pick up the phone and call you simply to check in; she cared about personal touches.
I had the honor of working alongside Susan and getting a firsthand look at her drive, work ethic, professionalism, humor and kindness. This woman would rise to any challenge … in fact, she thrived in a crisis where most would give up. (E.g., Due to a federal government shutdown, she reorganized an entire regional conference in a matter of hours!)
She was awarded the National 2015 Component Leadership Award from the AIA Council of Architectural Component Executives (CACE)… this national award is HUGE. She was a gracious and humble recipient of this incredible accomplishment.
AIA Wyoming will forever be changed due to Susan Menghini.
— Katie Wilson, AIA
I can hardly think of AIA Wyoming without thinking of Susan Menghini. We were so lucky to have had her as our executive director for 14 years! Susan’s energy is contagious, and her arrival led me (and others) to be inspired to become more active with AIA Wyoming. I have rarely met a more organized and “together” person like Susan, and her leadership skills were the reason for our professional organization’s reemergence during her time with us. She guided our organization to be fiscally responsible and, for the first time ever, to not depend on the savings reserves for our annual budget. She was also instrumental in maintaining our membership’s high rate of registered architects — at nearly 97%! And she guided us through the inaugural component accreditation with such ease that our national organization enlisted her to help evaluate other components for accreditation around the country!
Even as early as 2015 — just five years into her position with us — she was already being recognized and had already received the Component Leadership Award, a national award that recognizes the achievements of CACE executives and component staff due to her significant contributions to and leadership in association management!
Susan will continue to be the benchmark by which all future executive directors will be measured. And although she has retired from this position, I and others have been in regular communications with her, and she is still advocating for our individual and collective success in the background.
— Lyle Murtha, AIA
Susan is the type of person who lifts others up, which in turn helps everyone around her achieve greater goals, and her impact goes well beyond just being an executive director. She was an integral part of AIA Wyoming’s growth as a chapter and helped push it to grow into what it is now. We are forever grateful to have had such a great executive director for so long! Words cannot express how much she meant to our profession and to the AIA Wyoming Chapter.
Thank you, Susan, for all that you did and the lives you touched along the way!
— Anthony Jacobsen, AIA
I have been around for over 80 years, have been a part of many nonprofits over those many years, and you have been, by far, the absolute best executive director of any. We, the board of directors, did not have to tell you to do this or that — you had already done it! I served on the St. John’s Hospital Board, St. John’s Church Vestry and the largest nonprofit in Jackson, The Center for The Arts, among others, all with confident executive directors, and your performance topped them all! That is quite an achievement that you can always be proud of.
Thank you, Susan! It has been a great privilege to work with you. You made my job easy and rewarding!
— Bruce Hawtin, AIA
