2020 has been a unique year, to say the least. While it is easy to see the negative of everything that has happened this year, we as Architects are trained to look deeper. We can still find the positive side of events, regardless of how small that side may be sometimes. While we can’t ignore the negatives, I choose to focus on our victories this year and our triumphs over individual adversities. For example, we don’t have to worry about murder hornets anymore…ha.

When it looked like we would not be able to hold our Spring Conference in Cody due to COVID, we quickly formed an Online CES Task Force that included Suzanne Norton, AIA, Britney Sulzen, Assoc. AIA, Lewis Matthew Miller, AIA, Susan Menghini, Executive Director and myself. The intent of the Task Force was to find the best way to hold a virtual conference and provide our members with quality continuing education credits while following the new AIA/CES requirements. The timing prohibited us from having the Spring Conference virtually, our awesome volunteers on the planning team were able to move several sessions and speakers to our Annual Fall Conference in Casper. I extend a hearty thank you to our sponsors and exhibitors who stood by us through the transition. Your Board of Directors also reevaluated the 2020 budget. We cut travel budgets and trimmed program budgets in response to the anticipated loss of revenue from the Spring Conference.

Our Annual Fall Conference planning team and staff outdid themselves by planning essentially three conferences in one. They had the conference mostly set only to have to change venues to accommodate new social distancing requirements. They had to find a much larger venue where our members could safely attend and stay 6’ apart. They were also able to broadcast all of the sessions to create AIA Wyoming’s first virtual conference at the same time. We were able to serve our members who could not attend in-person and respect our members who did not feel safe attending meetings, while making them feel like they were still a part of the conference. The comradery and fellowship of our conference was still preserved (admittedly at a lesser degree) through the hard work of our volunteers on the planning team. I am so proud to be a part of this organization that works so hard for its members.

In addition to the Annual Fall Conference we held our Design Awards Program. We were able to safely celebrate our members, their firms, and their accomplishments. While this wasn’t a typical awards reception, your planning team was able to preserve the key aspects and transform the event into something more. I believe this is just one example of how our training as Architects and our finely-honed problem-solving skills allow us to adapt to these changing times.

Through the hard work of the planning teams, a strong attendance by our membership, the continued support of our sponsors and exhibitors, and an outpouring of our firms submitting for awards our Annual Fall Conference and Design Awards were able to generate more revenue for your Chapter than what we had predicted they would. This combined with the quick budget reaction of your Board allowed for this year’s budget to remain in the black. I am still concerned looking forward to 2021 and the economic uncertainty involved. In response, the Board of Directors has implemented a Non-dues Revenue Task Force made up of Dan Stalker, AIA, Rachel Delventhal, AIA and Susan Menghini, Executive Director to review our current programs and initiate some new ideas to increase revenue for the Chapter.

Our membership stepped up this year with several candidates volunteering to serve you on the Board of Directors. With all the uncertainty and chaos in this year, we bounced back from last year when we didn’t have a single volunteer at election time. Perhaps it took a pandemic to shake us out of some level of complacency. Maybe it was just several members seeing the opportunity to grow through these hard times and help our profession. Maybe it was a combination of several other factors, but it was most definitely not a coincidence that when the going got tough our members stepped forward. We welcome in 2021 Dale Buckingham, AIA as our President-elect, Brandon Daigle, AIA as our Treasurer and Tim Schenk, AIA as our Director. I also thank our other candidates for stepping up to run for office.

You will see that our Standing Committees and other member volunteers are doing great things for our profession. I continue to be impressed by how many activities and services tiny old AIA Wyoming provide for our members, and I am honored to be part of something as great as our Chapter. I hope you and your firm continue to pursue your passion for architecture in 2021 by engaging in your professional organization. I want to thank our Standing Committee Chairs Anthony Jacobson, AIA, Mark Kucera, AIA, Dale Buckingham, AIA and Levi Van Buggenum, AIA.

Your Board of Directors are still simply awesome. I cannot brag up our Board members enough. These volunteers focus on providing the 30,000-foot oversight to AIA Wyoming and steer our Chapter in the right direction. Nearly every board member serves two terms, which is their maximum limit according to our bylaws. Some Board members have found it so rewarding that they have come back for a second round or have volunteered to come back on the Board for a different position. AIA Wyoming is blessed to have these dedicated people and I appreciate their commitment to the profession. While I transition from serving as President, I am happy that I still have two years as Past President to work with these fine people.

I also want to thank our annual sponsors, Allied members, conference sponsors, exhibitors, and industry partners for participating in our events and activities through this difficult year. The vast majority of these people contribute their time and money repeatedly. I am pleased that they see value in supporting our organization and our mission. Their partnership is appreciated.

I could serve another 10 years and never be able to say enough great things about our Executive Director, Susan Menghini. AIA Wyoming is truly blessed. Susan is more than just the keeper of the institutional knowledge of our Chapter, or the person you call when you have a question about your membership. The demands made on her by AIA National, AIA WMR, as well as AIA Wyoming, are still increasing. Yet, she finds a way to stay on top of it all and handles any crisis with great professionalism. I am appreciative of her efforts and her love of the profession. She simply loves our members.

In closing, I want to sincerely thank everyone associated with AIA Wyoming. I encourage more of our members to volunteer for a planning team, a Standing Committee, or a vacant Board position to continue to make AIA Wyoming successful. Even providing a tour or entering the calendar photo competition helps make our Chapter better. You can take on as much, or as little, as you can fit into your life in these crazy days. Please join me in 2021 by engaging in AIA Wyoming. Thank you again for allowing me the honor of serving as your President. I leave you in the very capable hands of Lewis Matthew Miller, AIA as he begins his term as President. It is with great anticipation that I look forward to the fantastic things this Chapter will accomplish.