2015 Directory

16 WYOMING ARCHITECTURE .15 | www.aia-wyoming.org The 2015 Grassroots Conference was convened in Washington, D.C. on March 4-6. Plenary sessions and workshops were held at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capital Hill. This location placed us adjacent to the Nation’s Capital and in close proximity to Union Station. A ttending this year representing AIAWyoming were our Execu- tive Director Susan Menghini and Dan Stalker, AIA, President Elect. We were able to attend all scheduled functions including the reception at AIA National Headquarters. We were fortunate to be able to meet individually with all Wyoming national leaders on our visit to Capitol Hill. A snowstorm had closed most operations in the Washington D.C. area but our Wyoming contin- gent honored their commitments to us. As a consequence, we found ourselves all alone as we traversed office buildings under the Capitol. More importantly, we had wonderful meetings with our leaders. Talking points for our discussions included 1) the Preservation of Historic Buildings and Spaces, 2) Helping Communities Prepare to Withstand Natural Disasters and other Hazards and 3) the Investment in the Next Generation of Leaders. In addition, we were encouraged to discuss with our senators the Portman- Shaheen energy efficiency bill. This legislation was introduced to repeal federal 2030 targets. AIA is opposed to this legislation and I am pleased to report that our senators are also opposed. We were able to meet many of the architects from across the country who were running for national office. The discussions were insightful. The candidates were also featured in a round table discussion where their visions for the AIA were cast. During the Member Congress session, the AIA National Board dis- cussed Bylaws Amendments, the Public Relations Campaign, Digital Transformation and Member Service Alignment and The AIA Foun- dation. These discussions will be ongoing. Keynote speakers included Jonah Berger, a marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania and author of the book Contagious. Our closing Keynote speaker was Liz Ogbu, a designer and Social Strategist. Leadership workshops included 33 dynamic speakers and an enormous range of topics. In-climate weather precluded a few of the off site functions but the weather did not impact the overall enthusiasm of individual architects and the collective, positive views of the profession. b AIA Grassroots Leadership and Legislative Conference BY DAN STALKER, AIA