President’s Letter
Sonya Jury, AIA
2013 President
10 May 2013
Dear Colleagues,
I love the month of May. It stems from my childhood memories of watching the Kentucky Derby, graduations, Mother’s Day and finally wrapping up the month with the Indianapolis 500. And of course the big event for every child – Summer Break! May is an awesome month. This month, AIA Kansas City will pay tribute to six Cornerstone Partners for their support. They are:
1. A.L. Huber General Contractor
2. ARC Document Solutions
3. Bob D. Campbell & Associates
4. Henderson Engineers, Inc.
5. Lockton Companies
6. McCownGordon Construction
Please remember to say “Thank you” to each of our Cornerstone Partners whenever you have the opportunity. Without their support, we could not have the successful chapter we do.
Our next Chapter event is in conjunction with the Nelson-Atkins Museum Design Spectrum Series on Thursday, June 6. Our guest speaker is Peter Exley, FAIA, the current AIA Chicago President. I guarantee you will not want to miss this event, as Peter is a lively individual full of bountiful enthusiasm. These traits are a perfect match for his design ability to create incredible spaces for children. We have invited leaders of children-focused organizations and institutions from throughout the metro to attend this talk, including Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City Zoo, Science City, Ronald McDonald House, Johnson County Library, Discovery Center, The Coterie, and numerous school districts. Invite a young architect to attend with you. Let’s pack Atkins Auditorium at the Museum!
The National AIA Convention is in Denver next month. I strongly encourage you to attend and help represent our Chapter as a leader; the theme for this year’s program is “Building Leaders.” This year’s Convention will be lively with discussion about the Repositioning Initiative. Come and join in the discussion and make your opinions known. We need your voices!
We continue our efforts and investigation of the re-branding of the Chapter Office as the “Center of Architecture + Design.” We have spoken to several chapters which took the leap, consulted with our local legal advisor and with AIA National. We are leveraging their knowledge and expertise to ensure we make an educated decision. All indications to date are directing us to this new path. We will continue our diligence and keep our members updated on our progress.
Sincerely,
Sonya Jury, AIA
2013 AIA Kansas City Chapter President