Citizen Architect & Lobby Day
Leadership Training for Volunteers & Staff
Bryan Winters AIA (LBSB President ’23), Carlos R. Hernandez AIA (LBSB VP ’23), and Kristine Hammond (LBSB Executive Director) attended the AIA’s Leadership Summit in Washington DC, February 14 – 17. We had an opportunity to meet with California congressional representatives to advocate on behalf of our LBSB chapter members. We also discussed important legislation on behalf of AIA National related to the Democracy in Design Act and the Resilient America Act (H.R. 5689). As chapter representatives, we learned about the process to exercise our voice as design professionals and how to implement new leadership tactics.
Key Take aways:
What I learned at the AIA 2023 leadership summit was multi-tiered. From learning more about generational gaps and how to overcome the divide, to knowing the overall process about how to get legislation started and passed, to better our profession as a whole, to understanding, that we as architects, collectively, do literally as well as figuratively, shape our futures. Something as professionals we should not take lightly. – Bryan Winters AIA, President ‘23
What I learned is that at the various levels of AIA representation there is a strong desire to bring value to our members; we are more connected than we might think and the resources, tools, and moreover the desire is there to help us all raise the quality of experience of our design professional community. I learned from other chapter colleagues what initiatives they are working on and their desire to collaborate, and I hope to filter that shared wisdom into our membership experience. Exercise your voice! I encourage our members to become involved, join a committee, and participate in our socials, it is a pathway to improving our collective as design professionals. – Carlos R. Hernandez AIA, VP ‘23
What I learned is that AIA members from across the country with diverse experiences can come together as one very strong voice on common issues. I found this refreshing in this era of extremes. The keynote speakers were fantastic! James Carville was his usual witty self with his to-the-point common sense statements, and generational researcher Kim Lear opened up our eyes to the different experiences of Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z, and how those experiences play out in their approach their work and volunteer activities. – Kristine Hammond, Executive Director
Read more about the AIA 2023 Leadership Summit
