We are, once again, in December. The weather is reliably cold, the sun sets before dinner, and anyone doing CA right now appreciates a fully enclosed site to visit. As 2022 begins its final weeks, I’m grateful for the opportunity to have served you this year as your AIA Baltimore President. Looking back, a theme I found continually reinforced is that it takes a team to achieve success. Our chapter has so many incredible members working together so we can all benefit from the myriad events, exhibits, and learning opportunities throughout the year.
Your Search & Transition Committee of AIA Baltimore, BAF, and Maryland ASLA leadership collaborated with staff to keep all three organizations running during the transition. Together, we identified Lauren Bostic Hill as our new executive director. Many thanks to 2022 Immediate Past-President Scott McGovern for chairing that committee.
Lecture Series Committee curated another fantastic virtual Spring Lecture Series that brought insightful architectural and design conversations to your screens while we navigated the end of the first Omicron wave. Staff and volunteers coordinated another year of CivicLAB that also opened to participants from AIA Potomac Valley. Health and Wellness Committee then hosted a late spring showcase that was our first major in-person event of the year. Summer was bookended by a harbor kayak tour organized by COTE/R that got participants thinking about design from on the water, and a day of networking on the links at Eagle’s Nest hosted by the Golf Outing Committee. The Urban Design Committee convened a forum on the Highway to Nowhere that welcomed, community activists, planners, and students to share efforts from the past thirty years.
We’re always excited for Doors Open and the other great programing that BAF coordinates for Architecture Month. Despite the rain they had another successful weekend of making architecture accessible to the public. Many thanks to all our members who volunteered to help with this event! Your Design Awards Committee celebrated fantastic works of design later that month with an exceptional outdoor reception at One Charles Center. Those who attended both 2021 and 2022 will agree with me that the weather this year was 10/10.
These are just a few of the events hosted throughout the year. Your Historic Resources Committee, Committee on Architecture for Education, Emerging Professionals Committee, Allied Professionals Committee, Fellows Committee, Equity Committee, Practice Management Committee, and Building Enclosure Council are all continuously working on initiatives for education, advocacy, and promoting good practice and good design. We are fortunate here in Baltimore to have so many active collaborations in such a wide variety of focus areas!
Throughout the year, Lauren Bostic Hill has been building a team including some familiar faces and some new, all dedicated to collaborating with our committees and membership to make the above events memorable and ensure we get those all-important HSWs! Behind the scenes, your AIA Baltimore Board of Directors is also striving to help our chapter run smoothly. Together with committee co-chairs, the board identified several methods we can employ in 2023 to further our strategic goals. Many thanks for Martina Reilly for facilitating our leadership retreat!
Thank you to everyone who joined us last Friday at the AIA Baltimore and BAF annual meeting and holiday party! It was a pleasure to celebrate the changes of this past year and to look ahead to the goals of both organizations in 2023. Our chapter is in fantastic hands as Martina Reilly becomes your 2023 AIA Baltimore President. I hope you will all join me in supporting her, the board, and our committees as we step into this promising new year.
Happy holidays,
Laura Wheaton, AIA, LEED AP bd+c,
2022 AIA Baltimore President
