Over the past month, our focus has been on leadership—both recognizing outstanding leaders and witnessing leadership in practice. I am pleased to begin by extending heartfelt congratulations to two of our local leaders. Congratulations to Kirsten Waltz, Vice President for Facilities Planning + Design for the Johns Hopkins Health System, on her elevation to Fellow. Additionally, congratulations to Renata “Ren” Southard for being nominated by Mayor Scott to serve as Planning Director for the Baltimore City Department of Planning.
In February, during the AIA Leadership Summit in Washington, DC, we had the opportunity to visit Capitol Hill and address several key issues impacting our profession. Our discussions centered around four main topics:
- 179D High-Performance Building Tax Credit: We advocated for the continuation of the 179D energy efficient buildings tax credit, which is set to expire in June 2026 if not extended.
- Housing Legislation: We expressed our support for housing solutions found in the Housing for the 21st Century Act and the ROAD to Housing Act, emphasized the importance of ongoing bipartisan support, and discussed the consideration of waivers for Housing Projects under BABA (Buy American Build American).
- Design Freedom: We strongly advocated for maintaining design freedom and upholding the Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture established in 1962. Additionally, we opposed any demolition, renovation, or construction of public buildings without public input in the decision-making process.
- Professional Designation and Student Loan Caps: We voiced strong support for including M.Arch and D.Arch degrees in the list of recognized professional degree programs and advocated for increasing student loan caps to match the actual cost of education.
We also discussed how these issues affect us at the local level. If you are interested in learning more about any of these topics, I encourage you to track their progress or reach out to me directly.
Looking ahead, I am excited about the ongoing development and support for our Emerging Professionals and Mid-Career Professionals. We continue to explore what makes a great leader and how we can best support new and rising leaders within our firms and the broader profession. What defines a great leader for a firm, a team, a committee, or a board? Is leadership something innate or is it a learned skill?
If you are interested in getting started on your journey to leadership, I encourage you to explore our local AIA Knowledge Committees. These committees offer valuable opportunities to expand and share your expertise and leadership abilities, as well as to help develop professional programs for our local design community. Our committees are always seeking new members and leaders. Not sure which committee, try attending meetings for several or their events to learn more about where you would like to contribute.
As always, I encourage all our members to stay involved with your local AIA Chapter. Please feel free to reach out to me, any board member, or the AIA Baltimore staff to learn how you can participate, support, advocate, and help shape our chapter. Be sure to watch for our bi-weekly newsletter and follow us on social media for the latest news and events.
