AIA Oregon Eugene

As Frank Visconti, AIA noted in his end of year message on the aiaswo.org website, last week’s turning of the calendar heralded big changes for members of AIA-Southwestern Oregon. The results of last summer’s State Chapter Initiative election indicated overwhelming support among the entire AIA Oregon membership—AIA-SWO members included—to unite the state’s four separate chapters into a single statewide body. Among other things, this means “AIA-Southwestern Oregon” formally ceases to exist, instead becoming one of five AIA Oregon chapter “sections.” Officially, those of us who were AIA-SWO chapter members are now assigned as members of AIA Oregon, with voluntary membership in either the AIA Oregon Eugene or AIA Oregon Bend local sections. 

For those who haven’t yet seen it, here is Frank’s entire message: 

2019 will mark a unique milestone of the 66-year history of this thriving and exemplary chapter. Starting January, we will all be united as AIA Oregon chapter members. AIA Oregon will be a single 501(c)(6) and allow our chapter to shed its bureaucratic structure. Without the burden of the unnecessary and redundant corporate template, we can focus more directly on our members and programs. Our membership dues will no longer include local chapter fees and we won't have to use Robert's Rules of Order! We will continue our weekly e-newsletter (T@3), monthly presentations and events, design awards, People's Choice awards, continuing education programs, Design Spring, and CoLA. 

I will continue in my leadership role for another year as a director representing the Eugene Section of the Oregon AIA. Our current board members will continue to help put together all our current programs and we will continue to meet twice a month at the Octagon. As a director, I will be a voting member of the Oregon AIA board and will represent our Eugene Section members. You will all see a choice to join a local section on your membership renewals, so just check that off! Easy! 

We have 172 members who continue to renew their membership because there is value to this association. I’d like to ask that each one of you reach out and support our emerging professionals and encourage them to get licensed and be part of the AIA. At our Holiday Party several members approached me to ask if they can help more actively with the chapter (section) and the answer is always yes! We do have openings for the CoLA committee and for our other programs. We will be putting our 2019 schedule together before the end of year and we'll let you know what's coming up. I can't reiterate enough how helpful it is to participate in our committees, so please reach out if you want to volunteer. Thank you all for your continued membership. 

The reconstituted, single AIA Oregon chapter has a board of directors comprised of eleven directors, including the following: 

• One director appointed for each voluntary section (five total), initially appointed by each disappearing corporation (chapter) 
• Four executive officers (AIA Oregon’s current respective President, Past President (or President Elect), Secretary and Treasurer)
• Two at-large directors appointed by the Board of Directors 

The Executive Committee will also include the AIA Oregon executive director, who will be a non-voting participant on the Board of Directors.

AIA Oregon has established the following internal voluntary local sections: 

• AIA Oregon Portland 
• AIA Oregon Salem 
• AIA Oregon Eugene 
• AIA Oregon Rogue Valley 
• AIA Oregon Bend 

In addition to these sections, the new AIA Oregon chapter may establish other sections with the approval of the Institute Secretary. It’s worth noting that prior to the election, AIA Oregon was itself not a chapter; instead, it was a “council” of the four previous Oregon-based chapters (AIA Portland, AIA Salem, AIA Southwestern Oregon, and AIA Southern Oregon). 

As I mentioned at the top of this post, membership in a local section is voluntary and is not assigned by the Institute or by AIA Oregon. In accordance with the chapter’s articles of incorporation, local sections may not levy dues or assessments on their own behalf. On the other hand, AIA Oregon may allocate funds for specific use by a local section for its exclusive activities. 

One of the primary motivations for the Statewide Chapter Initiative was to better serve the members of the former AIA Salem and AIA Southern Oregon chapters. Because of their small size, these two chapters often lacked the financial resources necessary to provide equivalent access to the kinds of resources and programs enjoyed by the members of AIA Portland and the Willamette Valley-based members of AIA Southwestern Oregon. Because the smaller chapters had a limited pool of volunteers to draw from and inadequate funds to hire paid staff, much volunteer time was devoted to keeping each chapter a viable business entity (which is not typically what a volunteer would prefer to spend his or her time doing). The new statewide AIA Oregon chapter will provide a more efficient governance structure and assume a majority of administrative functions on behalf of the membership so that volunteers can focus upon those issues and programs of greatest interest to them. 

The establishment of the new AIA Oregon Bend Section should likewise benefit the burgeoning number of members located east of the Cascades. 

The articles of incorporation for AIA Oregon govern the local sections. Each section is free to adopt supplemental and supporting policies and procedures that define leadership roles, terms of office, section procedures, and operational guidelines provided such items are in accordance with the Articles and Bylaws and are approved by the AIA Oregon Board of Directors. Formal leaders of each local section will include, as a minimum, a section director who is a member of the AIA Oregon Board of Directors. A section may create other formal leadership roles consistent with their procedures and operational guidelines. 

I’m looking forward to seeing how this momentous transition plays out during the coming years. I’m sure there will be a few bumps along the road but I’m confident moving to a single statewide chapter will ultimately prove to be the right move, with enhanced benefits for all AIA Oregon members.

A final aside: I originally named my blog SW Oregon Architect because it was my position as president-elect for AIA Southwestern Oregon way back in 2008 that prompted its debut. Since then, the blog title and my subsequent Twitter handle (@sworegonarch) have assumed lives of their own, very much independent from their AIA-SWO roots. Despite the dissolution of AIA Southwestern Oregon, I plan to stay with the SW Oregon Architect title and my Twitter identity as they are, and continue to report on AIA news of importance to the former members of AIA Southwestern Oregon.