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REQUEST FOR STATEMENTS OF QUALIFICATIONS
AIA DIRECTOR – NORTH CENTRAL STATES REGION
NATIONAL AIA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The AIA Wisconsin Board of Directors has the opportunity to appoint the next AIA Director for the North Central States region on the national AIA Board of Directors. The AIA Director will be appointed to a three-year term that begins in December 2007.
The North Central States region includes Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota. There are a total of 3,742 AIA Architect and Associate AIA members in the region, including 3,508 AIA members and 234 Assoc. AIA members. Membership by state breaks down as follows: Minnesota 1,975, Wisconsin 1,451, North Dakota 179 and South Dakota 137.
Members in the North Central States region are represented by two AIA Directors who serve staggered terms. The opportunity to appoint the AIA Directors is rotated among the states in the region. The appointment of one of the AIA Director positions is rotated among all four states in the region, while the appointment of the other AIA Director position is rotated between Wisconsin and Minnesota . As a result of this established rotational scheme, the AIA Wisconsin Board of Directors also will have the opportunity to appoint the AIA Director for the term beginning in December 2009.
National AIA Board of Directors
The AIA Board of Directors is made up of over 50 individuals, including the President and other elected officers, 35 Directors representing 18 regions, two Public Directors and several other Directors representing international components, Associate AIA members, component executives and students.
There are four multi-day Board of Directors meetings each year. There also is a briefing session for the Board of Directors prior to AIA Grassroots, an annual three-day component leadership and legislative conference that AIA Directors are expected to attend, as well. In addition, AIA Directors are appointed to national committees and task forces that conduct business between regular AIA Board meetings. AIA Directors also are expected to communicate regularly with members and attend state and local AIA component meetings in the region.
Selection Process & Deadlines
AIA Wisconsin members interested in being considered for the AIA Director appointment are encouraged to submit a letter of interest with a statement of qualifications by no later than June 15 to:
Review Committee
AIA Wisconsin321 S. Hamilton Street
Madison, WI 53703
Depending on the number of members interested in the position, the Review Committee may schedule interviews with a short-list of candidates for June 25 – July 15 .
The Review Committee will submit a recommendation for the AIA Director appointment to the AIA Wisconsin Board of Directors for consideration at its meeting on August 2 .
The Review Committee is made up of three members of the AIA Wisconsin Executive Committee who do not want to be considered for the appointment and two former AIA Directors from Wisconsin .
Qualifications & Criteria
The statement of qualifications submitted with the letter of interest should address the following selection criteria that have been established by the Review Committee:
- Leadership – demonstrated leadership skills and experience with the AIA and/or other similar professional organizations
- Time – ability to commit the time required, both personal commitment and the support of partners, firm and/or employer
- Communication – effective communication skills, including ideas for listening to and engaging AIA members and component leaders in region
- AIA Structure – understanding of AIA organizational structure, responsibilities of AIA Director position and relationship of AIA strategic plan to the goals of state and local AIA components in region
- Other – other relevant skills, talents and/or experience
AIA Director – Job Responsibilities
Serving as an AIA Director can be a very rewarding experience. However, it is important to be fully aware of and able to fulfill the responsibilities and time commitments that are required.
Members with questions about the responsibilities of the AIA Director position are encouraged to contact Pam Day, Hon. AIA, Senior Director, Governance Administration, at 202-626-7305 or pday@aia.org . The AIA Director “job description” developed from excerpts from the AIA Board Handbook includes the following responsibilities of the position:
- Duty to act within authority – become familiar with AIA Bylaws and Rules of the Board
- Duty of care – attend all Board of Directors meetings, pay attention and confer regularly with other Directors
- Duty of loyalty – fiduciary responsibility, avoid conflicts of interest, and protect confidentiality of information
- Protection from liability – act in compliance with the Institute's corporate powers and Director's scope of authority, speak out when opposed to proposed policies, and make antitrust compliance a priority
- National responsibilities – sponsor convention resolutions, nominate candidates for various honors and awards, recommend members for committee appointments, and nominate Public Directors
- Liaison with state and local AIA components – visit components in region once each year, author articles and reports on Board of Directors meetings for component newsletters, communicate regularly with component leaders prior to Board meetings, and report on component activities in region at national Board of Directors meetings
When asked to provide some insights into their experience, two recent AIA Directors from Wisconsin offered the following observations about what they didn't know when they accepted the assignment and what they got out of it:
Unwritten Expectations & Characteristics
- The AIA Board of Directors functions like a legislature, with the Directors as the “representatives.”
- The elected officials on the Executive Committee handle the confidential and detail-oriented matters, with the Board of Directors frequently serving as the “review body” for these decisions.
- The President serves a one-year term, runs the meetings and makes the committee assignments.
- The Board of Directors is very large; and there are Directors who have aspirations for higher elected office.
- Getting any “airtime” at a Board meeting can be difficult and often frustrating.
- The three coasts (East coast, West coast, South coast) control the votes.
- Directors are expected to conduct ongoing communication with their constituents.
- Unlike other regions, the North Central States region does not have regional meetings.
- All Directors also are assigned to several Board committees, where much of the heavy-lifting occurs.
- It is important to communicate Board of Directors actions and committee results back to the AIA component leaders in Wisconsin , Minnesota , South Dakota and North Dakota .
- The Director's spouse is expected to accompany and participate in spouse-track activities at Board of Directors meetings, with spouse travel and some other expenses not reimbursed.
- It is no longer true that serving as an AIA Director will “automatically” qualify you for Fellowship.
- Board meetings typically require a commitment of about five days each, including travel time. Meeting locations vary; be prepared for all the travel and hotel stays.
- There is a great deal of meeting preparation time required; be prepared for major amounts of reading prior to Board meetings.
- The three years go by very quickly…just when you think you're getting it, it's over.
- Directors also are expected to do many other things, like attend Accent on Architecture and AIA President inaugurations, contribute to ArchiPAC and the American Architectural Foundation, etc. , that require financial contributions.
- Each Director's “graduating” class (e.g. , the class of 2010) functions somewhat independently of the other classes. There are always three classes on the Board, with some senior class members running for elected office and some freshmen class members trying to get their feet on the ground.
Unexpected Benefits of the Experience
- Develop life-long friendships as a result of working together on difficult issues with a group of people that share a passion for the profession.
- Learn a lot about the history of our profession and the members who contributed to it.
- Learn more about leadership strengths and weaknesses, with an opportunity to practice new skills in this setting.
- Learn about all of the resources available through the AIA – many of which our members do not appreciate or even know about.
- Improve public speaking and other communication skills.
- Opportunity to meet and interact individually with many important people, i.e. authors, politicians, architects and others.
- Enjoy the opportunity to travel to new places and visit architectural sites of interest.
- Professionally, it offers an opportunity to develop a network and collaborate with other architects and firms.
- Learn many new practice tips from fellow AIA Directors.
Members interested in the appointment also are encouraged to talk with current and former AIA Directors from the North Central States region to gain a better understanding of the expectations and responsibilities of the position. Here is list of these individuals with daytime telephone numbers:
Donald Barsness, AIA, Bismarck (2006-09) 701-258-3116
Linda McCracken-Hunt, AIA, Minneapolis (2004-07) 612-339-0605 x108
Bill Beyer, FAIA, Minneapolis (2003-06) 952-351-6080
Jim Gersich, AIA, Fitchburg (2001-04) 608-229-4444 x24
Lisa Kennedy , AIA, Milwaukee (2000-03) 920-457-4441
Ed Kodet, FAIA, Minneapolis (1998-01) 612-377-2737
Brian Larson, AIA, Eau Claire (1995-98) 715-834-1370
Jim Miller, FAIA, Madison (1991-94) 608-836-7732
Additional Information
Please contact the AIA Wisconsin office or Review Committee Chair Lee Connellee , AIA, if you have questions about the AIA Director position and the appointment process. Thank you for your interest.
Review Committee
Lee Connellee, AIA, Chair 920-751-3298
Jim Gersich, AIAJosh Johnson, AIA
Lisa Kennedy, AIAColin Klos, AIA
AIA Wisconsin
321 S. Hamilton StreetMadison, WI 53703
608-257-8477
800-272-4483
WMB-5/29/07
©2008 AIA Wisconsin. All Rights Reserved.