President’s Message – November 2009

Most of you who are AIA-SWO members probably read the notice I sent out last month announcing a proposed amendment to our chapter bylaws. To reiterate, the intent of the proposed change to Article 6.02 is to increase the permissible number of at-large directors on the AIA-SWO Board of Directors from one to three, as circumstances or desire dictate. In addition, the director positions would be open to both full and Associate members. The addition of two at-large director positions that may be occupied by Associate members would not ever result in a majority of the board being non-licensed individuals (the other board members would be the past president, president, president-elect, treasurer, secretary, and intern director). The maximum allowable size of the board would be nine, with no less than five members being licensed Architects.

AIA-SWO members who attend this month’s chapter meeting on November 18 at The Actors Cabaret will vote upon the proposed bylaws amendment. The amendment will only pass with the approval of at least two-thirds of the members present at the meeting.

Our current board believes that creating opportunities for additional AIA-SWO members to participate at the board level would enhance chapter governance. A case in point: it’s imperative that we capitalize upon the enthusiasm and energy of our nascent emerging professionals group by offering additional opportunities for leadership on the chapter board. Another: increasing the number of board members would mean that there is a greater likelihood that the breadth of our membership is fully represented. For example, we could ensure that at least one of the at-large director positions is filled by a member from outside the Eugene-Springfield metro area, which is exactly what we have planned for 2010.

Speaking of 2010, our slate of board candidates (which we will also present for election at our November meeting) for the coming year is comprised of the following outstanding individuals:

President: Michael Fifield, AIA
President-Elect: Paul Dustrud, AIA
Secretary: Patricia Thomas, AIA
Treasurer: Linn West, AIA
Director 1: Richard Bryant, AIA
Director 2: Mark Gillem, AIA
Director 3: Mariko Blessing, Associate AIA
Intern Director: Shane McCloskey, Associate AIA

Oh yeah, there’s also:

Past-President: me

Admittedly, this is putting the cart before the horse. We’re proposing a slate inclusive of candidates for the two additional at-large director positions even before our wished-for bylaws amendment is passed (should it fail to pass, we will present an alternative ballot at the November meeting). However, we are confident that you will recognize the potential benefits for the chapter underlying our proposal. If you ratify the amendment, our board would:

• Include an “outlying” representative (Dick Bryant – Corvallis)


• Enhance our ties with the University of Oregon School of Architecture & Allied Arts (Professors Michael Fifield and Mark Gillem)


• Establish a direct conduit between the board and the City of Eugene (Trish Thomas – Eugene Metro & Community Planning)


• Boost our efforts to engage our emerging professionals (Associate members Shane McCloskey and Mariko Blessing)

Such diversity would not be possible without increasing the number of our board members. Our chapter is growing (during this down economy very few chapters nationwide can make this claim) and we’re determined to match this growth by delivering even greater value to every one of our chapter members. As our executive director Don Kahle is fond of saying, we’re “building capacity” for the future of AIA-SWO.

I look forward to seeing all of you on November 18 at The Actors Cabaret in downtown Eugene. In addition to our vote on the proposed bylaws amendment and board election, the meeting will also feature presentations by members of the University of Oregon School of Architecture & Allied Arts faculty about their current projects. It’s sure to be a tantalizing look at the cutting edge of architectural research.

We're also reinstating our monthly raffle prize drawing for a chance to win a $50.00 gift certificate courtesy of The Green Store. Your first raffle ticket is free with your paid dinner and additional tickets are only $2 each. However, you can’t win if you don’t attend.

Don’t miss this meeting!

Randy Nishimura, AIA
2009 President, AIA-Southwestern Oregon

For ease of reference, the proposed amendment to Paragraph 6.02 of Article 6 of the AIA-SWO bylaws is hereby presented:

CURRENT:

6.02 Members. The Members of the Board shall be the Chapter Officers, the Immediate past President, Director, and Intern Director. The President of a Chapter Section shall be a voting, ex officio member of the Board. Except for the Intern Director, who shall be an Associate Member, all members of the Board shall be Architect Members as defined in Article 2. The President of a Student Chapter and the Component Executive shall be non-voting ex officio members of the Board.

PROPOSED:

6.02 Members. The Members of the Board shall be the Chapter Officers, the Immediate Past President, up to three Directors, and Intern Director. The President of a Chapter Section shall be a voting, ex officio member of the Board. The Intern Director shall be an Associate Member. The Chapter Officers shall be Architect Members as defined in Article 2. The President of a Student Chapter and the Component Executive shall be non-voting ex officio members of the Board.