It was a milestone year for the Redwood Empire Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIARE), who celebrated 50 years as a chapter. AIARE provides professional development and continuing education through programs, design awards, local and national advocacy, and community leadership.
As with any professional organization, it’s propelled by the people who volunteer their time and passion to advance a cause. We’re thrilled to feature two talented and dedicated design professionals who served key positions in the AIARE Chapter. Principal, Jason Brabo led the Chapter is his role as President throughout 2024. Architect, Tyler Laskowski has served as the Director of Emerging Professionals and will continue his role for another two years.
“Having been an AIA member for the last 28 years, I was excited to join the AIA Redwood Empire Chapter’s Board of Directors in 2023 and serve as the President for 2024. Being a part of the chapter has been a great way to get to know other local architects, designers and allied professionals. I have especially enjoyed the many opportunities to tour projects, attend design lectures and learn about a wide variety of topics through educational sessions and discussion panels.
As the President I was honored to represent the Chapter at the annual Leadership Summit in Washington DC and accept a Presidential Citation from AIA National in commemoration of our Chapter’s 50th anniversary. This year we continued our successful engagement with the community with the second annual architectural bike tour that shares the rich architectural history of Santa Rosa. We also celebrated the amazing architectural work being done in our region with the bi-annual Architectural Design Awards program. The AIA Redwood Empire Chapter is a small but mighty chapter doing important work for our community and I look forward to my continued involvement well beyond the end of my term as president.”
“As a recent transplant to Sonoma County, joining the AIA Redwood Empire chapter was an easy decision to make, with an initial goal to meet new people and get plugged-in to the local design community. The AIARE was very welcoming, I immediately felt at home and wanted to contribute more to this amazing community of architects and designers… so I threw my hat in the ring for a Board of Directors position.
In the Director of Emerging Professionals role, I strive to be a resource for all designers and architects in the community and help further their careers. Through my current term in this position, I’ve had the opportunity to connect with the local community by meeting with K-12 students to share the information and tools they need to make educated decisions about a career in architecture. I’ve also presented my experience and expertise to 100+ aspiring architects through an AIA California hosted webinar, as well as organizing ARE study sessions for our local chapter. I plan to continue that same level of support for our regional design community and help further the AIA’s mission, both locally and nationally, in this next term.”
Jason accepting the Presidential Citation from Kimberly Dowdell, President AIA National in commemoration of our Chapter’s 50th anniversary.