The Redwood Empire chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIARE) has provided professional development and continuing education to architects at all stages of their career for over 47 years. TLCD Architecture has been active in the AIARE since its inception and strongly encourages and promotes participation in the chapter. We are proud to share that Ross Jones will serve as the 2021 Board President, and Emily Grayho will serve as the Director of Emerging Professionals.
In his role as President, Ross supports the chapter’s mission of “advancing design and the built environment through education, public awareness and empowering its members”. The focus over the next 1-3 years will be on climate action, justice and equality diversity & inclusion (J+EDI), education and recognition of architects, as well as financial stability for the chapter. Ross sets the agenda for Board of Director’s meetings and helps to facilitate and develop the goals the Board wants to act on.
“The events of 2020 have created the opportunity to realize ‘collateral beauty’ within the damage. Work from home tools like Zoom, Slack, Teams have given us new ways to connect with each other. The benefits of reduced greenhouse gasses, and more time with family are real and durable. For the AIARE Chapter, we will reach out and connect, serving AIA members far beyond Santa Rosa and Sonoma County. We have an opportunity to scale-up our chapter and bring benefits to more architects. I look forward to highlighting our Chapters’ endeavors, showcasing successes and humbly taking lessons learned as opportunity to get it right, and get more stakeholders in society involved.”
Ross Jones
Emily is relatively new to the chapter and brings a high level of energy and passion to her role. Emily’s goal is to further the education of all emerging professionals – whether they are at the beginning of their career and pursuing licensure, or those that have held a license for 10 years but are still developing professionally. She works with the Board to identify meaningful topics for the Chapter’s Perspective Series and is particularly interested in mentorship programs that match the right people along the spectrum of their career.
“I aspire to bring confidence and perseverance to emerging professionals, no matter what direction one chooses to walk. Everyone has different stories and obstacles that may influence our professional goals, and I want to help us propel our way onward with conviction while still being gentle on ourselves. From taking care of our families to empowering underrepresented colleagues, I hope that we can work as a community to lift each other up and to better the environment around us through our professions.
Emily Grayho
As an organization of design professionals, AIA Redwood Empire is also about recognizing good design in our community. Every two years, this organization celebrates the best in architecture through its design awards. Ross is especially passionate about furthering the dialogue about what is good design, how do people interact with the built environment, and how architecture can build better communities.
We are proud to have Ross and Emily serving the Board this year and furthering these important conversations.