February 5, 2021

The Nevada Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Nevada) honors the achievements and exceptional service of select AIA members and firms through the annual awards program.

The Western Mountain Region has spent the past year listening to our components and finding opportunities to assist with their needs during this very unusual year. Our perspectives have changed as new information unfolds, reminding us of how delicate the human condition is and how beautiful the society we all help shape can be when we get it right.

Through much uncertainty this year, our milestone tournament was a success. Our sponsors and players came out and supported the Scholarship and Education Fund. Our proceeds topped $26,000. Montreux has invited us back next year. Mark your calendars for Aug. 16, 2021.

Membership in the American Institute of Architects is an opportunity to be a part of a group representing a force for positive change. The AIA offers a way to belong to a group of like-minded professionals through associateship, integration and camaraderie. We let our clients, community, and peers know about our commitment to the profession, design excellence, and a particular code of ethics. As a result of the 2020 pandemic, our commitment to others’ well-being caused a shift in regular events that would normally keep us in closer contact. Regardless, AIANN succeeded in finding a way to host important events such as the Annual Dennis Askew Golf Tournament and the Annual Design Awards Program. Both of which required some creativity by the board of directors and the members who remained supportive and involved.

As the incoming AIANN President for 2021 and Chair of the City of Reno Historical Resources Commission — and being a native of Reno with my family having first arrived at Reno’s founding in 1868 — I am passionate about and inspired by our community’s history and architectural legacy. With our region’s unique identity and history, we have grown into a community that fosters and attracts creativity and innovation.

2020 brought many unexpected and unfortunate cancellations to AIANN’s event schedule due to COVID-19. Fortunately, AIANN has still had many opportunities to advocate for positive change in our community.

2020 — what could have been a year of “perfect vision” seems, in hindsight, to have been everything but. In the grip of COVID-19, we found ourselves at a moment of sizable social unease, working diligently to keep our offices open and jobs moving through. Those with school-aged children had a crash course in teaching distance learning while simultaneously maintaining professional normalcy. And, of course, we have all been internally wrestling with the most divisive political rhetoric of our lives. Wow — 2020 has been one hell of a year!