AIA Shrinks Board, Creates New Council

CHICAGO — Convention delegates for the American Institute of Architects (AIA) approved Saturday a governance plan that significantly reduces the number of board members and adds a new council that will report on important matters.

While the AIA National Board will retain its role in providing operational and fiduciary management, the size of the board will shrink from more than 50 to 16 or fewer members. The newly created Strategic Council will have no more than 60 members; the largest contingent will be composed of regional representatives who will represent their geographic areas proportionally.

By reducing the number of board members, the AIA hopes its leadership will be more nimble and better able to respond to the institute’s challenges and opportunities.

“This new governance structure will make sure the AIA can speak with a clearer voice, move quicker to address its members’ concerns and better represent its membership,” said 2014 AIA President Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA, in a statement. “It paves the way for more Repositioning the AIA efforts to take root, helping us better serve all AIA members.”

The AIA Strategic Council’s new role will be to advise (but not bind) the board; assemble goals and objectives; recommend public policy; review operation plans and budgets; and disseminate information and insights. It can form committees and ad hoc work groups (subject to board approval) and will determine its own leadership structure.

The AIA board will determine the manner of selecting council representatives for students, Council of Architectural Component Executives (CACE), and associates, and will have discretion to decide the length and structure of their terms. 


“The Strategic Council will give us new ways to confront the future of the profession proactively, not reactively,” said AIA EVP/Chief Executive Officer Robert Ivy, FAIA, in a statement. “It will look forward to investigate emerging issues in business, practice and design that our members will be asking about in the months and years ahead. Cooperatively with the board of directors, it will promote a relevant strategic plan for our present and future needs.”

Current AIA National Board members will be entitled to serve out their terms, but once the term has expired or a member resigns, the position will be eliminated. AIA says this process could take as long as three years, or sooner with early resignations.

AIA National Board’s New Structure
• Four elected officers (elected by the delegates at the annual convention)
• AIA President (one-year term)
• First Vice President/President-Elect (one-year term, then succeeding to the presidency)
• Secretary (two-year term)
• Treasurer (two-year term)
• Six to eight at-large directors
• Three elected by delegates at the annual convention (three-year term)
• Three elected by the Strategic Council (three-year term)
• As many as two selected by the president, subject to board approval (terms no longer than the selecting president’s term)