| Welcome and Happy New Year to all AIA San Mateo County Members and Affiliates! Thank you for your membership and for your continuing support.
Looking back on 2018, we hosted a total of 29 events ranging from hard hat construction tours and continuing education seminars, to fellowship meetings and the annual home tour. One of the highlights was the 35th anniversary celebration, an evening of photos, memorabilia, and storytelling that brought out many of our dedicated members who have been with this chapter from the very beginning. Another success was the well-attended Design Awards Celebration recognizing outstanding achievements in architecture and design, held at the Portola Valley Town Center.
All of this would not be possible without our members, volunteers, affiliates, and sponsors. We’d like to thank our chapter sponsors BKG Structural Engineers, Romig Engineers, Da Vinci Marble, Humboldt Redwood, One Workplace, Exante360, and BKF Engineers for their contribution and continued support. Many thanks to our hardworking Executive Director, Jackie Tanner. Thanks also to our wonderful 2019 Board of Directors: Vice President Zeden Jones, Treasurer Robert Gooyer, Director Heather Young, Director Jack Matthews, Director Jeff Missad, Director John Lum, AIACC Director Eric Holm, Associate Director Ann Marie Taheny, AIAS Representative Carl Arevalo, and incoming Secretary Anne Chen. I’d like to take a moment to thank outgoing Secretary Kristen Lomax, who is expecting in February and Director John Stewart, who has been on the Board for more than ten years. In addition, I am grateful to our past president, Libby Raab for her leadership and grace in managing a challenging year with many transitions.
We wrapped up our annual board retreat this past weekend, and I want to share just a few of the many events we’ve planned for the upcoming months. The Emerging Professionals Committee will continue to grow the network of emerging design professionals in San Mateo County, and it’s ready to re-launch the much anticipated ARE study group. The Programs Committee will continue to plan monthly fellowship meetings with new speakers and topics. Additionally, we are planning a number of continuing education seminars including ADA training, Net Zero Energy for Single Family Homes, and 2019 Code Review. The Scholarship Committee is dedicated to the future of our profession and will continue to raise funds for the annual scholarship awards program with a new outdoor event. Lastly, we are thrilled to bring back the fantastic “House of Cards” competition at our Summer Social in August. There are many other items on the agenda for 2019, but this gives you a taste of what is to come. Please stay tuned as we continue to develop our calendar of events for the rest of the year.
It is a great honor and a privilege to serve as the AIA SMC President for 2019. I look forward to the opportunity of getting to know each member better in the year ahead. As we continue to grow and remain a robust and relevant organization, we will be tireless in our efforts to enhance the quality and value of your membership. To meet the challenges of the future, we plan to strengthen our communications and outreach activities in both email newsletters and social media sites. These are platforms and opportunities to share articles and promote industry news, as well as improve professional networking. As an intimate community of architects that thrives upon participation, I encourage you to take ownership, reach out to a board member, join a committee, and participate as much as possible. The success of our chapter depends on an active and engaged membership, and I welcome any of your suggestions or comments.
Let’s stay busy AIA San Mateo County!
Sincerely,
Juliet C. Hsu, AIA, LEED AP
AIASMC President 2019
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