By Mike Novak, AIA
I would like to introduce myself as your AIACV Emerging Professional Director for 2013. This year will be very exciting for all membership and will be focused heavily on providing support, value and fun to Associates and Emerging Professional throughout the Chapter region. A group of dedicated emerging professionals met last week to build the calendar of events for 2013 and it’s both ambitious and enticing. This is the year of the Emerging Professional at AIACV and we hope it will be a great success! The group is putting together events and coordinating everything to provide a progressive and valuable year for EP’s in our region, but they are dependent on additional volunteers and participation.
We are starting the year off with a new and exciting opportunity for the region’s young and “seasoned” talent. The Speed Mentor Match Event is an evening devoted to helping emerging professionals and students find professional mentors and tap the amazing brain-trust this region has in this industry. Modeled after “speed dating”, this event involves tables of “Seasoned”, “Mid-level” and “Emerging Professionals” getting to know each other at a basic level and at a quick pace. Participants rotate around the room and meet everyone there, personally. The requirements are not rigid and the intent is that at the end of the event each “Emerging Professional”, and maybe some “Mid-Levels”, will connect with a “Seasoned” professional that can help mentor them through the year. There is no minimum time commitment for a mentor to provide throughout the year and there are no set talking points. The goal is simply to mentor a new generation of architects and designers and AIACV is hosting this event to jump-start that effort this year. Click here for a flyer with full details. Please print it up and hand it out at your office, or forward to anyone you think might be interested. To register go to: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/e/332440 (mentors please also register).
Just as AIA National is exploring “Repositioning,” our region must also take care in supporting our Emerging Professionals and help define what the future of architecture and design looks and feels like for our region. We can’t do it by being rigid in our expectations, so it is up to you to decide whether you want to mentor the next generation, or whether you could benefit from having a mentor’s guidance this year.
As a step toward providing added value for membership, this event is free to members and students. Non-members may participate for a fee. It is important to remember that success at all levels is dependent on participation and those successes benefit the entire region. I hope to see the AIACV gallery bustling with activity on March 6 at 5:30pm for our first annual Speed Mentor Match Event.
If you have any questions, I’m happy to answer them. Please contact me at mike.novak@lionakis.com
See you there!
