I want to thank the AIA Idaho Board of Directors and the membership for the honor of serving as the 2021 AIA Idaho President and the opportunity to lead this organization during a challenging year. This beautiful publication, our annual “yearbook,” is a reminder of the high level of accomplishments of our members and the efforts of Anna Foster, our Executive Director. I am excited to see how we moved forward in the short period of time since I came on board and look forward to the future.

Our membership has been actively growing, so that’s a sign of a healthy organization. We are currently at a 327-member count. Since 2018, our membership gained 55 new members, five transitioned to Emeritus status, and 21 became licensed.

One of the main tasks for our board is Advocacy and Public Outreach – keeping our membership informed and the board involved in any relevant legislative topics and issues. Monthly legislative updates through the newsletter and during our board meetings have been instrumental to our board and members. We are much better prepared to act when certain legislation is introduced by other industries relevant to architecture. We have relied heavily on our lobbyist Benn Brocksome for advice and information and worked together to review legislation and support or oppose bills. Our Advocacy Committee meets several times a year and works in close communication during the legislative session. We have also been working with AIA National for help and guidance during this time.
As part of this effort, we are working to create visibility and advocate for architecture through our new magazine.

The first issue of “Idaho Architecture” Publication/Annual Membership Directory went out to all Idaho legislators, construction industry partners, mayors and planning and zoning departments across Idaho.

We hope to offer interesting content and relevant and educational information to our members and the public in this current issue.

Highlights of 2021:

• We continue to sponsor the annual Construction Industry Legislative Reception and our industry partners.
• Last year, AIA Idaho successfully passed the Good Sam Bill protecting Idaho Architects during emergency times.
• We are currently working to establish licensing reciprocity with Canada and hope for Idaho to join the agreement that over 40 states have already joined.
• We have a very active ARE Prep Group/Associate program. Eight Associate members were licensed in 2021. Congratulations to the new architects! Currently, 21 Associate members across the state are on track to licensure.
• In 2021, we awarded four $500 Architectural Licensing Scholarships, encouraging Associate members to get licensed.
• We continue the partnership with Idaho State Building Code Board. Our Advocacy Committee members supported the Building Code Board that successfully got the State to adopt the 2018 code with amendments.
• We continue to support Idaho QBS Board, and this year QBS passed bill #1042.
• Public outreach: our website includes a very active job service. The programs calendar and announcements have been a great public relations/PR tool. We get many public contacts through the website.
• We inform members of upcoming continuing education, AIA programs, and new jobs through our monthly newsletter. We recently surveyed our membership and are taking all suggestions and ideas into consideration for future program planning.
• Our Professional Affiliate Member Network has been growing, and we continue to grow relationships that help us with sponsorships and continuing education. This includes sponsoring the Design Awards. Thank you for your continued support and partnership!
• The 2021 Design Awards Conference just took place in Ketchum, and it was a successful event for everyone. We received great coverage in the statewide media. Congratulations to the designers and all the winning project teams!
• AIA National is transitioning to the new state representation model and dissolving the regions as they were previously. As of January 2022, our state will have a representative on the AIA Strategic Council for the first time.
• In 2021 AIA Idaho board signed the Memorandum of Understanding. It formalized our state AIA structure with one Mandatory (AIA Central Idaho) and three Voluntary sections (AIA Eastern Idaho, AIA Mountain Idaho and AIA Northern Idaho).
• We are financially healthy and continue to provide scholarships and encourage board member attendance of the state and national events like Grassroots and State Governance network.

I encourage you all to continue to be involved in AIA programs and accept leadership roles in your sections and state board. I know this has been a time for growth and education for me.

Thank you,
Chad Blincoe, AIA
President, AIA Idah