Clark D. Manus, FAIA, new AIA President

Delegates to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Convention in San Francisco elected Clark D. Manus, FAIA, to serve as the 2010 AIA first vice president/president-elect and 2011 Institute president. Mickey Jacob, FAIA, and Peter G. Kuttner, FAIA, each to serve as vice president from 2010 through 2011; and John W. Rogers, AIA, ACHA, as the Institute’s treasurer beginning in 2010.

Clark D. Manus

Clark D. Manus, CEO of Heller Manus Architects, whose numerous buildings offer a broad array of building types in San Francisco and whose citizen architect profile on advocacy issues affecting policies and planning transformed the urban fabric in San Francisco’s Central Embarcadero and formed a new urban neighborhood. Both he and the firm have received National AIA Honor Awards. Manus has served as AIA National Vice President; chairing both the Board Advocacy Committee and the Strategic Planning Group following service as a Board of Director. He served on the Governance Task Force, AIA150 Blueprint for America Mosaic Group Chair. In his hometown, former AIA San Francisco President and two-time AIA California Council Board of Director, Manus has long stressed and acted on the importance of engaging emerging professionals.

“The road ahead will offer challenges that will forge new frontiers for the architectural profession,” Manus says. “AIA members can play key roles as stewards of public policy on the built environment. We are motivated to pursue initiatives that utilize creative thinking and that must be timely and relevant. Reinforcing the foundation for the evolution of our profession will enable us to expand globally and act locally. There’s much to accomplish as the voice of our profession and a resource to members in serving society.” Manus’ aspiration as AIA president will be to focus resources that are manifested in advocacy, strategic thinking, evolving technology; knowledge conductance, and community interaction. As AIA president, he aims to achieve “a dynamic, nimble, and relevant organization.”

In San Francisco, he’s recognized for his extensive community/urban design leadership and long-standing public contribution following the 1989 earthquake, chairing successive Mayoral Citizen Advisory Committees facilitating the instrumental reclamation of the Central Embarcadero transforming the downtown Transbay District and the Rincon Hill Residential Neighborhood. On the environmental front, he was appointed by Mayor Newsom to the Ocean Beach Vision Council. Manus is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Design and the University at Buffalo, School of Environmental Design.

Other AIA elected officials include:

Mickey Jacob Elected 2010-2012 Vice President
Jacob is managing principal at Urban Studio Architects in Tampa, Florida, a 15-person firm focusing on implementing sustainable design into the marketplace. Jacob is committed to leadership in community, business, and the profession. An advocate of AIA participation, he has held numerous leadership positions with AIA Tampa Bay and AIA Florida.

Following his 18-month term as president of AIA Florida, 2004–2005, Jacob was elected as the 2007-2009 AIA regional director representing Florida and the Caribbean. On the AIA national Board, he has served on the Advocacy Committee and the Member Outreach Subcommittee working to develop the new “Year Round Advocacy” program. Jacob believes that leadership, collaboration and member participation are vital to the AIA’s long-term success.

Peter G. Kuttner Elected 2010-2012 Vice President
Kuttner is president of Cambridge Seven Associates, represents AIA New England on the AIA Board, and is a past president of the Boston Society of Architects. Kuttner believes the AIA has come a long way in the past three years, and now is the time to capitalize on that momentum.

Kuttner believes in leverage existing strengths. “We need to connect with the public more than ever,” he says. “On the political and economic side, the national AIA has immediately connected with the Obama team. Addressing the stimulus package, the AIA’s “Rebuild & Renew” initiative has been immediate and direct, and we must continue to promote it. At the same time, we must extend these initiatives to the local levels as we work together.”

John W. Rogers Elected 2010-2011 Treasurer
Rogers has served on the AIA Board of Directors, 2007-2009; Finance & Audit Committee; Risk Management Committee; Governance Task Force; International Committee, as chair of Outsourcing Offshore Task Force; Historic Resources Committee; and Academy on Architecture for Health. Rogers has served as regional director and treasurer for the AIA Ohio Valley Region; as AIA Ohio president, vice president, and treasurer; on the Financial Advisory Committee; and on the Investment Task Force.

Rogers is a partner at GBBN Architects, a 100 person architectural firm celebrating over 50 years of service, headquartered in Cincinnati with additional offices in Lexington & Louisville, and Beijing China. He is a Market Leader in the Healthcare Division and has clients and projects all over the world. John vows to continue policies that foster economic growth and pledges to pursue stability and growth for the AIA.

National Convention and Design Exposition
The election was staged at the AIA 2009 National Convention and Design Exposition in May 2009, which concluded with a theme presentation with thirteen-person panel discussing contemporary architecture. Other keynote presentations focused on design and global practice, and firm diversity.

In order to address the challenges facing architects in the current uncertain economic climate, a comprehensive track of seminars were added to the program that focused on the skills and resources needed in an economic downturn.

“As the world grows smaller, faster and more competitive with every moment, national and political boundaries grow less relevant so the theme chosen for the convention was: The Power of Diversity: Practice in a Complex World,” said AIA President, Marvin J. Malecha, FAIA. “The profession of architecture is in the midst of incredible change – from the people it serves, to the people who comprise it, to the means by which it is practiced. In San Francisco, we turned to a broad representation of the emerging voices in our profession to discover how they face the future and learn ways that the architecture profession can benefit from their perspectives.”

The AIA 2010 National Convention and Design Expo will be held June 10-12, 2010, in Miami.

For more information about next year’s exhibition contact AIA Infocentral at 1.800.242.3837.

Further Information:
American Institute of Architects (AIA)
1735 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036 • United States
eMail: infocentral@aia.org
web: www.aia.org