2025 President's Letter
I am excited to be the 2025 AIA Newark & Suburban President.
One evening, not very long ago, my husband asked me why I would want to take on the work and responsibility of the section presidency at this point in my life, when my architectural practice is well established, and I am not generally looking for career advancement. And then he added, “Aren’t you a little too old for this?”
Well, there are many good answers for why I accepted the role, and I could rattle them off, but what came to my mind in that moment, is the truest - being involved in the AIA for the past few years has brought me a lot of joy! The time that I’ve spent with other architects and allied professionals, with our shared way of looking at the world, has not only been rewarding, but incredibly fun! I have been a sole practitioner for many years. Before my participation in the AIA, I didn’t have a lot of colleagues - well, I do now, and I love it! There’s a wonderful cooperative and collaborative attitude found here and the belief that when we help each other, we all rise.
2024 found our section humming with activity. Thanks to the leadership of past president John Fallon, the help of our director, Robert Epstein, and passionate board members, we provided many programs and events for our members, for students in K-12 and for future architects studying in local colleges and universities.
We also provided programs designed to connect our members to the communities that we serve. I’d like us to do even more of that, and it is in this area of Public Awareness that I see our priorities for 2025.
Architects are well respected, often glamorized, and even romanticized - check out how often we play leading roles in Hallmark movies! But, small in actual numbers, we are also, misunderstood. In the United States, a country with a population of 345 million, there are less than122 thousand licensed architects. That means that there are many people who have never met an architect. When faced with a building project, they often don’t know where to start or who to contact. Let’s change that!
The AIA Newark and Suburban board has already begun planning large and small events for the upcoming year to give the public a chance to meet us in friendly, low-key settings. Let’s make sure that everyone will have an architect friend to call upon at the appropriate time. Let’s make the public aware of the critical work that we do and how engaging an architect, especially an AIA architect, is always the right decision.
Congratulations and welcome to the 2025 Newark Suburban board! It is going to be a productive and joyful year!
Lisa Walzer, AIA
2025 AIANS President
