This year has been defined by connection, collaboration, and growth. Through your collective efforts, we’ve seen incredible achievements across all areas of our strategic plan:

Membership
We hosted An Uncommon Monday in Winchester and our first Virtual Volunteer Fair, helping connect new members and engage committee volunteers for our highest membership numbers ever. We also launched a Pre-Join Campaign to welcome prospective members, building a foundation for even greater engagement.

Connections
This year brought meaningful opportunities to connect. From working to align and simplify Design Awards criteria with AIA Virginia to our Past Presidents Happy Hour and Spring Social, we fostered camaraderie and collaboration. New initiatives, like featuring projects by Northern Virginia architects and launching committee-focused blog write-ups, brought fresh energy to our chapter.

Celebration
Our Autumn Social drew record attendance and celebrated deserving chapter honor award recipients. Canstruction participation grew and improved at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, drawing record public participation. Our signature Design Awards gala celebrated exceptional work at the award-winning National Museum of the U.S. Army. This amazing venue’s courtyard allowed us to be together outside on a beautiful summer evening. These moments of recognition remind us of the vibrant community we’ve built.

Organization
We strengthened our foundation with updated bylaws, a revised governance manual introducing new formal policies, and a guide for chapter leadership roles. Additionally, we onboarded a part-time communications specialist, launched our new website, and secured additional revenue through strategic investments and partnerships.

Future

This year also saw exciting steps toward empowering our future leaders. The ELA Program was hosted in Northern Virginia, and we recognized the recipient of our ELA Nominee Grant for the upcoming year along with an ARE Scholarship to support emerging professionals. Events like the “Dinner with an Architect” series, the Mentor Golf Event, and the continued success of the ARE® Prep series provided valuable mentorship and camaraderie led by the Young Architects Forum. Creative initiatives, such as the Student Mug Design Competition and Inter-School Design Competition, provided opportunities to engage with local architecture students, fostering connections between emerging talent and the profession. These programs set a strong foundation for years to come.