Please Join AIA Detroit for our Annual Meeting on Tuesday, November 12th, at 6:00pm. The meeting will be held at the Detroit Mercy School of Architecture, in the Exhibition Space. This meeting will include the annual report to the membership on significant accomplishments, events, and programming throughout the past year, as well as Chapter Volunteer Awards and the election of the 2019 AIA Detroit Board of Directors.

We hope you will attend! The Annual Meeting is one of the few times throughout the year that we, as an organization, can reflect on our progress and discuss the future of AIA Detroit with our members. It is an opportunity to see everything that our staff and volunteers have worked so hard on, as well as a chance be face-to-face with AIA Detroit leadership in an intimate setting where questions and feedback can be discussed. We encourage you to RSVP for this free event as we wrap up another successful year at AIA Detroit!

If you cannot make the meeting in person and wish to participate in the election, you must request an absentee ballot by sending your name and AIA Number to elections@aiadetroit.com by 6pm on November 11th, 2019. Absentee ballots must be completed by 12pm on November 12th, 2019.

RSVP Here for the 2019 Annual Meeting

GET TO KNOW THIS YEAR’S SLATE OF CANDIDATES…

VICE PRESIDENT/PRESIDENT ELECT

Najahyia Chinchilla, AIA
Gensler

Statement of Intent:
I would like to be the Vice President of the Detroit Chapter of the AIA because I believe the AIA has a powerful voice in our community and there are so many wonderful opportunities to make an impact.

I believe in the ability of design and architects/designers to INSPIRE and bring together ideas and ACT to transform those ideas into reality.
I believe we have a unique skill set to offer partnering organizations.

And I personally want to be a part of what the AIA Detroit is doing- it’s fun stuff!

Bio:
Najahyia Chinchilla is an Architect and Regional Synergy Leader for Gensler. Born and raised in Detroit, Najahyia has had a passion for improving the cities built environment since high school and was further inspired by being a research assistant for the Shrinking Cities project, urban gardening with Grace Boggs and starting the renovation of her own building in Detroit. These experiences led her to pursuing a graduate degree in Architecture at the University of Maryland, where she lead the schools 2015 Solar Decathlon team.

After graduating career opportunities took her to New York where she started with Gensler and worked on corporate interiors and led the AIA NY Emerging Architects Committee and the Highline Design Competition. In 2012 she returned to Detroit and has been working with companies to expand and grow their workplaces in Detroit. Her clients have included Miller Canfield, MarxModa, McCann, Agency 720, GM, Foley, Downtown Detroit Partnership, Detroit Achievement Academy and Adient. She has lead teams working on building repositioning and historic preservation. Najahyia is dedicated to Sustainability- economic, social and environmental- at Gensler she is working with teams to initiate higher awareness and impact of resiliency through the design process.

Najahyia has been an active member AIA Detroit since she moved back, from the Urban Priorities Committee, Jefferson East Pop-Ups to serving on the Board. Curator and designer with Public Design Trust for the UNESCO St. Etienne Footwork Exhibition. She has served as a juror for the Design Core Commerce Design Competition (2018) and on academic juries at local universities.

SECRETARY

Megan Martin-Campbell, AIA, LEED AP, CSI CDT
inFORM studio

Statement of Intent:
I would like to be considered for the Secretary position on the Executive Committee of the upcoming 2020 AIA Detroit Board elections. Currently, I serve as the Secretary on the Executive Committee by appointment since 2018. I now seek a full 2-year term to serve as Secretary for the chapter. I’ve been an active member of the Detroit chapter since 2007.

I am a strong advocate for giving back to the profession, the inclusive need for public engagement, and being involved through volunteerism. This year I represented our chapter in Washington DC for the AIA Capitol Hill Day where a group from Michigan advocated for Energy Efficiency and School Safety issues with the elected officials of the House and Senate. Both issues were well received by both sides of the aisle.

In recent years, I’ve supported the AIA’s involvement of Life Remodeled, CANstruction, and the Celebration of Architecture. From 2007-2014 I was involved with the House Tour Committee as a docent, host, committee member and chair of the House Tour Committee. The committee work with the House Tour provided the opportunity to work alongside our local architects, home and business owners, product representatives and affiliates, AIA leadership, and students to provide a quality architectural engagement event with the public.

I am a licensed architect and project leader at inFORM studio where I bring a comprehensive understanding of design, research, and technical implementation to projects. My interest in social justice and place-based environments as applied to architecture have been exhibited in various projects throughout my career such as working alongside non-profit organizations and governmental agencies in and around Detroit, Michigan. I hold a strong belief of architecture as a tool for public engagement, which lead me to becoming involved with the AIA Detroit Chapter with committee participation.

Outside of the AIA, I volunteer as a member of the City of Pleasant Ridge Planning Commission and Downtown Development Authority. I have been an active participant in my alma mater with serving on studio guest juries and on the Lawrence Technological University Architecture and Design Alumni Cabinet as Past Chair.

Serving as the Secretary has been an honor this past year. Working alongside other leaders in the local, state, and national Architecture community has been both eye opening and a great learning experience that I hope to continue with a full term as Secretary of the Detroit Chapter.

Bio:
Megan is a licensed architect and project leader at inFORM studio where she brings a comprehensive understanding of design, research, and technical implementation to projects. Her interest in social justice and place-based environments as applied to architecture have been exhibited in various projects throughout her career, such as working alongside non-profit organizations and governmental agencies in and around Detroit, Michigan. She holds a strong belief of architecture as a tool for public engagement, which lead her to becoming involved with the AIA Detroit Chapter with committee participation starting in 2007.

She is an active member of the Detroit Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and served as a Secretary for 2019, Detroit Director from for 2018, and committee chair to the House Tour from 2011-2014. Outside of the AIA, she volunteers as a member of the City of Pleasant Ridge Planning Commission and Downtown Development Authority. In 2015, she was selected as Lawrence Technological University’s Pellerin Fellow, which allowed her the opportunity to travel and study the rebuilding efforts of the Tohoko Region of Northern Japan following the Earthquake and Tsunami event of 2011. She has been an active participant in her alma mater with serving on studio guest juries and on the Lawrence Technological University Architecture and Design Alumni Cabinet as Past Chair.

DETROIT DIRECTOR (1 Position Available)

Imani Day, AIA
Gensler

Statement:
I would like to serve on the AIA Detroit Board because I am a passionate, vocal designer, with a strong inclusion-driven focus on the development of our industry. I have spent the last year learning how to lead within AIA from the Detroit board and feel confident in my abilities to continue to contribute to Detroit’s Board of Directors through more local collaborations for programming, leading important conversations in our community, and connecting dots for better paths to licensure.

Bio:
Imani Day is a recently licensed architect with Gensler and former Adjunct Professor of Design at the University of Detroit Mercy. After graduating from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Architecture in 2011, she worked with Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Robert A.M. Stern Architects in New York City for four years. Day moved to Detroit in 2015 to focus on community-oriented design projects around the city with a strong passion for educational spaces and cultural work. Last year, Imani served as the Associate Director of AIA Detroit’s executive board and with her licensure, and hopes to continue her work and elevate to a Director position. She also has served as an executive board member for the local chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects.

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

Katty Rupp, Associate AIA
Ghafari Associates

Statement:
I am honored to be nominated to the AIA Detroit Board as the Associate Director. Architecture is an industry that touches everyone, spans centuries, and all cultures. As a member of the AIA Detroit Chapter I have a role to play in engaging and educating others within the industry as well as the general public. I joined the AIA Detroit Chapter, along with other organizations to actively participate in bringing forth positive change in Michigan. One of my areas of focus is the preservation of our different social heritages. My family has lived in Detroit for four generations and the architectural landscape isn’t just masonry and glass but stories and memories. My passion for architecture stems from a fundamental desire to connect people by generating dialogue, bringing forth relevant change through education, and engaging the community through the use of technology. By leveraging some of our current resources we can involve future architectural professionals and support current members through new and engaging experiences that will help grow a stronger and more inclusive community.

Bio:
Katy is an Immersive Design Specialist at Ghafari Associates and teaches at Henry Ford College and the College for Creative Studies. She is an active volunteer for the Interior Design Coalition for Change (IDCFC), Greening of Detroit, and Alliance of Therapy Dog. She is a member of the VR/AR Association as an AEC Committee member, a current scholar of the AIA Detroit Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program 2019-2020, and a Future Focus 2019 recipient for “Designing for the Unseen”. She has been a speaker at a number of events regarding the AEC industry and visual engagement such as, AIA DABUG, Liveworx VRAR Enterprise Summit, and “Collaboration in AEC” VR/AR Association panel discussion. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Lawrence Technological University and a Master of Architecture from Boston Architectural College.

AFFILIATE DIRECTOR

Peter Kyte, AIAD Affiliate
The Kyte Group

Statement:
For the past two years, it has been an honor to serve on the AIA Detroit Board, and I have been fortunate to work with an amazing group of professionals who care deeply about this organization. If chosen to be your Professional Affiliate Director again, I will continue my work to grow our affiliate membership and create more beneficial connections between our professional membership and our affiliates. If elected I will be an active member of the board and a passionate advocate of the AIA. Thank you for a great year of growth and learning AIA!

Bio:
Peter Kyte comes with years of worldwide experience in designing & creating exceptional experiences for unique live event, retail, museum and architectural spaces. His experience in roles as a lighting designer & director, design consultant, creative director and creative consultant continue to grow. He has built his career leveraging lighting and video technology and design in the service of specific brand strategies as a Creative Director and as an architect of unique engagements.

He began his career traveling the world in the cruise ship industry and quickly found himself moving to Las Vegas to expand into the corporate and large-scale venue market. Now in Michigan Peter has continued to expanded his repertoire and is working more closely with architects and builders. Peter’s best works are crafted in a collaborative environment working with artists, technicians, engineers and designers. He is the Founder of The Kyte Group, a member of the AIA Detroit Board of Directors, and active in the Detroit design community.