July 5, 2018

For immediate release:

New York City, NY — Resolution 18-3: Diversity Pipeline and National Representation, sponsored by AIA Georgia, passed with 4266 voting yes and 204 voting no (with 87 abstentions). Asserting a need for a national leadership pipeline of ethnically diverse women candidates for positions on the Institute Board of Directors and Strategic Council, this resolution called for a plan to support the Institute’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. The delegates voted down an amendment that would have changed the resolution’s language to refer not only to ethnically diverse women, but to all ethnically diverse individuals. The resolution was amended, however, to require that the Board and Secretary present a plan for action by delegates at the 2019 AIA Conference on Architecture in Las Vegas.

The Resolution:

Resolution 18-3
Amended May 18, 2018

Title: Diversity Pipeline and National Representation
Sponsor: AIA Georgia
Intent: To support the Institute’s commitment to diversity and inclusion by calling for the implementation of a plan to develop a national leadership pipeline of ethnically diverse women candidates for national governance positions.

Text of Resolution:

WHEREAS, in its 2017 Diversity and Inclusion Statement, the AIA has made a commitment to “champion[ing] a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion,” and “[a]chieving this vision has a direct impact on the relevance of our profession and the world’s prosperity, health, and future”; and

WHEREAS, to achieve a culture of inclusion and diversity in the profession of architecture, a pipeline of diverse architect licensure candidates must exist; and

WHEREAS, the number of ethnically diverse women earning architecture licensure has been a historically low percentage of total licensees, as exemplified by African American women, who currently make up approximately 0.4 percent of the total number of architects in the United States; and

WHEREAS, a key condition of encouraging ethnically diverse women to become architects is their having knowledge of role models that they can aspire to emulate; and

WHEREAS, the participation of ethnically diverse women architects in national positions of leadership within the AIA would create visible and accessible aspirational role models for ethnically diverse female college students and emerging professionals; and

WHEREAS, in the past twenty-five (25) years representation by ethnically diverse women at the national level has been consistently below that of their impact in the profession, as exemplified by the fact that only two (2) African American women have served on the national AIA Board of Directors during that timeframe, and zero (0) have served on the Strategic Council (since its inception); and

WHEREAS, along with AIA state and local components, the AIA Strategic Council forms an important pipeline for leadership development within the Institute and our profession; and

WHEREAS, the implementation of a national leadership pipeline of ethnically diverse women candidates for national governance positions is one of many steps that will contribute to greater diversity and inclusion within the profession of architecture; and

WHEREAS, the implementation of such a national leadership pipeline will not create reserved positions on the Board of Directors and will not create a quota program for any leadership positions; and

WHEREAS, it is in the long-term interests of all AIA members to identify, encourage and recruit talented individuals to pursue leadership in the profession; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the AIA will create and implement a plan to partner with local and state components to actively identify, prepare, recruit and encourage a range of ethnically diverse women to pursue election/service on the National AIA Board of Directors and AIA Strategic Council.