Event Recap | IaWia Annual Meeting

October 3, 2017 Iowa Women in Architecture

On Tuesday, September 19th, 26 individuals gathered at RDG Planning & Design to attended Iowa Women in Architecture’s Annual Business Meeting. The board presented what we’ve done over the past twelve months, what we’re planning on doing in the upcoming twelve months and gave a brief refresher on our Best Practice Report that you can see here. Some great networking happened in between all of the presentations and long with voting for the new Vice Chair and Director of Accounts and announcement of our Leadership Social Series that will begin in October.

We also had Dr. Lindsay Hastings from University of Nebraska – Lincoln who serves as the Clifton Professor in Mentoring Research and the Director of Nebraska Human Resources Institute, a leadership development organization that pairs outstanding college student leaders with outstanding K – 12 student leaders in one-to-one leadership mentoring relationships.

Her presentation From “Glass Ceiling” to “Leadership Labyrinth”: Developing the Next Generation of Female Leaders spoke to leadership styles, hard numbers of ratios between men and women in the workforce (over half of the individuals to receive Bachelor, Master and Ph.D. degrees are female and yes we only hold 4% of the CEO positions ta Fortune 500 companies, 16% of board positions at Fortune 500 Companies, and only 20% of Government seats.) Data shows gender and leadership aren’t that different between men and women, gender doesn’t affect effective leadership skills and that women are actually slightly better at transformative leadership; overall, between men and women, there are no noticeable differences in leadership styles. The biggest differences come into play with self-promotion and unconscious biases that exist for everyone.

Dr. Hastings also spoke on leadership and what we can do to help changes already taking place in society and our culture. The Nebraska Human Resources Institute is a huge advocate of mentorship and some critical take aways were:

Align talent between mentor and mentee

Interest should be aligned as well – the best mentorship typically starts with friendship/comradery

Consistency is key

She also mentioned that failure to connect between a mentor and mentee is not always a bad thing – mentorship should be constantly re-evaluated and benefiting both parties to be worthwhile.

Her last piece of the night spoke of the power of female friendship/colleagueship. These relationships give unique energy and encourages us to work harder; that unique energy yields a perspective to love others as ourselves; and it encourage us to be involved in a free marketplace of ideas with civility.

She left us with the statement “What you love for in people is what you find – you look for positives, you find positives; you look for negatives, you find negatives.

What's Next?:

The breakfasts will be focused around the Athena Core10 leadership series- Oct, Jan, Mar, May and July.

Tours of Iowa Events Center Hotel (Feb), Kum & Go headquarters (June with panel discussion)

Member Socials in April and August

Speakers in June and November

Membership Drive – starting soon

iaWia Merchandise!!!

Policies and Procedures Manual – for faster board or committee member transitions

More remote viewing and Educ/Programming and Social events in other regions

BPR Case Studies – need nominations for case studies, firm surveys, apply for AIA National Award

Highlights 2017:

Presenting the BPR on a national and regional level (AIA National , N Dakota and Chicago)

Informal breakfast socials – both in DSM and Iowa City/Cedar Rapids

AIA National Young Architect Award winner- founder Danielle Hermann

Updated Bylaws, established a reserves policy, updated committee descriptions and new corporate membership benefits structure.

Last year: 53 members, 21 corporate members, mailing list has grown to 318

October Professional Member of the Month

October 3, 2017 Iowa Women in Architecture

Collin R. Barnes, IIDA, LEED AP ID+C

RDG Planning and Design
Partner / Corporate Focus Market Leader

1.   Our profession is built on the value of relationships and opportunities; how do you prepare for a meeting with a new client?
I do research; the internet offers countless ways to connect and learn about others. I leverage that to ensure that our meetings are both efficient and impactful. I try to learn as much as I can early on… like, what are their organizational values/mission? What are they most recognized for? What connections might we have in common? Etc.
(It also never hurts to start the day off with some power poses!)
2.   We often design to improve the health of people and the environment; how do you wind down in the evenings to maintain a balanced lifestyle?
I spend time with my family. We’re a no-tech household between the hours of 6 and 8pm, which allows us to unwind, disconnect, and spend “distraction-free” time with our kids (ages 2 and 5). When I’m lucky, I will squeeze in a run or yoga workout.
3.   In 2017 technology is at our fingertips - what is your favorite app and/or website?
My family uses the Google Home app a lot – this is a quick and simple way for us to coordinate calendars, shopping lists and other daily details that keep us on track. Others to check out include: Goodreads – for that list of inspirational design books that just keeps getting longer… ; Nixplay (photosharing); theSkimm (news); and Strides (goal setting/productivity tool).
4.   As professionals we are versed in community interaction and collaboration; what are you involved in outside the realm of architecture/design?
a.   Wildwood Hills Ranch Volunteer
b.   Lil’ Scholars Parent Advisory Committee Member
c.   St. Augustin Home and School Association Member
d.   Commercial Real Estate Women of Iowa (CREWIowa) Member
e.    Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute – Community Leadership Program Class of 2018

5. We are Iowa Women in Architecture; who were the female role models that inspired you?
My mom. She’s been a remarkable example - both personally and professionally - reminding me to “Dress for the job you want, not for the one you have”; encouraging me to keep going because success does not come without failure, always showing strength, courage and resilience; demonstrating leadership; and knowing how important it is to celebrate life’s moments one day at a time.

September Professional Member of the Month

September 7, 2017 Iowa Women in Architecture

Kristen Greteman

Octagon Center for the Arts, Exhibits Director

We often design to improve the health of people and the environment; how do you wind down in the evenings to maintain a balanced lifestyle?

As a freelance contractor and small business owner, work continues after my day job ends and time to wind down in the evenings does not often happen. Instead after several months hard work, I plan long-term travel to refocus and gain new perspective. Right now, I am planning a 5-week road trip to Alaska next summer, as well as a quick week to Cuba in January.

In 2017 technology is at our fingertips - what is your favorite app and/or website?

Resistant to the idea of Pinterest for years, I gave it a shot last year and fell in love. No creative person is totally uninfluenced by all the ideas swirling around them. I decided to embrace the collaboration between myself and all the other pinners out there and found Pinterest as a great tool to collect and organize ideas in one simple-to-use spot.

As professionals we are versed in community interaction and collaboration; what are you involved in outside the realm of architecture/design?

Creativity through art is my way to contribute to my community. I am a photographer and printmaker, and my most recent series has focused on land use and mapmaking in Iowa. I have exhibited around central Iowa, including the Des Moines Arts Festival, and I am a teaching artist for the After School Arts Program in Des Moines.

We are Iowa Women in Architecture; who were the women that inspired you?

The classroom of my high school English teacher, Ms. Kerwin, was a magical place. The décor was a combination of posters of exotic locations, an array of house plants, and anything to do with Pride and Prejudice. She instilled in me a love of learning, and even after I moved onto college, I would return each break to chat about life. For small-town Iowa, she bucked all trends and lived her life on her terms while always showing care and compassion.

August Professional Member of the Month

August 2, 2017 Iowa Women in Architecture

Shannon McGee

INVISION, Intern Architect

Our profession is built on the value of relationships and opportunities; how do you prepare for a meeting with a new client?
When preparing to meet a new client I usually have had some time to gain a little background on the goals of the project. This allows me to become familiar with the site, potential constraints, project type, etc. prior to meeting with them so that I can be prepared for the conversation and able to ask relevant questions.

We often design to improve the health of people and the environment; how do you wind down in the evenings to maintain a balanced lifestyle?
I’m definitely a morning person so I try to get up and run prior to going to work. In the evenings or on the weekends I really enjoy cooking and baking. While this may not necessarily be healthy, my latest obsession is learning how to make cupcakes and frosting from scratch. I think it’s rewarding to be able to work hard at something and be able to witness (and eat) the good results when all the work done.

In 2017 technology is at our fingertips - what is your favorite app and/or website?
I don’t really have a strong favorite, but I do like Pinterest. It’s a nice place to be able to research travel destinations, find recipes, or save design ideas for future reference.

As professionals we are versed in community interaction and collaboration; what are you involved in outside the realm of architecture/design?
Last year I volunteered for the ACE mentorship program that helps introduce high school students to the design and construction industry. I’ve also volunteered for various events with my colleagues at INVISION such as Earth Day Trash Bash, Meals from the Heartland, and sponsoring a family for the Boys & Girls Club around the holidays.

We are Iowa Women in Architecture; who were the female role models that inspired you?
I feel lucky to have had many great female role models thus far in life. At INVISION I have had the opportunity work closely with Tonia Householder and Kerry Weig on projects. It has been great to be able to learn from them and observe how they handle different situations throughout the design process from programming to construction. Another female who is not in the field of architecture, but also a role model would be my mom. She was and continues to be a great role model growing up that instilled in my sister and me that anything is possible and not to limit ourselves.

Iowa Women in Architecture Announces A Call for Board Nominations

August 1, 2017 Iowa Women in Architecture

Iowa Women in Architecture will have the following open board positions for the 2017-2018 Ballot:

Vice Chair: Term of one year, moves to Chair in October 2018

Provides support for the Board Chair and Liaison to Education and Programs Committee

Director of Accounts: Term of two years

Tracks income and spending for the organization, Prepares monthly financial reports and tax forms, Compiles annual budget

If you are interested in serving in either of these board positions or would like to learn more about the positions, please contact Iowa Women in Architecture at iawomenarch@gmail.com. Please include your name, contact information and note which position(s) you are interested in or if you wish to nominate someone. A board member will follow up with you or the nominee, requesting a brief letter of interest and a short biography.

Submitted by Linda Schemmel