Since Michael Lingerfelt and I were elevated to Fellowship this year, we've talked a lot about how we could help to promote more Fellows from the Retail and Entertainment community. Many of us (OK, almost all of us) have lamented a sense of second class status among our peers, with some reason. I think that some of that could be mitigated if we got more involved, telling our peers what we do, and most importantly, why it's important. Our work covers nearly 25% of all non-residential construction. Our works creates better communities, better places. We need to tell that story, to our peers as well as the broader public.
To that end, I'd like to propose that we develop a group of members who are already Fellows, to help our peers to tell their story, and by doing that, to tell our collective story better. I'm looking for others within the retail and entertainment community who've already achieved Fellowship, who are willing to provide a support network to identify and encourage those who should be submitting for Fellow to take the plunge, make the effort, and yes, take the risk, to promote not just themselves, but our community. We could also advise on the actual process, which is not always that clear, so that our members have some idea of what is involved.
If you are a Fellow and you're interested in supporting such an effort, let me know, and I'll put together a group and we can talk about how we can organize this effort.
We were elevated because someone else thought we had made a difference in our profession. Here's another opportunity to make a difference.
Ed
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Edward Shriver FAIA
Principal
Strada Architecture, LLC
Pittsburgh PA
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