AIA Seattle invited all Members to join 'A National Conversation," in a session with AIA Board Member/ VP-elect Bruce E. Blackmer AIA, held May 1, 2002. The comments below summarize conversations convened in

1. In your opinion what are the most important issues facing the architecture profession that members discussed at your gathering?
• Learning to work together, include, and support all the diverse types of architects within the profession, as well as all other participants in the design and construction process. This is especially important as firms become multidisciplinary, multigenerational, and more diverse in terms of gender, race, and ethnicity.
• Welcoming participation and giving support to architects in non-traditional career paths such as those in educational, corporate, or multidisciplinary organizations. This also includes graduate architects and licensed architects who do work other than building design.
• Changing the perception of and attitude toward architects by the public, clients, consultants, and contractors. Moving toward more collaboration in the design process and more understanding of what clients value. Participation in innovative project delivery is part of this process.
• Becoming a knowledge-based profession that requires continuous learning. Developing a culture of sharing best practices is vital this process. In addition, more support to applied research efforts is needed to continually further knowledge within the profession.
• Accepting a greater role in our communities, being willing to use our knowledge and abilities to serve the public good. This requires letting go of professional jargon and elitist attitudes.
• Developing leadership - a main principle at the local component level, where "every interaction with AIA Seattle has the potential to nurture leadership."

2. Of the items listed in question 1, what were the top three issues for which consensus was reached, and three for which consensus was not reached?
All of the issues above were reached by conversation among those who were most interested in the topic and were sourced from report-outs to the whole group on that conversation. Consensus was implied on all issues but was not explicit.

3. Please share what your members and / or component is doing right, and list any useful strategies / solutions.
• AIA Seattle has always been on the forefront of activities involving gender, race, and ethnic diversity in the profession. We continue our commitment to this issue through our annual Solstice Diversity event and through the Denice Hunt K-12 Internship. On June 21, 2002, AIA Seattle hosts the 5th annual Solstice event, a Diversity Mini-Conference featuring noted scholar Kathryn Anthony PhD, author of Designing for Diversity: Gender, Race, & Ethnicity in the Architectural Profession.
• AIA Seattle strives to include affiliated professionals and non-traditional architects, with a number of programs including "Design the Process", a quarterly roundtable with the Board and our Corporate Allied Members (engineers and contractors, mostly) to discuss alternative delivery systems and collaborative processes. The emphasis this year has been collaborative processes on green building case studies.
• AIA Seattle regular includes an Associate Member on the Board of Directors and encourages participation of emerging architects within every aspect of AIA Seattle activities. The Board also includes non-architects as Advisory members, typically from related disciplines, business, and non-profit organizations including engineers, attorneys, journalists, contractors, or public clients. All have contributed greatly to the dialogue at the Board level.
• AIA Seattle continues to position itself as a main source for information about the built environment to the media, local government, and the public. A highly visible Honor Awards conversation, the highlight of the annual "Celebrate Architecture" (FKA Architecture Week) program, features many design-related events over the course of ten days and involves collaboration with allied professional organizations.
• AIA Seattle has a broad and comprehensive continuing education program to serve the needs of its members. Programs tend to be interactive, have highly relevant content, and often include knowledge exchange among colleagues.
• In Seattle, AIA architects participate in a wide variety of community building and public service activities. They are Board members on many non-profit arts and community service organization, and they serve the public on many types of commissions and committees. The current Chair of the Seattle City Council is an AIA Seattle member.

4. Please list the key resources we will need to succeed.
• Institutional support from AIA National Component for diversity related activities including the National Diversity Conference and support for applied research. " Thoughtful re-evaluation of the membership / dues structure to better reflects the realities of the profession in the 21st century.
• Continuing efforts toward organizational efficiency to help Components understand and better carry out their core missions.

5. General Comments
A word about our methodology - we grouped the seven suggested issues into four main topics:
1. Diversity, which includes the topics of multidisciplinary firms, specialization and certification and alternative careers, as well as gender, race and generational.
2. Innovation and Change in Project Delivery
3. Knowledge based Profession
4. Architects Role in the Community
A component leader convened a conversation group on each of the topics and everyone was invited to participate in any of the conversations by a process of self-selection. Movement between discussion groups was encouraged. A closing session was held in which the convener of each group summarized the important points of their conversation. This report derives from notes from that session.