Please join the COTEdc for our final 2025 Committee Meeting! We will celebrate everything we were able to do in the past year and brainstorm for 2026. Come with potential event ideas and help us use up the rest of our funds on small bites and a signature fall cocktail!

If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Patrick and Miranda at the following emails so we can plan the head count: patrick.keeney@wsp.com and m.ford@perkinseastman-dc.com

When: Thursday, November 20^th 5:30-6:30pm.  Please be sure to arrive promptly by 5:30pm to allow the meeting to progress on time. 

Where: ISTUDIO Architects, 1400 16th St NW Suite 130, Washington, DC 20036

2025 PRACTITIONERS’ FORUM of the DC BOARD OF ARCHITECTURE, INTERIOR DESIGN AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

An In-Person Continuing Education Forum (Earn CE Credits)

Six one-hour sessions. Attend select offerings or all six sessions. See the newly added session at the bottom of the page.

There is no charge to attend this event; however, advance registration is required for EACH individual session.

Attendees must hold an active DC Board of Architecture, Interior Design, or Landscape Architecture license.

Be sure to provide your license / membership number on the registration page to ensure you get the appropriate credit (DC Board, AIA, IDCEC, LA CES)

Attendees must be present for the entirety of each session selected.

Featured Courses and Presenters:

Is it a Claim?                 

Guest Speaker:  Lauren Martin – Ames & Gough
9:10 AM – 10:10 AM

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

(Use the Orange “Get Tickets” button to "Register")

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Interior Design Universal Design

Guest Speaker:

Ashley Kirkland – Partner & Managing Principal – Wyn Design Company

10:10 AM – 11:10 AM

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

(Use the Orange “Get Tickets” button to "Register")

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Amenity Rooftops: Deliberately Coordinating Waterproofing & Drainage Design
Guest Speaker: John Karras – Principal – Simpson, Gumpertz & Heger
11:15 AM – 12:15 PM

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

(Use the Orange “Get Tickets” button to "Register")

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 LUNCH – ON YOUR OWN (One Hour) – Lunch on the MLK JR. LIBRARY ROOFTOP is permissible and seating is available. Bring your own lunch.

12:15 - 1:15 PM

OPTIONAL - MLK JR. LIBRARY ROOFTOP TOUR (1:00 PM -1:15 PM)
Asha Shagle – LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT - Senior Associate - OEHME, VAN SWEDEN │OvS

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Enclosure Design in DC: New Requirements for Commercial Building Enclosures

Guest Speaker: Brian Rose, P.E. - Senior Project Manager - Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. (SGH)

1:15 PM – 2:15 PM

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

(Use the Orange “Get Tickets” button to "Register")

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NCARB - Pathways to Success: "Alternate Path"

Guest Speaker: Cassandra Walker – Assistant Vice President of Customer Relations – National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB)

2:15 PM – 3:15 PM

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

(Use the Orange “Get Tickets” button to "Register")

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NEWLY ADDED SESSION

Preparing For LEED V5:
Insights From the Front Lines of Green Building Consulting

Guest Speakers:

Hailee Griesmar - LEED AP ND, NGBS Verifier, Fitwel Ambassador - Lorax Partnerships - Director of Sustainable Programs

Casey Ross - PE, BEMP, LEED AP, GGP, CDP - Lorax Partnerships - Director of Decarbonization

3:20 PM - 4:20 PM

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

(Use the Orange “Get Tickets” button to "Register")

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Closing Remarks
4:20 PM – 4:25 PM

Ronnie McGhee -  Board Chairman

Small firms make up nearly 75% of all architecture practices, yet often lack the resources for comprehensive awards submissions, such as research, performance evaluation, energy modeling, and marketing support. Expanding their representation in design awards advances AIA’s goals of equity, climate resilience, and the Framework for Design Excellence, while also engaging its largest constituent group.

This panel, moderated by Janet Bloomberg, features Rusty Bienvenue (Executive Director, AIA Houston), John Michael Day (Co-chair, AIA|DC Design Excellence Committee), and Bart Shaw (AIA SFx National Board Member). Panelists will discuss the relevance of awards in the age of social media, the need for a dedicated Small Firm Design and/or Firm Award, and strategies for implementing a small firm awards program.

Presenter Bio(s):

Janet Bloomberg, FAIA is a partner and founder of KUBE architecture in Washington DC, a modern architecture studio that challenges the norms of daily life and attempts to reinterpret ways of working and living in the built environment. Janet is a native of the Washington area, and attended the University of Virginia for her undergraduate degree and Columbia University for her Master of Architecture. While a student at Columbia, she was awarded the SOM Traveling Fellowship, with which she traveled to India and Nepal for research on ritual space. Janet’s work has received numerous local, regional, and national design awards, including over 50 AIA awards, and her projects have been extensively published nationally and internationally. She has taught architectural design at a number of universities, including the University of Virginia and Catholic University. Janet has been invited to serve as jury chair and juror on AIA design awards programs around the country. She was the President of the Washington Architectural Foundation Board, where she started several new programs for DC youth in architecture. In 2016 Janet received AIA|DC’s prestigious John Wiebenson “Wieb” Award, the highest local architectural honor recognizing service to the profession and to the community. In 2020 Janet was elevated as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in the category of Design, and since that time she has been an active member of both the AIA DC Fellowship committee and WFAIA committee, encouraging women to submit for AIA Fellowship. Recently Janet served as Chair of the national AIA Small Firm Exchange, including 3 additional years as a board member.

Rusty Bienvenue has served as Executive Director of AIA Houston since October 2010 and has run professional associations for more than 25 years. He is a recovering attorney who began his career as an Assistant District Attorney and later defended multi-national corporations involved in large scale product liability litigation at a large Houston firm. Rusty was born in Houston, but grew up in 11 different cities (small towns mostly) in 7 different states. He returned to Texas to attend the University of Texas and to Houston to attend the University of Houston Law Center. Rusty was elected to the Council of Architecture Component Executives (CACE) in 2017, served as CACE President in 2021 & 2022 and on the AIA National Board of Directors in 2022 & 2023.

John Michael Day, AIA has spent more than 20 years creating a diverse and award-winning body of work, including adaptive reuse and historic preservation projects, infill mixed-use projects, commercial office buildings, healthcare facilities, hospitality, institutional, single- and multi-family residential projects. As Co-Chair of the AIADC Design Excellence Committee, Mr. Day. is committed to design excellence that elevates the physical environments of communities and enriches lives of their residents. Mr. Day is an advocate for an innovative and thoughtful design process that supports diversity and team collaboration.

Bart Shaw, FAIA is cofounder and Principal of Ibanez Shaw Architecture, a design-driven practice based in Fort Worth, Texas. Renowned for architecture of conceptual clarity and material expression, his work ranges from buildings to public art to crafted objects. Each project is a lucid manifestation of an idea, brought to life through Shaw’s deep engagement with fabrication and making. His projects have been honored with more than fifty design awards, including recognition from AIA and IIDA chapters, National AIA Small Project Awards, the American Architecture Award, and Americans for the Arts. Elevated to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects for design excellence, Shaw continues to shape the profession as a practitioner, lecturer, juror, adjunct professor, and advocate for a culture of design excellence across scales of practice.

Learning Objectives: 

• Discuss the relevance of design awards within today’s social media landscape.
• Explore the benefits and concerns of a Small Firm design award program.
• Review the impacts of the Framework for Design Excellence on Small Firm design awards submissions.
• Layout strategies for implementing a Small Firms design award program.

Sponsored by: 

Nichiha

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly reshaping the way we approach architectural and structural design. This event will explore how AI-powered tools are influencing design and construction, from concept development to advanced structural analysis and optimization. Topics will include architectural processes for early-stage ideation, current structural tools and methods, and will examine the ethics and best practices for the applications within the AEC professions and the general U.S. workforce beyond. Join us for this unique networking event and panel discussion of local industry experts. Drinks and refreshments will be served.

 Agenda:

5:30 PM Registration & Networking

6:00 PM Panel Presentation and Small Group Discussion

7:00 PM Panel Q&A

7:30 PM Close of event (Join us for further networking at Dirty Habit)

Panelists:     

Steve Kane, P.E. – Thornton Tomasetti Senior Associate and CORE Studio Representative

Ken Cheston, AIA - Gensler Associate and SE Regional Design Technology Lead 

David Fersh, AIA – SmithGroup Technology Strategist

Gabi Danna – Amazon Research Scientist 

Learning Objectives:

Targeting 1 AIA LU and 1 Structural PDH

1. Understand what AI is by definition, how it is being used in our industry ethically and how to safeguard business from liability.
2. Review current iterative design methods and opportunities for architectural schematics
3. Understand current engineering tools that support structural design approaches and increased efficiencies
4. Examine AI at a general business level to identify effective users and interface and explore application within the hiring process

Regional In-Person Seminar (Washington, DC)

See what’s rising in DC—and why mass timber should be in your next project. Join WoodWorks and the DC Department of Buildings at Sycamore & Oak–DC’s first all mass timber commercial building–for an exclusive showcase of cutting-edge mass timber projects redefining the Baltimore-Washington region’s landscape. This event brings together leading developers, architects, and industry innovators to explore how mass timber is transforming urban construction with faster builds, high-performance, and striking design.

Network, learn, and be inspired through case studies featuring these projects:

• DC Southwest Library & Congress Heights Library, presented by Jaspreet Pahwa, Director Capital Planning & Construction for DC Public Library
• Hybrid Data Centers & Under Armour Global Headquarters, presented by JJ Rivers, Principal at Gensler
• The Collective at Canton – 40TEN & Retail Village at Sycamore & Oak presented by Scott Charney, Mass Timber Market Manager at Quality Buildings
• Parcel 5 development, presented by Paul Elias, Executive VP of Construction, Redbrick LMD
• Whitehaven, presented by Todd Martin, Senior Associate, Hickok Cole
• T3, presented by Brian Eklund, Managing Director, Hines

Speakers: John O’Donald II, PE | WoodWorks and Brian Hanlon | Director of DC Department of Buildings

Co-hosted by the DC Department of Buildings

Location:

Sycamore & Oak

1110 Oak Dr SE

Washington, DC 20032

Metro – 5 min walk from Congress Heights Metro Station

Parking:

Limited street parking

St. Elizabeth’s Parking Garage next to CareFirst Arena at intersection of Cypress ST SE and Pecan St SE

For those interested in applying to the 2026 class of the Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program (CKLDP), there will be an "Applications 101" information session hosted via Zoom. This interactive Q&A event will be hosted by members of the CKLDP Advisory Committee and provides potential program scholars with an opportunity to ask questions and receive helpful hints about what to include – or not – in their program applications. Interested candidates are encouraged to attend this event, but attendance is NOT mandatory in order to apply to CKLDP. We look forward to having you join us!

Please see the 2026 Application Landing Page Here. 

2026 Application Here. 

Organized by CKLDP Advisory Committee. 

Join us to learn about career and volunteer (via Committee Membership) opportunities and to meet the candidates for the 2026 Board of Directors. 

Light refreshments will be served.

The firms that will be represented are as follows:

//3877 Design

AECOM

DLR Group

HDR

HGA

HKS

ISTUDIO Architects

Perkins Eastman

KTGY

SmithGroup

Walking tour led by Congressional Cemetery docent. The tour will cover stone types, memorial, symbols, cenotaphs, and the overall history and significance of the Congressional Site in the context of Washington DC. Following the tour, participants will take part in a sketching exercise led by the HRC members and discuss their findings.

Presented by: 

Robert S. Pohl

Robert S. Pohl has been a licensed D.C. tour guide since 2009 and writes a regular column for the blog The Hill is Home. When he isn't touring or writing, he volunteers at the Southeast Library. Pohl is the author of A House on the Hill: The History of 219 11th St SE; Abraham Lincoln and the End of Slavery in the District of Columbia; Wicked Capitol Hill: An Unruly History of Behaving Badly; and Urban Legends of Historic Lore of Washington D.C.

Learning Objectives: 

• Identify and describe stone types, memorial forms, and symbolic elements found in the Congressional Cemetery.
• Explain the historical and cultural significance of the Congressional Cemetery within the context of Washington, DC.
• Apply sketching techniques to observe and record architectural and symbolic details on site.
• Discuss and interpret sketches as a way to analyze and share perspectives on the cemetery’s significance.

The Fellows Public Program Committee and the Emerging Architects Committee welcome Fellows, Emerging Architects and the AIA/DC community to gather for drinks and snacks at the rooftop terrace at Perkins & Will's West End offices. Great opportunity to meet other architects in different phases of their careers and enjoy drinks and snacks.

Preconstruction is one of the most critical phases of project delivery, where design intent, budget alignment, constructability, and scheduling converge to set the tone for a successful project. This seminar will explore how a collaborative preconstruction process enhances decision-making, reduces risk, and ultimately safeguards the health, safety, and welfare of building occupants and users. Through real-world examples and best practices, participants will learn how early integration of architects, owners, and contractors leads to smarter design solutions, cost certainty, and improved long-term performance of the built environment. Please join experts Cary Brown and Andy Craighill as they cover the essential considerations for project success from the General Contractor's perspective.

Presented by: 

Cary Brown, LEED AP
Vice President – Preconstruction
Cary joined E.E. Reed East Coast in 2021 as Vice President of Preconstruction, bringing with her a wealth of industry knowledge and experience. Establishing her department, she has set the standards and processes that facilitate over $1 billion of revenue annually. In this role, she manages procurement, subcontractor qualification, constructability, conceptual budgeting, hard bids, scheduling, value engineering, and all aspects of preconstruction across mission critical, base building, critical facilities, and corporate interiors. Her emphasis on early collaboration across project teams from owner to end user sets the foundation for project success and long-term client satisfaction. Understanding her clientele and their unique goals in the built environment is central to her approach and reflects her comprehensive knowledge as a leader in her field.
Cary is affiliated with Association of Builders and Contractors (ABC Virginia), 7×24 Exchange National Capital Region, and Women in Mission Critical (WiMCO). She holds a Bachelor of Science in Building Construction from Virginia Tech and a Master’s in Real Estate from Georgetown University. She lives in Nokesville, Virginia, with her husband Rob and three children and when not working, she enjoys watching her kids play sports, traveling, and a good glass of wine.

Andy Craighill, LEED AP, CDCM
Vice President
Andy joined E.E. Reed East Coast in 2006 and currently serves as Vice President of Corporate Interiors. He brings over 22 years of industry experience to this role. Starting his career as an assistant project manager at E. E. Reed East Coast, he gained experience in client relations, estimating, project document control, subcontractor procurement and cost management. As a project manager, he delivered a diverse mix of projects across market segments and including both base building and interiors. In his current role as Vice President, he is active in business development and oversees client relations in addition to facilitating preconstruction for our clients. He provides leadership and management for both our Corporate Interiors project teams as well as Special Projects that cross the Base Building and Interiors divisions.
He is affiliated with Association of Builders and Contractors and NAIOP. Andy has won three NAIOP awards and led project teams that received five awards of excellence from Fairfax County. He holds professional accreditations including LEED AP and Certified Data Center Manager (CDCM).
Andy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Union College in New York. He lives in South Riding, Virginia, with his wife Marta and three sons: Matthew, Jacob, and Alex. Outside of the office, he enjoys many outdoor activities including fishing, hiking, golf, and playing hockey with his friends and family.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain how early cost modeling and budgeting during preconstruction contribute to design decisions that ensure buildings remain safe, functional, and within the client’s means.
• Identify how constructability reviews and material analysis in preconstruction improve building performance, safety, and long-term durability.
• Describe how preconstruction scheduling and phasing strategies enhance site safety, reduce risks to occupants and workers, and support compliance with life-safety codes.
• Evaluate how collaborative preconstruction practices among owners, architects, and contractors promote more resilient spaces.