Top Twelve of '25

Highlights of 2025, by the numbers

AIA Rochester shared twelve days of highlights from the year on our social media platforms in early December.

Here is our compiled list of hits, by the numbers:

1 - Hole in One: AIA Rochester Golf Tournament

We are opening our greatest hits of 2025 (by the numbers) with our biggest annual endeavor: the Swinging Fore Scholarships Golf Tournament!

To celebrate our 40^th annual Golf Tournament, we took it back to 1985! Our bodacious (and therefore sometimes unrecognizable) golfers and volunteers came to The Links at Greystone in their neon and big hair to raise money for architectural scholarships and educational programming. Our sold-out event boasted games, golfing challenges, lots of raffle prizes, and a special workout with number one fitness guru Richard Simmons.

We are extremely grateful to our many participants, sponsors, and volunteers whose generous support allowed us to exceed our fundraising goals! Our Scholarship Program would not be possible without your support. We look forward to enhancements to our scholarship program next year, and we can’t wait to see you on September 15, 2026 at Greystone for our next tournament! Theme: 1986! (Just kidding. Maybe.)

2 - Two Schools of Architecture in our Jurisdiction

We are fortunate to have two NAAB accredited schools of architecture in our seven county jurisdiction. Rochester Institute of Technology offers a Master of Architecture to students with various undergraduate degrees and SUNY College of Technology at Alfred offers a Bachelor of Architecture. Both programs boast dedicated students who are passionate about architecture and how they can utilize their design education to make a difference in our community.

We maintain ties with faculty and students alike to open the pipeline between education and the profession. AIA Rochester encourages students to attend our meetings and events, and we offer complimentary admission when possible. We host an annual Career Fair with local firms for the students and have hosted firm tours and portfolio reviews. We offer student scholarships and have supported AIAS student leaders attending their regional conference with Golf proceeds.

We welcome student volunteers to participate with us – students designed and constructed our incredibly cool putting stations and volunteer for the day to run the putting contest at the tournament. We are incredibly proud to welcome some recent graduates as Board members! Connecting with students helps their professional development, but in reality it is we who benefit from the energy and optimism of these future architects.

3 - Three Women in Leadership

For the first time, 2026 will feature three women leading our organization. Our Executive Committee (ExCom) will be comprised of Past President Sara DeSalvo, AIA (left), President Kory Hunsinger, AIA (middle), and Vice President Liz Reynolds, AIA.

There was not a conscious decision to nominate or elect candidates based on gender, nor have we ever done so in the past. We accept nominations from interested candidates and elicit input from firm leaders regarding employees who they think would be excellent contributors to the board.

Our chapter as currently incorporated dates back to 1968, and our first woman president was Martha Gates in 1976. While only nine presidents have been women, in 2026 six of those will have served in the past 15 years.  In the past seven years, women have held almost half of the board positions. With one exception, every year either the president or vice president has been a woman architect. This year both positions are held by women and women comprise 50% of the board. Only 36% of our membership identify as women which speaks effectively to the leadership that our female members bring to the table and to the culture of AIA Rochester - which values the contributions of all members.

4 - Four "Architecturally Speaking" RBJ articles

AIA Rochester continues its long-running column in the Rochester Business Journal: “Architecturally Speaking”.  Jim Durfee, AIA originated and authored the column for years, and he was succeeded by Jason Streb, AIA. Currently, a rotating pool of AIA Rochester members author our quarterly contributions. Look for our fourth article of 2025 coming in mid-December.

5 - Five Year Strategic Plan 2025-2030

This summer and fall, the Strategic Planning Committee convened as a task force to develop our five-year AIA Rochester Strategic Plan. The committee was comprised of members representing key board positions, emerging professionals, an emeritus member and member who had not served on the board to give an “outside” member perspective.

The committee began with a member survey. Our general membership was asked for feedback regarding what members thought were successes, what needed improvement, and what issues the organization should focus on. What they found through this process is that Communication and Outreach, Education, and Membership are high priorities for the next 5 years.

In addition to providing member services, AIA Rochester will focus on advocacy and education, membership engagement and retention, and support for our emerging professionals in their careers and in their pursuit of registration. The committee also illustrates how AIA Rochester will continue to provide the Core Values as established by AIA National in order to remain an accredited chapter.

We thank our Strategic Planning Committee members for their dedication to this project: Sara DeSalvo, AIA, Kory Hunsinger, A.J. Gartland, AIA, Ben Deuel, Barbara Burke (who formatted the plan into a nice document), Emily Steinbacher, Kathryn Doyle, AIA, NCARB, CDT, Emilio M. de León, AIA, and Michelle Murnane, AIA, NCARB.

The 2025 AIA Rochester Strategic Plan can be found on our website at www.aiaroc.org/about.

 6 - Six Scholarship Winners

Six merit-based scholarships totaling $30,000 have been awarded to students to study architecture this academic year courtesy of AIA Rochester and the Rochester Architecture Foundation (RAF), with contributions from AIA National, Women in Architecture, and the Family of Myron Starks. Over $200,000 has been awarded in the form of 76 academic scholarships since 2009.

 New this year is the RAF's Urban Scholar Award which was granted to a high school senior and resident of the City of Rochester pursuing a college program in architecture, a field related to architecture, or a technical construction trade program. Casey Hawk is the initial recipient.

Also, for the first time the RAF was able to allocate $5,000 from the “Visionary Architects of the 20th Century Fund”, which was established as an endowment to fund AIA Rochester Scholarships. This fund was populated from funds from the RAF, AIA Rochester, local firms and generous individual donors. Additional contributions to grow the fund are greatly appreciated so more scholarships can be allocated! Visit the RAF webpage for more information and for information on contributing to the fund if you are so inclined.

Funding for AIA Rochester’s portion of the scholarships is generated from our annual Golf Tournament (refer to Day 1!). Contact us for additional information about the tournament and sponsoring our scholarship program.

Information regarding the Scholarship Program will be available in February of each year  - check our home page here at at aiaroc.org and follow AIA Rochester on social media to stay updated.

7 - 7:00pm ARE Virtual Study Group

Join an ARE study group, meeting virtually at 7:00 p.m.!

We would be amiss not to mention the effort to provide local, meaningful support for members taking the Architect Registration Examination_® (ARE_®). This exam is a vital part of the requirements to become a licensed architect. It consists of six sections, taken separately, which ensure that licensed architects are qualified to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public.

AIA Rochester Director of Emerging Professionals Emily Steinbacher, Associate AIA has initiated virtual study sessions. Prospective architects met last month (at 7:00 p.m.) to study for the Practice Management (PCM) exam. Future focus groups are coming soon. We welcome both current and past recent test takers to join us – advice is always appreciated!

In addition to study groups, Emily has been working to both promote and enhance our library of ARE study materials. These are available to any AIA Rochester member in good standing to borrow. We are encouraging donations of study materials from new architects to help defray costs for those studying to become licensed. If you have materials to donate, please contact us and we will collect them from you! Our website lists what we currently have available at https://www.aiaroc.org/era. Stay tuned for the next study group announcement.

8 - Eight New Architects (and Christina!)

AIA Rochester congratulates eight members who became registered architects in 2025. We recognize our newly registered at our Annual Meeting which takes place in October. Following, we have one additional architect to recognize who became registered in late 2024.

Amber Barnhart-Rau, Laurence Carty, Aaric Celeste, A.J. Gartland, Valerie Intini, Colin Thompson, Ellen Woodsbie, and Teresa Wright became registered in 2025 and Christina Fluman became registered at the end of 2024. So, eight new architects (and Christina)! Congratulations to you all for successfully passing this professional milestone!

We are excited that three of our newly registered architects are on the 2025 Board of Directors (Colin, A.J., and Christina). Several other Board members are in the process of taking their examination, and we look forward to featuring them next year!

To legally call yourself an architect, you must earn an architectural license. These are given by jurisdiction (jurisdictions refer to U.S. states, District of Columbia, and territories) and only allow you to practice in that jurisdiction. Reciprocity (getting your license to practice in another jurisdiction) is possible, but you must meet the criteria of the jurisdiction.

In most jurisdictions, licensure is achieved through the “Three Es”: education, examination, and experience.  In most jurisdictions, students must earn a NAAB accredited degree (either B.Arch or M.Arch), which generally takes 5-8 years.

The path to architecture in New York State does not require a degree from a NAAB accredited program. You must earn 12 units of combined education and experience and pass the ARE®. The credit awarded for education determines the required number of units (years) of experience, where one unit of experience is equal to one year. Note that if you wish to practice in other jurisdictions or states, most require a NAAB accredited degree. 

For more information on the path to architecture, visit our webpage at www.aiaroc.org/become-an-architect. We have a downloadable flyer to share with students considering becoming an architect. Contact us for more information about joining our rewarding profession!

9 - Nine Design Award Winners

The Design Excellence Awards are established to encourage excellence in architectural design, to make the public more aware of the potential of the human-made environment, and to honor the architect, owner and builder of significant projects. This year, AIA Rochester is proud to recognize nine projects by local architects.

Colleagues from AIA Western Massachusetts comprised the 2025 Design Awards Jury.  AIA Rochester is grateful for the great care, effort, and time that they put into our awards selection.

Winning projects

𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀

Terminal B at Outer Harbor by Colliers Engineering & Design

East House - Canal Commons by PLAN Architectural Studio, PC

Rooted by In.Site: Architecture

Merit 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀

RIT - School of Photographic Arts & Sciences by PLAN Architectural Studio, PC

Wildcliff and Hudson Park Children's Greenhouse by Stantec Architecture, Inc.

Citation 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀

Constellation Brands Corporate Headquarters, 50 East Broad St - Aqueduct Building Campus by David J. Crowe Architecture PLLC

Brighter Days Pediatric Mental Health Urgent Care Center by Dwyer Architectural, LLC

RIT Saunders College of Business - Lowenthal Hall Addition by LaBella Associates

Community Impact Award

Barack and Michelle Obama Teen Empowerment Center by SWBR

The Call for Entries for the 2026 Design Awards is now OPEN! Register your project by this Friday, December 19. Submissions are due January 30, 2026.

We are grateful for our industry which makes our Design Awards possible through their generosity. Opportunities to support our Design Awards are available at www.aiaroc.org/design-awards.

10 - Ten Explorers 

This spring, under the strong leadership of Director of Education Barbara Burke, AIA Rochester re-launched our long-running Explorers program with Scouting America’s Seneca Waterways Council. Ten high school participants, the majority of whom were young women, enjoyed a whirlwind, six-session introduction to architecture.

Led by Barbara and fellow AIA Rochester mentors, our Explorers participated in six themed sessions: Joining Night, A Day in the Office, Sustainable Design and LEED Project Tour, College Prep & Site Design, Tour of First Unitarian Church, and Sketching Rochester.  This ambitious program took students into an architecture office, introduced them to virtual reality as a design tool, took them on tours of a sustainable building and Louis Kahn’s First Unitarian Church, and got them into our downtown to sketch. With the support of area firms, the Explorers program was offered at no fee to our ten participants.

AIA Rochester’s Explorers architecture post was reinstated as a complementary program to the Rochester chapter of the ACE Mentor Program. The ACE program is quite large but ultimately limited by space and mentors available. Barbara wanted another opportunity for students who were unable to register for ACE to learn about architecture.  Our Explorers program will hopefully engage curious students who can then go on to participate in the ACE program in the fall and winter.  Though ACE is its own entity, many of our members volunteer through the program. This year, ACE offers specialty classes in architecture, engineering, construction and the trades.

Information about our spring Explorer’s post will be shared on social media in late winter, and information about the ACE program can be found at https://www.acementor.org/affiliates/rochester-ny/.

For more educational opportunities for K-12 students, visit our Become an Architect page at https://www.aiaroc.org/become-an-architect and look for the Local Opportunities section.

11 - December 11 Holiday Party

On this eleventh night of the month, AIA Rochester is holding our annual Holiday Party! There are still a few tickets left; please register to attend. Free for members, $20 nonmember guests.

Presented by Tremco and Elmer W. Davis Roofing.

12 - Twelve Months of Programming

Today we look ahead to the next 12 months of networking, member services, education, and advocacy from AIA Rochester. The 2026 Board of Directors, led by 2026 President Kory Hunsinger, AIA, has already started meeting to plan goals and activities in alignment with the new strategic plan. Check out all those initiative ideas from the BOD on sticky notes, aligned with the three foci of our long-term goals: advocacy/education, membership, and support for emerging professionals.

Next year’s board is again full of energetic, dedicated professionals who are passionate about architecture. We invite all of you to join us whether through attending an event, joining a committee that speaks to you, or partnering with us to support these endeavors.

We wish you all a happy holiday season and look forward to a new year together!

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