I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season. Last year flew by! If you missed our annual meeting which was hosted at the office of o2, here’s a quick summary of the year…

At the annual meeting, we presented several awards to retiring Board Members and owe them a BIG thank you for their many years of service!



Richard Hobbs, FAIA

In recognition of his outstanding dedication and service to the Chapter and to the architectural profession as AIA President of Seattle (1986), National AIA Board of Directors (1986 – 1989); Vice President of Professional Practice on the AIA National Staff (1990-2001) and most recently as a board member and Director of the California Desert Chapter from 2019 to 2023.

Thank you for pioneering our relationship with Palm Springs Modernism Week and dedicating countless hours of your time to qualify lectures and tours as learning opportunities for our members throughout the country to achieve their required continuing education learning units. Thank you for sharing your vast amount of AIA experience to mentor all of us by your knowledge, experience, and dedication to the AIA.

Daniel Spencer, AIA

In recognition of his outstanding dedication and service to the California Desert Chapter and to the architectural profession as a member of the Chapter Board of Directors from 2018 to 2023 in the roles of Director (2018), President (2019 – 2022) and Past President (2023).

Thank you for your leadership and always being our ally and connector between the many Architectural organizations in Palm Springs including PS Mod Com, PS Architectural Alliance, PS Historical Society, the City of Palm Springs, PS Architecture and Design Center, PS Preservation Matters and the College of the Desert Campus Planning Efforts.

Florence A. Hagstrom, Executive Director Hon. AIA CA

In recognition of her outstanding dedication and service to the California Desert Chapter and to the architectural profession as a member of the Chapter Board of Directors in the role of Executive Director from 2006 to 2023.

As a member of the AIA for twenty-eight years and as the Executive Director of the California Desert Chapter for seventeen years, thank you from your Chapter members, CACE colleagues, and leadership at the local, state, and national levels for always working tirelessly on behalf of the organization. Recognized as an Honorary AIA of Inland California (2011) and Honorary AIA California Council (2013), we wish you all the best in your much deserved retirement and always look forward to seeing you in the future!

We wrapped up the Annual Meeting with a presentation of the proposed Board Slate for 2024 and I am happy to report that the members present voted unanimously for the new board and the new board was inducted by Richard Hobbs at the end of the meeting.

President:                                         Kathy Friedle, Assoc. AIA (‘24) 

V.P. President-Elect / Treasurer:      Geoffrey Gregory, AIA (‘24) 

Secretary:                                         L. Campbell, AIA Emeritus (‘24)

Director:                                            Todd Verwers, AIA (‘25) 

Director:                                            Marina Acosta, Assoc. AIA (‘24

Chapter Lead / Director:                   Jorge Garcia, Assoc. AIA (‘25) 

Assoc. Director:                                Bing Bu, Assoc. AIA (‘25) 

Student Director:                              Molly Glaab, President of AIAS

Past President / AIA CA Rep:           Lance O'Donnell, AIA (‘24)

• More Scholarships to College of the Desert Architecture Students
•  Active Fundraising on a much bigger scale
•  October 2024 (Project Tours by our members in conjunction with Modernism Week) with a goal to raise $10K
• Shadowing / Mentoring Approach for board members – active succession plan in place so the annual board slate is more seamless and new board members are ready to roll at the start of their term.
•  Increase membership (interior designers, Assoc. AIA memberships, potential sponsorships by firm owners)