FROM THE PRESIDENT

Greetings!

I hope you’ve all had a great start to the new year. It’s hard to believe it’s already April – this year is moving quickly, and with it, so is the momentum of our organization.

We’ve had a strong and active start across the state. Our sections continue to bring architecture to life through hard-hat tours at projects like the Artspace Wingate Campus, ASU’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Lyon College’s Dental School and many others. These experiences – along with our ongoing CEU opportunities – are more than events; they are reminders of the impact our work has on communities. Our committees are also creating meaningful conversations and connections, from the Diversity Committee’s Building Momentum webinar to the Women in Industry leadership breakfast and panel. These moments are shaping not just our profession, but the culture that defines it.

We also have remarkable leadership to celebrate. AIA Arkansas’ own Kiara Gilmore, AIA, is serving as this year’s national chair of the AIA Young Architects Forum – an achievement that reflects both her leadership and the strength of our state. Alongside her, Lauren Miller, AIA, is serving as our AIA Arkansas YAF representative, and Justice Barnes, Assoc. AIA, is representing us on the National Associates Committee. Seeing our members lead at the national level is a powerful reminder that Arkansas architects are helping shape the future of the profession.

Looking ahead, there is much to be excited about. The AIA Arkansas Convention will be held October 7-9 in Rogers – please save the date. Design Awards are now open, with entries due April 15 and project submissions due June 1. This is our opportunity to celebrate the work that defines us and to elevate the standard of design across our state. On the national stage, the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design will take place in San Diego from June 10–13, with early bird registration available through April 10.

We’re also preparing for the sixth annual MERGE Mentorship Program, with applications due April 7. Mentorship is one of the most powerful ways we invest in each other and in the future of our profession. Whether you’re just beginning your career or have decades of experience, your perspective matters -- and your participation makes a difference.

One of the most meaningful ways we give back is through our partnership with the Alex Foundation’s Summer Design Camps. These camps introduce rising seventh graders to architecture and the built environment, sparking curiosity about how design shapes the places we live and the stories we tell. It’s an opportunity to inspire the next generation – and to remind ourselves why we chose this profession in the first place.

Our Legislative Committee continues to advocate for thoughtful, creative development across Arkansas. We are currently supporting Issue 3, which would establish Economic Development Districts and help level the playing field with surrounding states. Advocacy is one of the most important things we do as an organization, and I encourage you to consider supporting our PAC. While many of us believe advocacy is essential, only about 2% of members currently contribute – there is real opportunity for us to strengthen our collective voice.



Finally, I’m excited to share that AIA Arkansas will be participating in the America ByDesign television program on CBS News, showcasing some of the best architecture from AIA members across the country. We are currently accepting project submissions for consideration. This is a unique opportunity to share the quality, creativity and impact of Arkansas architecture with a national audience. I encourage you to begin thinking about projects that tell your story – and ours.

Thank you for such a strong start to the year. There is real energy across our chapters, and it speaks to the passion and commitment of this community. I’m honored to serve alongside you, and I look forward to all that we will accomplish together in the months ahead.



With great appreciation,

Chris East, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, ALEP

AIA Arkansas President

Cromwell

MEMBER NEWS

Chris Baribeau, Meryati Blackwell

Elevated to AIA College of Fellows

Two longtime, distinguished AIA Arkansas members – Chris Baribeau, FAIA, and Meryati Blackwell, FAIA – have been elevated to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects, one of the highest honors awarded to architects in the United States. Blackwell is the first woman practicing in Arkansas to receive this distinction. AIA announced Feb. 9 that 78 architects nationwide were elevated this year. Fellowship recognizes architects who have made significant contributions to the profession and to society on a national level. Candidates must have at least 10 years of AIA membership and demonstrate impact in advancing design standards, improving professional practice, coordinating the building industry or elevating the quality of the built environment. Fellows are selected by a nine-member jury of fellows.

Chris Baribeau

Baribeau is the principal architect and co-founder of Modus Studio, a progressive and mutable design collective. The firm is based in Fayetteville and has contributed a broad range of influential, sustainable and award-winning place-making projects to the built realm since its inception in 2008. Together with a companion fabrication lab, Modus Shop, the firm bridges the profession with architectural, graphic, prototyping and fabrication work. Craft in the hand of design and making is at the core of their design vocabulary, used to create architectures founded in a think, make, do process.

As the leader of the firm, Chris draws daily inspiration and experience from his place, the threshold between the natural and man-made world of the Ozarks. He is an advocate of conscious observation as inspiration for design and views the world around him as an unwritten instruction manual for living. Chris follows an idea; the idea that architecture can be sourced from the simple, everyday experiences of life. He believes the architecture that results from these experiences can be inspiring to all people in a personal, practical and sustainable way. People deserve good space and good buildings, derived from good ideas.

Meryati Blackwell

Born and raised in Perlis, Malaysia, Meryati (Ati) pursued her education across three continents, at the Architectural Association in London, the Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia and the University of Miami, where she earned her degree in architecture and planning. That early life of crossing cultures shaped the sensitivity at the heart of her practice: a belief that architecture should begin with lived experience, how light enters a room, how a threshold is felt, how materials carry memory.

For over 25 years, Ati has been a principal and director of interiors at Marlon Blackwell Architects in Fayetteville, where she has been instrumental in transforming the firm from a sole proprietorship into an internationally recognized practice with over 220 design awards and honors. A licensed architect, certified interior designer and LEED AP, she brings all of those disciplines together in work that is as rigorous as it is deeply human. "Ati has been a consistent presence, persuasive voice and powerful force in our firm from the very beginning,” notes Marlon Blackwell. “Without Ati, we would not have achieved the international design reputation we now enjoy. Ati has become a true leader in the firm and is the driving force behind our transformation from a small, local firm to a professional studio with a robust national and international presence. Although she has long deferred individual recognition due to her quiet nature, Ati deserves to be recognized at the highest level of our profession – and that is exactly what this elevation to the College of Fellows represents."

Her portfolio tells the story of a practice in full: from the intimate Tanglewood Cabin to civic and educational work like the Marygrove Early Education Center, the Thaden School and the Heartland Whole Health Institute in Bentonville. Across all of it, her authorship is consistent: spaces shaped from the inside out, where material richness and sensory clarity become acts of civic and cultural transformation.

Beyond her built work, Ati has been a tireless advocate for equity in the profession. She co-founded the MBA/NOMAS Summer Internship Program, established the Advance Arkansas Endowed Scholarship for Fay Jones School students from the Delta and has driven the pro bono and fundraising efforts behind some of the firm's most meaningful community projects. It is that same instinct, to open doors for others, that ultimately led her to pursue fellowship itself.

Reese Rowland Featured

In Newspaper’s Profile Section

Reese Rowland, FAIA, principal at Polk Stanley Wilcox in Little Rock, was featured in the March 22 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette High Profile section. Reese’s dedication to crafting meaningful spaces through innovative, sustainable architecture has been rewarded with over 60 national, regional and state design awards. He is one of just roughly 3,000 architects nationally elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows.  His Heifer International World Headquarters design received the nation’s highest honor for architecture, the 2008 AIA National Institute Honor Award. 

He has designed some of Arkansas’ most recognized buildings, including Acxiom’s River Market Tower Headquarters, Bank OZK Headquarters, Heifer’s Education Center and the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce.  His reputation among clients is that of a strong collaborator and a partner in distilling their vision into physical, yet personal narratives. Reese is the proud father of two sons, Preston and Pierce, whom he credits as his greatest influences and achievements above any professional recognition.

Here’s some Q&A with Reese from that newspaper article:

The best part of my job is:

“Dreaming … developing the spark of an idea in sketches that gradually turns into structures that lift space and spirit, and impact people’s lives. I love going to a project years after it opens, where no one knows me, and just watching people enjoy the spaces.”

The best advice I ever received:

"Be passionate about architecture, but don’t let it consume you – do not miss your children growing up. That season is so brief, but it will shape your relationship with them for a lifetime." Tommy Polk gave me that advice from his own experience, just before the birth of my first child, Preston. I took that to heart and never missed anything either of my sons were involved with or passionate about. I loved every minute of watching and participating in their lives and still do. They are my greatest design influence.”

My personal philosophy/motto is:

“Great design can occur at any place, size or cost when taken on with passion, knowing that our efforts can make a difference. Approach the work as a humble offering.”

WER Promotes Three

To Senior Associates

WER Architects is pleased to announce the promotion of Ben Cruce, Betsy Offutt and Jack Reilly to senior associates at the firm. “Each of these individuals has demonstrated consistent leadership, technical excellence and a deep commitment to our clients and communities,” WER Architects CEO Russ Fason said. “These promotions recognize both their accomplishments and dedication in their time at WER and the meaningful impact in shaping the future of WER Architects. We’re excited to see their continued growth and leadership.” 

Ben Cruce, AIA / Senior Associate, Project Architect

Ben’s interest in architecture began at a young age working for his grandfather’s construction company. It was there that the importance of constructability and common-sense detailing laid its roots, which are still evident in the work he produces today. Ben earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the UofA in 2011. In his studies, Ben participated in the Camp Aldersgate Design-Build Studio, which won the team the John A. White Faculty Student Collaboration Award. He studied abroad in Rome and was awarded the Hnedak Bobo Group International Design Award for work done in his Mexico City study abroad studio. After graduation, Ben joined a local architectural design firm for 10 years where he designed and managed a variety of project types including: single family residential, commercial office, retail, medical, higher education, food service, civic and industrial. He became a licensed architect in 2018 and joined the WER team at the beginning of 2022.

Betsy Offutt, ASID, NCIDQ, WELL AP / Senior Associate, Interior Designer

Betsy first joined WER as an interior design intern in the summer of 2017, and her success led to WER offering her a part-time position while she completed her degree. In June 2018, she was hired as a full-time interior designer at the firm. Betsy graduated from Harding University and earned a B.A. in Interior Design. She is originally from Tulsa but has become a die-hard fan of the Razorbacks. She loves the challenge of creating functional and aesthetically pleasing spaces, especially through healthcare and educational design. Betsy’s passion for cultivating her knowledge through art and architectural history complements WER's goals and brings value to the interior design department. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors and playing sports.

Jack Reilly, AIA, ICC BPE / Senior Associate, Project Architect

Jack is a project architect with over 15 years of experience. His portfolio spans a wide array of projects, from coffee shops and restaurants to medical office buildings and large-scale cultural and sports venues, including the Walton Arts Center, Fred Smith Football Center and Opera in the Ozarks. Certified as an ICC B3 plans examiner, Jack leverages his in-depth understanding of building codes to design with intention and precision. His work is defined by a passion for thoughtful design and a commitment to creating spaces that are both functional and inspiring.

Beyond his practice, Jack is an active advocate for the architectural profession. In 2023, he served as the section chair of the AIA Northwest Arkansas Chapter, demonstrating his leadership and dedication to advancing the field in his community. With a genuine love for the built environment, Jack continues to engage with architecture on all levels, pushing creative boundaries while honoring the past and future of design.

Modus Gets Grant

For Shelter Prototype

Fayetteville-based Modus Studio has received a $258,000 grant to develop and validate a mass-timber community storm shelter prototype designed to meet ICC 500 standards for FEMA-compliant safe rooms. Funding was provided by the Softwood Lumber Board and the USDA Forest Service. Modus Studio has been designing FEMA-compliant safe rooms for Arkansas schools for years. It has completed multipurpose storm shelters in Omaha, Jasper, Searcy and Flippin. According to a press release, firm leaders wondered why, if Arkansas is rich in timber resources and mass timber manufacturing capacity, are school districts limited almost exclusively to concrete when building ICC 500–compliant shelters?

“This started as an Arkansas conversation,” Jason Wright, Assoc. AIA, a partner at Modus Studio, said. “We have the forests. We have the manufacturers. We have school districts required by code to build storm shelters. If we can validate CLT for this application here, it opens a responsible, scalable pathway not just for our state, but for tornado-prone communities across the country.”

^{Jason Wright, Assoc. AIA}

The project will establish cross-laminated timber as a performance-based, code-recognized wall and roof assembly for community storm shelters. Currently, most ICC 500 storm shelters rely on concrete or CMU construction, limiting material options in a rapidly growing, code-driven market, particularly in tornado-prone regions like Arkansas, where new K–12 schools are required to include compliant shelters under the International Building Code, the release said.

Modus will lead a team consisting of Aspect Engineers, Mercer Mass Timber, Sterling Structural and ICC-ES to conduct accredited structural and impact testing of PRG 320–compliant Southern Yellow Pine CLT assemblies. The testing will verify compliance with ICC 500 tornado shelter criteria, including missile impact, wind pressure and connection performance. All testing will be conducted in coordination with ICC-ES and structural engineering partners, with results submitted for certification review.

Under the International Building Code, new K–12 schools in tornado-prone regions, conditionally, must include ICC 500–compliant storm shelters. By expanding approved material options, the initiative aims to support resilient infrastructure while opening new markets for mass timber. The grant-funded project will culminate in an ICC-ES compliance package, technical report and publicly available white paper outlining testing results, certification pathways, and act as a practical resource for architects, engineers, manufacturers and school districts, according to the release.

Cabot Justice Center

Receives Design Award

The City of Cabot has received a regional interior design award from the South-Central Section of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) for the Cabot Justice Center at Cabot, recognizing its’ beautifully designed interior renovation serving multiple municipalities. Funded as part of the 2021 voter-approved municipal bond initiative, the Justice Center represents a long-term investment in Cabot’s public infrastructure. Originally an abandoned shopping center, the Cabot Justice Center’s design supports a wide range of vital civic functions – from law enforcement and emergency response to court proceedings and public meetings – while maintaining a very efficient footprint within the existing structure of the former shopping center.

Designed by WDD Architects in North Little Rock, the Cabot Justice Center is a 44,000-square-foot facility that brings together the Cabot Police Department, City’s Administration meeting space and District Court, Lonoke County 911 dispatch and the city’s Connect2First fiber utility. The building was planned as a functional civic hub, with interior spaces designed to support both daily operations and public facing spaces.  Built by Baldwin & Shell on the interior renovation and Nabholz on the exterior work, this project was built in two phases and completed within budget. Engineering was provided by Halff for civil & landscape, HSA for mechanical, electrical and plumbing and Jacques Pierini for structural.

A central feature of the facility is the multi-use meeting room that also serves the City Council, Planning Commission, District Court and other public functions, reflecting a flexible, community-focused approach to civic design. “The Justice Center was designed to bring critical municipal services together in a way that improves efficiency and serves the public,” WDD Architects President & CEO Chad Young, AIA, said. “We’re honored to see the design recognized at the regional level.” 

Reserve your room today for the

2026 AIA Arkansas State Convention!

A block of rooms is available at the

Embassy Suites Northwest Arkansas Hotel, Spa & Convention Center

Rates start at $189++ per night for reservations made by September 6, 2026 (subject to availability).

📞 Call 479-254-8400 to book and be sure to mention AIA Arkansas to receive the group rate.

Call for Presentation Proposals

2026 AIA Arkansas State Convention

AIA Arkansas is now accepting proposals from our members & current Allied members for presentations at the 2026 AIA Arkansas State Convention in Rogers, AR.

Visit www.aiaar.org to submit your presentation by the deadline.

AFFILIATE MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL

Affiliate Membership in AIA Arkansas is available to non-architects, registered to practice their professions where such requirements exist, with established professional reputations. Professional affiliates may include engineers, planners, landscape architects, interior designers, sculptors, muralists and other artists, professionals in government, education, industry, research, and journalism, and other professionals whose work is related to the practice of architecture.

Hard Hat Tour - April 16th

Lyon College School of Dental Medicine - Phase 2 & 3

Marlon Blackwell, FAIA

Blackwell Retires From

Teaching at University

Marlon Blackwell, FAIA, has announced his retirement from teaching at the University of Arkansas, where he was Distinguished Professor of Architecture and the E. Fay Jones Chair in Architecture in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and the 2020 recipient of the AIA Gold Medal. Since joining the faculty in 1992, he has taught hundreds of students and served in leadership roles in the Fay Jones School, while developing and expanding his Fayetteville-based professional practice, Marlon Blackwell Architects.

“As Marlon departs from the school to devote himself more fully to the continued success of his professional practice, we have occasion to mark and admire his equally accomplished 33-year tenure as a faculty member and school administrator,” Peter MacKeith, dean of the school, said. “As an architectural educator alone, Marlon has been deeply influential for a generation of Fay Jones School architecture students, and just as transformative for the school’s advancement into the ranks of nationally recognized programs in architecture and design. He has been a worthy holder of the E. Fay Jones Chair in Architecture, amplifying the legacy of the school’s namesake through his own example of the consummate educator-practitioner. Marlon’s departmental leadership richly enhanced the curriculum and set the standard for the school’s growth. As well, his advocacy of the school across the nation and the world laid the groundwork for the advancement of the school into its current position today. He is very much missed as a colleague, but forever respected and, it is fair to say, beloved.”

When Dan Bennett served as dean of the Fay Jones School from 1991-2000, he hired Blackwell after Marlon spent four years practicing in Louisiana, five years practicing in Boston and then a year in graduate school with Syracuse University in Florence, Italy, before teaching a year at Syracuse University in Syracuse, NY. Bennett, now dean and professor emeritus of Auburn University’s College of Architecture, Design and Construction, also served as interim provost of the UofA from 1998-2000 and is an architect and a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.

“The characteristic that sets Marlon Blackwell apart from his peers, both as a teacher and as an architect, is his dogged determination,” Bennett said. “A student will not leave his studio or a project completed in his office without both being the best that they can possibly become. He ensures that accomplishment by his work ethic, skill and unwillingness to accept anything less than perfection. While it is true that I told Marlon when I brought him to the UofA that I would help him establish an active practice, it was Marlon’s design talent and determination that has led to his success. His work spoke for itself, and that has resulted in the extraordinary reputation that he now enjoys.”

Marlon is an influential educator, administrator and critic, and was honored as the 2020 Southeastern Conference Professor of the Year for his outstanding teaching and leadership. He has served as a visiting professor and critic at numerous universities and has lectured widely on the work of his practice, Marlon Blackwell Architects, both nationally and internationally.

“One of the best decisions I made in my life was to come here,” Blackwell said, “and to be able to teach, be able to have a career with practice, be able to raise a family, be able to do all the things you’d hoped and dream to do, and then have an institution that fundamentally supported that.” The Fay Jones School will present an exhibition of Blackwell’s design work this semester with “Marlon Blackwell Architects: The Unknown, The Unbuilt, and The Possible,” on display March 30 through May 15 in Vol Walker Hall.

MacKeith to Step Down

As Fay Jones School Dean

Peter MacKeith announced that he will step down as dean of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas, effective June 30, in order to return to the faculty and to devote himself more fully to the school's expanding initiatives in timber and wood design innovation. "I am deeply grateful to Dean MacKeith for his extraordinary leadership over the past 12 years," Provost Indrajeet Chaubey said. "His contributions extend beyond our university and have had a profound impact on our state, our nation and the international design community. Most recently, he led the development of the Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation, which will help create affordable housing for our state and region while supporting the timber industry that plays a vital role in Arkansas' economy.

“Peter's tenure as dean has strengthened our university's national reputation and advanced our land-grant mission, and I look forward to continuing to work with him in the years ahead as he returns to the faculty." The university will conduct a national search to identify MacKeith's successor. During MacKeith’s leadership, the school has grown significantly in student enrollment, retention and graduation outcomes, faculty appointments and accomplishments, curricular programs, community engagements and outreach centers, external funded research, new facilities and financial resources. MacKeith recently guided the design and construction of the Anthony Timberlands Center that opened in August. It is a regional center for research and development of new wood products and new approaches to sustainable construction materials. The facility has already received national and international recognition for its design and construction quality.

A 1990 Fulbright Fellow in Finland, MacKeith is honorary consul for Finland in the states of Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas and in 2014, was recognized by the president of Finland as a knight, first class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland for his contributions to the culture of that nation. Prior to his role as dean of the Fay Jones School, MacKeith was an associate dean, professor of architecture and associate curator for architecture and design at the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. He also served as the director of the Master of Architecture - International Program at the Helsinki University of Technology Finland and held previous academic and administrative appointments at the University of Virginia and Yale University. MacKeith received his Master of Architecture and the Alpha Rho Chi Medal from Yale, and he received his BA in literature and international relations, with distinction, as an Echols Scholar from the University of Virginia.

Greg Roberts’ Gift

Supports Healthcare Design

Greg Roberts, FAIA, a University of Arkansas alumnus and retired principal with WHR Architects, has given $3 million to the university to continue support for an endowed chair, establish an endowed scholarship and a program endowment, and provide for the naming of a studio space in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. Originally from Fort Smith, Roberts is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and had a successful career in healthcare design for over three decades. He earned a Bachelor of Architecture from the UofA in 1971 before moving to Houston to begin his career.

The expanding field of healthcare has become increasingly important, particularly in Northwest Arkansas with organizations such as the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine and the Heartland Whole Health Institute. Roberts said he believes it will be advantageous for architecture and design students at the UofA to study healthcare and wellness design. “It’s one building type that has been very rewarding for me. It’s one type that really has an impact with people, not only on their wellbeing but on their longevity,” Roberts said. “Early on in my relationship with Dean MacKeith, we talked about how the school should develop a curriculum with a focus on healthcare and wellness. I’m hoping my gift will help nurture that direction.” This gift increases a $1 million planned gift Roberts made in 2020 that created the Greg L. Roberts Endowed Chair in Healthcare and Wellness Design in the Fay Jones School.

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