Again, for the First Time
Next week, my family and I will pack the contents of our modest home atop Cedar Hill into a moving truck and return home. For the first time.
It wasn’t a given that I was going to respond to the recruiter’s voicemail. Entertaining a job offer in the City where I met my wife meant that we would also be willing to leave a place that had become home—a place where we had bought our first house, adopted our first dog, and brought our child into the world. Cleveland is all half of our little family has known and it is a great life that we have built alongside all (and thanks to many) of you. It also meant that I would be unable to fulfill my leadership commitment to AIA Cleveland, just months before I was to become Chapter President. And then there was the job: as an architect working in Cleveland’s community development field, I had the distinct privilege of collaborating closely with residents, leaders, and funders to breathe new life into neighborhoods and envision the future for cherished places—from single family homes in Slavic Village to senior living at Saint Luke’s and from a transit strategy for West 25
th
to a more transit-oriented future for Shaker Square. It was my honor to facilitate this work on behalf of so many worthy people and places and I thank all of you that showed up to meetings and spoke with me about them—your concern and care made every project better.
AIA Cleveland has emerged as a conduit for passionate architects that want to improve practice and make the region a better place. In the five years I have been on the board we have charted a more relevant course for the proud chapter, from getting serious about policy to having some fun on the beach while engaging the community in a way (and at a scale) that nobody thought possible. An old program that felt new again. I will always be honored by the trust placed in me to help lead the chapter and will also always regret having to depart prior to seeing out the opportunity.
Instead, Jodi van der Wiel, AIA, Vocon will give way to David Craun, AIA, Bialosky (2020 First Vice President) to lead the Chapter in 2021. We will celebrate this transition and elect a host of new board members—including two Vice Presidents that will start their own leadership countdowns—at the annual meeting in October. Please consider investing your own time and talent in this worthy pursuit or at least help us identify a peer with potential that needs to be in the conversation. All nominations and feedback should be sent directly to Patty Lampert at
Director@AIACleveland.com
. Please see below for a list of open positions.
It has been seventeen years since I last lived in Lincoln, Nebraska, which is why it will feel new again when I begin a leadership role with NeighborWorks Lincoln later this month. I will cheer on the AIA Cleveland’s continued success from there and hope that it can be a model for the type of progressive experimentation and forward-thinking dialogue that Northeast Ohio sorely needs.
Thanks for making the first time feel so familiar, Cleveland.
Best,
Wayne Mortensen, AIA
