Submitted
Reed Architecture and Interiors principal David Reed has been named president of AIA Oklahoma during the organization’s annual conference, Sept. 30-Oct. 1 in Edmond.
“David will actually serve as president from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022, but current President Mark Gandy will hand the gavel over to David at the close of this conference,” said AIA Central Oklahoma Executive Director Melissa Hunt, who serves in a similar capacity with the statewide chapter.
Elected vice president in 2019, Reed was scheduled to assume the AIA Oklahoma presidency last year. But the COVID disruptions led this American Institute of Architects chapter to delay the transition.
As president, Reed will serve as the AIA’s primary spokesperson to the Oklahoma Legislature. He will lead AIA Oklahoma board meetings and the organization’s 2022 annual conference in Tulsa.
“I’m very excited to have David as president,” said Hunt. “David has a lot of contacts at the Legislature. I think he’s going to be a good advocate for our profession.”
“It is a great privilege to serve the architects of Oklahoma,” said Reed, “and I am honored to be entrusted by my piers to carry the banner of our profession in 2022, As we are a service profession, I look forward to serving alongside my fellow architects as we work to build relationships with the public. Architects are charged with designing environments that protect the public health, safety, and welfare. In today’s world, that seems more important than ever.”
This marks the second time Reed has led an AIA chapter. In 2018, Reed served as president of AIA Eastern Oklahoma.
“David was a wonderful president at AIA Eastern Oklahoma,” said Executive Director Lindsey Ellerbach. “He led efforts to build relationships with state, local, and national elected officials. During David’s tenure at AIA Eastern Oklahoma, we expanded outreach to K-12 students to teach them about architecture, hosted the Central States Design Awards for the first time in 10 years, and had the largest single-year increase in members since 2008.”
AIA Oklahoma membership includes 746 architects and intern architects from across the state. Its 2021 annual conference will gather at the Edmond Conference Center, Hilton Garden Inn.
“We’re putting in great precautions for the conference, which will meet in person,” said Hunt. “Preparations are moving forward and people are still registering.”
