Yesterday evening, we had the privilege of celebrating Studio W’s own Chris Garcia at the AIA Central Valley’s Legacy & Leadership Night as he was appointed Director to the AIACV Board of Directors. This annual event honors the Chapter Commendation recipients, outstanding volunteers, Sustaining Partners, Experience Architecture sponsors and community partners, while welcoming the next slate of chapter leaders.
When asked about his new role, Chris shared how meaningful it is to be recognized by his peers. “Serving on the Board represents an opportunity to give back to an organization that has supported my growth and allowed me to connect with so many talented and passionate individuals,” he said.
Chris’ involvement with the AIA’s Central Valley Chapter initially began with attending Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE) meetings, which evolved into becoming the Committee co-chair, an experience he found incredibly rewarding as he helped support its evolution. He also became involved with the annual Experience Architecture festival after exploring the Hands-on Architecture for Kids event with his children a few years ago, which he now proudly hosts at our Sacramento Studio. What keeps him engaged is the intersection of community impact, collaboration and education-focused programming.
Looking ahead, Chris hopes to strengthen the AIACV’s support for education-focused design, elevate member engagement across all committees and continue building meaningful connections between practitioners, students and community partners. “I’m especially interested in ensuring our programs reflect the needs of architects at every stage of their career,” he noted. He is particularly pleased with CAE’s work in establishing design awards that highlight outstanding local education projects and aims to further expand and elevate this program in the years ahead.
For those considering getting involved with the AIA, Chris offers simple but strong advice, “Start early and dive in. AIA is a welcoming community of architects eager to share ideas, support one another and improve our built environment. The sooner you participate, the more opportunities you’ll discover to learn, lead and make an impact.”
Congratulations to Chris on this well-deserved recognition and exciting new role. We’re proud to support you and look forward to seeing all that you accomplish as Director of the AIA Central Valley Board of Directors.
Chris Garcia, Chelsea Pozar & Yas Kavousi celebrating at AIACV’s Legacy & Leadership Night
