Letter from the AIA SFx Chair – June 2026
Reflections from AIA Conference on Architecture & Design 2026
Dear SFx Members,
I am writing this month's Chair's Letter from the airport as I prepare to head home from San Diego. After several days of conversations, sessions, meetings, governance discussions, and more hallway conversations than I can count, I leave energized, optimistic, and perhaps even more convinced than ever that the Small Firm Exchange remains one of the most important voices within AIA.
Before anything else, I want to congratulate our newly elected national leaders. Congratulations to 2027 President-Elect Joyce Owens, FAIA, RIBA, newly elected Secretary Jonathan Matthew Taylor, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, and newly elected Director-at-Large Sarah Woynicz, AIA, NOMA. Your leadership arrives at a pivotal moment for our profession.
I also want to recognize Jeffrey S. Seabold, FAIA, At-Large Director (2026–2028), who has officially become our SFx Liaison to the AIA Board of Directors. We look forward to working together as we continue advocating for small firm practitioners across the country.
Most importantly, thank you to every SFx Board Member, Executive Committee Member, State Representative, and volunteer who attended Conference and supported our programs. You showed up, you participated, and you demonstrated what makes SFx special.
Day Zero: Community Before Conference
Before Conference officially began, SFx kicked things off with our Happy Hour Kickoff event.
Organized by Deborah Smithton and Casey Poole of Smithton Architects, our local San Diego partners answered the call and helped create exactly the type of gathering we envisioned. More than 35 small firm representatives attended.
The goal was simple: create connections on Day Zero so that by Day One, attendees would already have an SFx buddy to explore Conference with.
The location could not have been better. As Deborah described it, "This is where the locals go."
Mixed Grounds Coffee, located at 4555 30th Street in San Diego, delivered exactly the type of authentic experience we hoped for. As the windows opened and the interior spilled into the outdoors, conversations flowed naturally into the evening while we watched the sunset and strengthened the relationships that make SFx such a unique community.
It was also wonderful to reconnect with Past SFx Chairs Dana Ellis (2024) and Matt Clapper (2020), whose leadership helped build the foundation we continue to grow today.
Day One: The SFx Meetup
Our annual SFx Meetup once again proved why it remains one of the most anticipated events at Conference.
Held this year at the Sails Pavilion, the setting was different from previous years when we met on the Expo Floor. While I wish the microphones had worked a little better-even my famously loud voice struggled at times-the energy in the room more than compensated.
The event was effectively sold out.
Attendees from across the country gathered around discussion tables hosted by SFx Board Members and leaders. Topics ranged from artificial intelligence to staffing, business development, succession planning, and firm culture.
One of my favorite table titles belonged to Will Teass:
"Talk to Me About Blank for Small Firms."
It was hilarious, effective, and somehow perfectly representative of what SFx does best.
The Meetup was highly attended, highly engaged, and perhaps most importantly, it created a place where small firm practitioners felt at home discussing both the daily realities and the bigger aspirations of practice.
Next year we are bringing QR codes to every table. I spent far too much time politely begging people not to leave without following our social media channels.
The good news?
We gained more followers than ever before.
The better news?
SFx has fans.
Real fans.
And that brings me to a larger point.
Who Does SFx Represent?
One question I continue to hear is:
"What exactly is the SFx demographic?"
To me, the answer has always been obvious.
The National Associates Committee represents those pursuing licensure.
Young Architects Forum members represent architects during their first ten years of licensure.
The College of Fellows represents architects who have achieved fellowship.
Small firms contain all of them.
My own business partner is active in NAC while helping lead our firm. I work alongside emerging professionals, YAF members, future Fellows, current Fellows, and countless practitioners who do not fit neatly into a single membership category.
As I have said repeatedly:
Two things can be true.
In our case, many things can be true.
We support NAC.
We support YAF.
We support the College of Fellows.
We support architects at every career stage.
But SFx remains the only national community specifically focused on the realities of practice within firms of one to ten people.
We may not have a single box to check on an AIA membership form.
But we absolutely have a constituency.
And that constituency deserves a voice.
Day Two: Leadership, Mentorship, and Inclusion
Day Two provided some of the most meaningful moments of the Conference.
I was honored to participate as a co-author during the City Shapers Volume 2 book signing.
I also volunteered in mentorship sessions alongside members of NAC, YAF, and SFx. Those conversations reminded me why volunteer leadership matters. Every year we meet future leaders of our profession who simply need someone willing to spend time sharing experiences and opening doors.
I also had the opportunity to connect with AIA presidential candidates David Sellers, Kenneth Filarski, Willy Zambrano, and Raya Ani.
Thank you for running.
An AIA where nobody wants to run for leadership positions is an AIA in decline.
Fortunately, that is not where we are.
In fact, we may have more talented leaders stepping forward than I have ever seen.
That is a sign of organizational health.
Governance Conversations Continue
Conference also included important conversations about the future of AIA governance.
I spent time speaking with Strategic Council Moderator Jessica O'Donnell, 2027 President Yiselle Santos, AIA, and At-Large Director Graciela Carrillo, FAIA. We discussed governance, representation, leadership pathways, and the concerns many members continue to raise regarding the Governance Task Force recommendations.
To be clear, many SFx members I spoke with did not feel that consensus has been reached.
The Governance Task Force presentation suggested a direction toward restructuring, including the creation of a Knowledge Advisory Forum intended to strengthen pathways for knowledge sharing and practice enhancement.
While I appreciate the effort and the enormous amount of work that has gone into the process, many of us remain concerned about the characterization of member groups such as SFx, NAC, YAF, and the College of Fellows as primarily knowledge communities.
We are more than that.
We are leadership communities.
We are representation communities.
We are communities of shared experience and shared responsibility.
Paths to the Board should be intentionally crafted for these groups.
Representation should not be incidental.
It should be deliberate.
I recently wrote in my article, "Two Things Can Be True," that AIA can modernize governance while simultaneously preserving meaningful representation.
I continue to believe that.
Small firms deserve representation.
Emerging professionals deserve representation.
Young architects deserve representation.
Fellows deserve representation.
The answer is not either/or.
The answer is both.
Day Three: Small Firms and Artificial Intelligence
The Conference concluded with one of SFx's biggest successes.
Our session, Small Firms & AI: Build Your Low-Risk AI Starter Kit, filled a room that initially felt far too large.
I remember looking at the space and wondering:
"Why did they give us a room this big?"
Within minutes, the answer became clear.
The room filled.
Fast.
The session, led by SFx Board Member and Executive Committee Member Alyse Makarewicz, demonstrated how small firms can responsibly implement AI tools and even build an entire AI-enabled leadership structure.
As I introduced Alyse, I shared something I deeply admire about her:
Her why in architecture is helping women remain in the profession.
That mission inspired her AI journey and highlights something unique about small firms.
We do not need approval from a CEO to innovate.
Most of us are the CEO.
Small firms are uniquely positioned to lead in this space.
What I Learned
Perhaps the most meaningful moments happened outside the sessions.
Hotel lobbies.
Coffee shops.
Airport lounges.
Late-night conversations about AIA's future.
More members approached me than ever before to say:
"I agree with what you've been saying."
Many architects are not naturally outspoken.
I understand that.
But I want those members to know their voices matter.
This year I came to Conference differently.
No media team.
No production crew.
No suit.
Instead, I brought two new AIA Associate members from my office and focused on meeting people where they were.
Expo floor representatives.
ARE candidates.
YAF members.
Fellows.
Future leaders.
Current leaders.
I left with new friendships, new ideas, and a growing list of leadership opportunities I never even knew existed.
Frankly, that raises a question.
Should members really be learning about some volunteer opportunities only days before application deadlines?
That feels like something we can improve.
And yes, before you ask-
I am running for something.
You'll hear more about that soon enough.
Hopefully I make it.
Looking Ahead
As my term as Chair begins to wind down, I find myself incredibly grateful.
Grateful for our Board.
Grateful for our Executive Committee.
Grateful for our State Representatives.
Grateful for our members.
Most of all, grateful for a community that continues to prove that small firms are not a niche within the profession.
We are the profession.
Next year we head to Philadelphia under the leadership of incoming SFx Chair Joshua Zinder.
I have no doubt SFx will arrive stronger than ever.
We'll bring our community.
We'll bring our ideas.
We'll bring our energy.
And yes, we'll bring our own version of the AIA Avengers.
We may occasionally be treated like underdogs.
That's okay.
We kind of like it that way.
See you in Philadelphia.
PS. I got to shake hands with Padma Lakshmi so every time to shake my hands, you have shaken hands with someone who shoke hands with Padma Lakshmi.
Darguin Fortuna, AIA, NCARB, NOMA
2026 Chair
AIA Small Firm Exchange