Lastly, I’d like to focus your attention on a particular program at the Leadership Retreat which I think will be of interest to all of you. On Thursday morning, October 14, the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (J.E.D.I.) Committee will be holding a panel discussion with representatives of four firms who will share with you a discussion of their firms’ efforts to create a more equitable framework for their firms and employees.  Read More

For this month’s entry, I really want to focus on the idea of Mentorship. But first, I need to close the loop on an item I brought up the last time I wrote to you. 

In my last entry, I mentioned that the biggest news to hit the Young Architects Forum this year is that the Regions are dissolving, and all YARDS will be state based. Just as a reminder, this doesn’t really affect Michigan simply because we’re already state based. But for those who aren’t state based, the change will happen like this: The YARDS that are transitioning into next year will maintain the regions they already represent. Those who are rolling off for their replacement to come in will see this change take place by the end of this year. This will be an exciting change because it means our team will be growing very quickly. 

Now onto Mentorship. The first opportunity that I want to let you know about is called the COF/YAF Align Mentorship program. This program acts as a vehicle that connects fellows with emerging professionals to help align EPs with their career goals. When you apply, you will be grouped into what are called PODs that will consist of 4-6 young architects and 2-3 fellows. This program not only helps align an emerging professional’s strategy with their career goals, but also gets more youth involved with the COF’s initiatives. I highly recommend joining this program because the best way to reach your destination is to talk to someone who has already been down the path. To join, reach out to Ryan McEnroe, AIA at or call/text (480) 244-9402. Read More