I came to architecture looking for a place I could belong. What I found - through licensure, through the AIA, through the architects who showed me this profession is not monolithic, through opportunities to rethink business models, processes, and the systems architects work within - was both a community and a responsibility: to help build that space for and with others.

My professional career in architecture has been shaped by a commitment to belonging, service, and redefining and strengthening the systems that support our profession. That commitment has shaped every part of how I engage with this profession. It started locally - restarting the emerging professionals committee in Atlanta and serving on my neighborhood's zoning committee during citywide reform. Yet it has expanded through four years leading the AIA National Align Mentorship Program, serving as a liaison to the Large Firm Roundtable, co-creating the strategic vision of the AIA nationally for the next four years as a member of the 2026-2030 Strategic Planning Committee, and the conversations I am still having with members across components today.

Across every scale - from a single community meeting to national knowledge-body work - one truth has held: the AIA is strongest when it leads by its members, for its members - and beyond, for the communities we work with and serve.

I am running to bring that perspective to the Board. Someone who has built locally, connected nationally, and listened deeply. Someone who believes the next chapter of our profession and organization depends on three things happening together |

Evolving Practice. As our clients, communities, business practices, and tools evolve, so must the systems that support each. Architects are systems thinkers - exceptionally positioned to lead change, not simply respond to it.

Deepening Value. The value of an architect shows up long before a physical space ever takes shape. Making that visible - in policy, in scope, in public understanding - is collective and continual work.

Expanding Belonging. Belonging begins with listening. When architects have the resources to drive evolution, see deepening value, and stay connected through the profession and the AIA, they don't just stay - they lead and transform our world.

Every chapter faces unique daily realities. Yet we are navigating shared challenges too. Engagement is never abstract - it is local, lived, and powerful. And when connected, the impact becomes collective

Work in practice, empowering the collective through connection, and impact of belonging is not small, and I recognize there is more work to do. Let’s work - together.

~ Sarah Woynicz, AIA, NOMA, NCARB
Candidate | 2027-2029 AIA At-Large Director