Cover image: AIA SD President Jeff Nelson, AIA, and AIA SD President-elect Justin Oleson, AIA, meet with U.S. Sen. John Thune to discuss federal issues that impact our state and country. They are by Lakisha Ann Woods, CAE, EVP and CEO of AIA, AIA President-elect Evelyn Lee, FAIA, NOMA, and AIA President Kimberly Dowdell, AIA, NOMAC
By Jeff Nelson, AIA, NCARB President, AIA South Dakota 2024-2025
Hello AIA South Dakota!
My name is Jeff Nelson, and I am your AIA SD President for 2024 and 2025.
Over the many years of my involvement with AIA SD (32 to be exact) I have seen many changes in the face of architecture in the great State of South Dakota. We have come from a very small AIA State component to one that has great promise and one that has a voice that is respected and heard. We have gone from an aging AIA community to one that is vibrant and alive with promise and a definite vision of success for the future. The addition of a school of architecture at SDSU has brought new challenges and opportunities and has given AIA SD a wonderful new partner as we grow together in the years to come.
It is a goal of mine to become more involved and shrink the distance between all members across our State.
Your President-elect, Justin Oleson, AIA, and I just returned from the AIA’s Leadership Summit in Washington, DC. We led discussion with Senators Thune and Rounds and Representative Johnson on key topics such as:
- The Democracy in Design Act, which depoliticizes federal architecture by keeping decision making in the hands of individuals and communities,
- Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 (HR 7024) which is a bill on the floor of the Senate now which provides benefits to working families, readjusts innovation and growth tax credits in research, provides assistance for disaster impacted communities, more affordable housing and lowers the bond financing to 30%. All of these can directly impact and provide benefits for South Dakota.
- Revising the Fee Limitations on Federal Contracts, by clarifying that the 6% fee limitation for A/E services applies to nonmilitary public projects on a cost-plus-a-fixed fee contracts. This further clarifies that Quality Based Selections shall be the standard on all other types of federal contracts.
As we move forward, 2024 will be a Celebration of Architecture for South Dakota. With the kick-off of Say-it Loud last fall, we will be expanding this with a look into the architectural history of South Dakota and celebrating all of the architectural achievements that have been made since our beginning. The future is bright for South Dakota Architecture, and I am proud to be your President and to be a part of your AIA SD.
The Communication Committee is comprised of volunteers of AIA South Dakota and are dedicated to the mission of the Blueprint South Dakota blog. Our goal is to build strong South Dakota communities and to connect ideas and expertise to address challenges in our state. Through the curated content of this site, we want to find a blueprint for better cities and towns.
It is an indication of how strong our presence is that we can get the personal attention of our federal representatives. They always pay attention, but many years we only have visits with staffers. The strength of John Thune’s standing in the senate caused the AIA leadership to join in the visit.