Nominees
Nominees list below appear in no particular order.

PRESIDENT Candidates

Chris Cochran

  My name is Chris Cochran and I would like to be considered for the position of AIAS Illinois President. I will be entering my first year of graduate studies next year. In my two years here at UIUC, I have served as Internal Vice President and currently as External Vice President. I have been involved with almost all AIAS events in the last two years and have enjoyed getting to know the members and finding out what they want from this organization. I feel that the next logical step for me in my leadership role at this school would be to serve as President. I am completing my second term as AIA Illinois Student Director where I have learned the importance of becoming involved early with the AIA. If elected, I would strive to continue to improve communication among AIAS chapters as well as local and regional AIA components. These organizations have a lot to offer and students can learn a lot from them. Thank you for your consideration of me for this position.

Rosemarie Venen

  I would like to nominate myself for President. I have shown my immense dedication to this organization through my previous offices held as President, Versailles Chair, and Past President Advisor. Having been the President two years ago, I am confident that my previous experience coupled with my motivation and dedication to the organization will make AIAS successful and great next year. I am enthusiastic that together with my officers we can re-excite the student population about what AIAS and AIA have to offer architecture students. I plan to focus on creating events and for all years of students, and informing all students of the great networking advantages within the regional and national offices of AIAS and AIA. As a first year graduate student next year, and as a UIUC undergrad, I feel I understand what the students need and am prepared to give all my energy to providing it.

INTERNAL VICE PRESIDENT Candidates

Emily Bateman

  My name is Emily Bateman and I am nominating myself for the position of Internal Vice President of AIAS Illinois. I have served for the last year as the President and prior to that as Secretary of the organization. As Internal Vice President I would work to plan and organize beneficial events for members of all years in architecture. These events would include more social gatherings, workshops, and lectures. I believe that my experience on the AIAS Board for the past two years, as well as the ASAC Board as Vice President of Academic Affairs, will assist me in better serving the AIAS Members. If elected I would do my best to make it a great year!

TREASURER Candidates

John Timmerman

  My name is John Bernard Timmerman and I am a junior in architecture.  I am currently very active in many activities such as AIAS, SBMA, Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, as well as others.  I been to almost every general meeting as well as been a participant at Forum in Denver and the Spring Quad Conference in Indianapolis.  I am great at communication and would be able to be an active member with the new executive board as well as be able to communicate with past officers.  I have previously served as on the Executive Council in my fraternity and now have that free time to devote to efficiently run the treasurer office in AIAS and use the skills I have obtained from this to their best use.

SECRETARY Candidates

Britta Monson

  My name is Britta Monson and I would like to nominate myself for the position of Secretary. I have been an active member of AIAS for the past three years, attending the majority of events and conferences. Outside of AIAS I held the position of ASAC President for Academic Affairs last year, and have acted as Past President Advisor since. From this experience, I feel that I have the necessary organizational skills required to be a board member, and it is with this and my enthusiasm for AIAS Illinois that I know I can be a successful secretary. Thank you very much for your consideration.

FREEDOM BY DESIGN Co-Captain Candidates

Adam Coers

Hello, My name is Adam Coers and I wish to nominate myself for the office of Freedom by Design Co-Captain. This past year, I was very active in this organization with the Build Project in East St. Louis. I was involved in all aspects of the build even though I spent more time on some parts than others; and I would like to become equally involved as I go through my years here in Chambana.
I feel that I could bring alot to our still growing organization. In High School I was very active in the FFA organization serving as an officer and then later winning the State FFA Degree, which is the highest honor which can be won at the state level, which required me to show excellent leadership, public relations, and the detailed accurate record keeping skills. Skills which I would like to put into practice with Freedom by Design.

Sarah Hussaini

  Initially, I showed interest in Freedom By Design because of my younger sister. Years ago, her autism opened my eyes to a world in which there is no importance or accommodation for the disadvantaged. I have grown up dealing with and adjusting for her needs; in the process, I have tried to develop an understanding of what her life must be like, and I can honestly say: I will never know. When I heard about the Design Charette for Larkin’s Place, I immediately thought of my sister. My family has had the same problem; taking my sister ‘out’ is a gamble, her behavior is unpredictable –even on a good day, her jumping and aimless chatter is focal point of stares and diversion. It was this project that showed me an eye-opening translation: from need to architectural response. The exposure, through FBD, to a community that was trying to initiate change was inspiring. Working in East St. Louis was, again, one of the most significant moments within my architectural experience. I was shown the ability of design to actively change existing conditions and I could see its place in the community. This past year with Freedom by Design has given my education and career path a purpose. I’ve begun to decide where my place is within architecture and see the people as a point of activation. Personally, the community is the driving factor in the design process; working closely with and engaging the society involved is crucial for me. Given the opportunity to play a larger role within Freedom By Design I will continue to design solutions, additionally I would also try to provoke awareness. The aesthetic qualities of architecture make it visually responsive, harnessing its potential has the ability to rouse and educate the way we –as students and professionals –design and respond to our surroundings.

Ryan Seitz

I am an organized individual and feel like I can handle responsibility well. Being a co-captain is definitely a time commitment, but one well worth it. The challenge of managing to put everything together, while still doing well in class seems like it would good be lesson in responsibility, time management, and dedication. While I will be more knowledgeable after completing further years of education, I fully intend to spend the next year devoted to participating in FBD and doing more fun projects.

Louis Jin

My name is Louis Jin and I will be a sophomore in the 2009 – 2010 school year. I would like to run for the Freedom By Design Co-chair because for the past year I have thoroughly enjoyed  my experiences with Freedom By Design. I have been very involved with this program, having been to both build weekends and to  every meeting.  I was also in a four-person team that competed in the AIAS Cardboard Chair Design Competition this semester.  In my time here, I have accumulated over sixty hours of community service with Freedom By Design and with this experience I know that I have the leadership and abilities to be an effective co-chair. If I become co-chair next year I hope to continue helping our community while better promoting the cause of Freedom By Design.

INTERNATIONAL Chair Candidates

Jason Soderlund

  I would like to nominate myself for the Versailles Chair next year. I have two years of AIAS leadership under my belt. I was an active participant in the organization of 2007's Midwest Quad Conference that we hosted, and I am also this year's Internal Vice President. As the Internal Vice President, I have organized the Lunch and Learn events and the AIAS Broomball Bonanza event last semester (look out for another one this semester!) I feel this experience would make me a qualified representative for AIAS overseas in Versailles, France.

Haley O'Brien

My name is Haley O'Brien and I am currently a sophomore architecture student at the University of Illinois. Since high school, my interest in architecture has developed into a passion. I interned at two different architecture firms for the last 4 summers developing my enthusiasm for architecture and design my mother is a travel agent, I have travelled all over the world. From Australia to Italy, my appreciation for other cultures has heightened. Every country I visit, I am eager to see the architectural landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House and La Sagrada familia. I am excited to participate in the Versailles Study Abroad Program in order to continue travelling and to study architecture and history in Europe. Though my travels I hope to bring back exciting new ideas and designs from Europe.
This year I am the Publicity and Advertisements Co-Chair for Freedom by Design. As an active member, I helpded design a handicap accessible ramp for a Women's Abuse Center in east St. Louis, IL. i am currently helping with Freedom by Design's new project with the Charleston Transitional Facility. In addition, I have participated in AIAS's Resume and Portfolio workshops, Sketch-Up, and Revit workshops.
Next year, as the International (Versailles) Chair, I hope to encourage my peers to join AIAS and experience the opportunities and advantages of membership. After talking to the current International Chair, John Wieser, i hope to update the AIAS members in Versailles about the current events taking place at the University of Illinois. Although the members abroad will not be able to participate in many activities such as Lunch-N-Learns and workshops, they can still participate in design competitions. While I am in Versailles I plan to hold meetings in order to update members on current AIAS events, encouraging their continued participation. As the International Chair, I will to stay connected to the AIAS community while embracing the study abroad experience.

Debbie Morris

I am nominating myself, Debbie Morris, as the International Chair while I study abroad next year in Versailles, France. I have been an active AIAS and Freedom By Design member since fall of 2007. A few activities I have been involved in with these organizations includes attending the Chicago Firm Tour, installing grab bars in an Urbana home, contacting potential clients and donators for Freedom By Design, and helping at the Larkin's Place Design Charrette. As the International Chair, I would write to our school's chapter of the AIAS every two weeks updating them on the study abroad experiences of the students in Versailles. My goal is to effectively communicate between the study abroad students and the AIAS so that we know what is happening at UIUC and the AIAS knows what we are doing in Versailles.

WEB & MEDIA Chair Candidates

John Wieser

  John is a Junior in the School of Architecture, participating in the 2008-2009 Versailles Study Abroad Program. John has been active in AIAS since his sophomore year, when he helped coordinate the Midwest Spring Quad Conference, and has continued his involvement by taking AIAS abroad as the 2008-2009 Versailles Chair.
As Web/Media chair, John would take care of the design and production of print media for AIAS (posters, flyers, etc.) and would be responsible for keeping the website current with AIAS Illinois' exciting agenda. His proficiency with the Adobe Suite and creativity make him an ideal candidate for the job.

 

Questions
The election results will be monitored by current officers who are not running for an officer position and the selected Elections Committee. The results will be posted on the chapter website once all the votes have been collected.