Call for Applications: 2027-28 ACSA Board of Directors

ACSA invites applications for multiple positions on the Board of Directors. The applications will be for consideration by the ACSA Nominations Committee, which recommends a slate of at least two candidates for elected board positions. 

Please review the following term lengths, eligibility requirements, timeline, and background information that describes the organization’s intended directions in the coming years.

Open Board Positions: Second Vice President, Two At-Large Directors (at least one from Canada), and Public Director

Eligible applicants for all Board positions must meet the following requirements:

• Second Vice President. Candidates shall be full-time, tenured, tenure-track, or fixed-term faculty members of a Full Member school at the time of application and throughout the four-year term of office.
• At-Large Director. The ACSA Bylaws require that ACSA have at least one At-Large Director come from a full-member school that is in Canada. The ACSA board intends to nominate at least two individuals to meet this criterion. Candidates for the second At-Large slot shall be full-time tenured, tenure-track, or fixed-term faculty members of a full, candidate, or affiliate member school that has been a member of ACSA for at least two full years.
• Public Director. The Public Director shall not be employed as an architect or person working in the design or construction professions, nor shall they be an educator in architecture or the design or construction professions. The position is appointed by the ACSA Board and not elected by the membership. However, applicants from ACSA member schools are encouraged.

Position Descriptions

Except as noted above, positions for directors begin on July 1, 2027, with terms of service noted below. All directors are expected to attend three in-person board meetings a year: a summer meeting, typically held in early August; a fall meeting, which typically occurs in conjunction with the Administrators Conference; and a spring meeting, which typically occurs in conjunction with the ACSA Annual Meeting. Additionally, board members serve on committees, which may entail travel to a meeting one time per year and conference calls one to two times per month.

The Second Vice President serves a four-year term. The elected person serves for one year, respectively, as Second Vice President, First Vice President/President-Elect, President, and Past President. The President is responsible for calling meetings of the Board of Directors, preparing an agenda, and presiding at such meetings. The President coordinates activities of the board, ACSA committees, and liaison representatives. The President serves as ACSA liaison with the officers of the American Institute of Architects, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, the National Architectural Accrediting Board, the National Organization of Minority Architects, and the American Institute of Architecture Students. During the term of office, the President also prepares a brief report of activities of the organization and the Board of Directors for dissemination to the constituent associations. As First Vice President, the person will chair the Planning Committee, and, as Past President, the person will chair the Nominations Committee.

At-Large Directors serve as liaison to member schools, including participating in organized business meetings; maintaining contact with Faculty Councilors and others associated with member schools; assisting member schools upon request; advising Full, Candidate, or Affiliate member schools; and advising the Board of issues and concerns raised by members. At-Large Directors contribute to the work of the Board through actively serving on Board committees, contributing to collective deliberations, and performing other duties as provided by the Rules of the Board of Directors or as requested by the Board. The terms for the two open positions are described above.

The Public Director serves as a voting member of the board for three years and is expected to serve as a member of the Finance Committee. Public Directors bring an outside perspective to the board based on their particular background and expertise.

Note that the Nominations Committee plans to interview prospective candidates via video conference in August, September, and October 2026.

2026-27 Nominations Committee

José L.S. Gámez, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Past President (chair)

Amma O. Asamoah, Tuskegee Institute, At-Large Director

Heather McMann, Groundwork USA, Public Director

Andrew Chin, Florida A&M University

Robert Gonzalez, University of New Mexico

Gundula Proksch, University of Washington

Timeline

The deadline for applications is October 7, 2026. ACSA will publish a preliminary slate of Board-approved candidates in November 2026, followed by a period during which members may petition for the inclusion of additional candidates to the slate. A final slate of candidates, including candidates by petition, will be published in early January, when the online balloting process will open. Candidates will be notified of the results in mid-February. The results of this election will be announced online soon after the ballot deadline.

Application Requirements

Applications for all ACSA Board positions should include the following included in a single PDF in this order:

• Cover sheet confirming you have created or reviewed a My ACSA profile (download here);
• Cover letter (2 pages maximum) that (a) indicates your engagement with, participation with, or contributions to ACSA, and (b) addresses your potential to contribute to ACSA values and strategic plan priorities, as outlined below;
• Current curriculum vitae (2 pages maximum) highlighting relevant research, teaching, and service.

Applications should be sent by email to Abel Chanyalew, Membership Coordinator, achanyalew@acsa-arch.org, with the subject line “ACSA Board Application.”

DESIRED COMPETENCIES AND BACKGROUNDS FOR NOMINEES

ACSA actively seeks equitable and representative involvement by a broad range of people on its Board and other volunteer bodies. The Board of Directors should represent a diversity of backgrounds, experiences, expertise, geography, and types of institutions. We welcome applications from individuals who can contribute to the richness and inclusivity of our organization, ensuring a broad spectrum of perspectives and ideas.

Prospective candidates are encouraged to review the strategic initiatives and priority objectives, included below, to understand future directions for ACSA board activities. The areas described below include (but are not limited to) experience producing scholarship and/or funded research, understanding processes for recruiting students from a variety of backgrounds, and experience communicating the value of architecture, whether in a disciplinary or professional context. However, the desired competencies of board members should not be narrowly understood. Multiple forms of diversity are important to the ACSA. Previous experience with ACSA committees, conference leadership, or other Board appointments is also desired.

ACSA Strategic Plan 2025-28 

ACSA is working under a three-year strategic plan whose three goals reflect strategic commitments to strengthen the field of architectural education by expanding areas of connection and support across faculty teaching and researching in the full spectrum of architectural program types. This reflects efforts over the past five years to connect with community college architecture programs as well as four-year undergraduate programs. These efforts will continue, as the organization seeks to work with the membership to provide more clarity and transparency about the educational outcomes inherent in various degree programs. 

ACSA’s new strategic plan also points the organization to thoughtfully build an inclusive organization whose programs and services effectively engage important topics in architectural discourse. The ACSA board will work with volunteers to provide venues for collegial discussion and collaboration. 

The organization is mindful that landscape facing architectural education is increasingly dynamic around the world. The evolution of architectural education and practice is happening now, with imperatives for architectural professionals to take responsibility for the impacts of their work on the quality of the built environment and the health and well-being of our communities. Changes to state and federal policies governing higher education in the United States affect faculty directly, and they have ripple effects in our international member programs. Finally, emerging changes in how architects are licensed in the United States form a key backdrop to ACSA’s work as a convener and advocate for members.