Member-volunteers are and will always be AIA Connecticut's greatest asset.
Instituted in 2018, the President’s Award recognizes an AIA Connecticut architect member who has made outstanding contributions to our organization through participation, service and promotion of AIA CT’s mission and vision.
2022
Melissa Kops, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, LFA
In addition to serving as co-chair of the AIA CT Committee on the Environment (COTE) and contributing to the work of other committees in 2022, Melissa is a passionate advocate for a Sustainable Built Environment. She brings her wealth of knowledge and deep involvement in the field to thoughtful leadership in professional education. Her work with the City of New Haven, Yale School of the Environment, CT Green Building Council, International Living Future Institute, Governer's Council on Climate Change, Connecticut Energy Efficiency Board, and advocacy for Affordable Housing and Social Justice provide compelling evidence of her extraordinary contributions beyond professional membership in AIA CT.
It is an honor to work alongside such a force for change. Thank you, Melissa! We're grateful for your leading light. Reflect on your accomplishments and take pride in this award!
Randall Anway, AIA
2022 AIA Connecticut President
2021
Sara Bronin, AIA
Having won numerous architecture awards, founded and published journals and books, served as a professor and on planning and zoning, and steadfastly advocated for the value of our historic buildings, Sara is an example to us all.
Now authoring a new book, and nominated for a federal chairmanship, perhaps she is just getting started. We can all serve our communities, state, and country with the same enthusiasm and desire for excellence in architecture and planning. We can be vocal, and help advocate for progress in public policy. We can join together as an architectural force for what is healthy and equitable. Sara is an example of what Connecticut architects can do with our expertise and passion.
Angela Cahill, AIA
2021 AIA Connecticut President
2020
Alan Lagocki, AIA
Alan has ably served the profession as a long-standing member and chair of the Building Performance and Regulation Committee, as a Board member of AIA /Connecticut, and as President of both AIA/Connecticut and AIA/New England.
In addition, Alan has embraced the role of citizen-architect by offering important advice and counsel on redevelopment and community planning activities in his hometown of Meriden.
His boundless curiosity, sense of professional responsibility, concern for the growth of our younger members, and his commitment to advancing the role and stature of the profession are all greatly valued.
George McGoldrick, AIA
2020 AIA Connecticut President
2019
Jay Brotman, AIA
I have had the pleasure of getting to know Jay as a member of the Connecticut Architecture Foundation Board. In his three years in serving as President of the CAF board, Jay has been instrumental in its continuing growth in fundraising and events. The support the foundation offers to students of architecture and to the public in raising awareness of the built environment is tantamount to AIA Connecticut’s vision. In 2019, Eight scholarships were awarded to undergraduate and graduate students, the largest amount awarded to date.
But Jay’s service to the profession and AIA does not stop there. In the last year and a half Jay has been and advocate and one of the AIA spokesmen on school safety and security. He has testified before White House Cabinet officials, been a panelist at the 2019 SXSW EDU Conference and at the 2019 Conference of Mayors and presented at the National League of Cities Summit this past November. AIA National continues to call on Jay on the topic of school safety and security making sure architects are heard on the federal, state and local fronts.
Glenn Gollenberg, AIA
2019 AIA Connecticut President
2018
George Fellner, AIA
The first President’s Award is bestowed to George Fellner, AIA
George Fellner’s has been a leader at AIA Connecticut for many years, chairing the COTE committee, and as a board member. His leadership is to be admired as he took the lead in assisting in the operations of the chapter upon the retirement of the Executive Director. He was instrumental in organizing a transitional team to hire a new Executive Director to work with the board of directors and take AIA Connecticut to the next level.
Even after his service to the board, George continues to be engaged with committee work, and with the Connecticut Architecture Foundation as a board member and the scholarship chair. He is a mentor, a consultant, and always a professional.
Arthur Sanders, AIA
2018 AIA Connecticut President