The OAA Registrar, Christie Mills, has certified the following officers were elected at the Council meeting held on January 18, at the Association’s headquarters in Toronto:

• President Settimo Vilardi;
• Senior Vice President and Treasurer William (Ted) Wilson; and
• Vice Presidents Lara McKendrick, Kristiana Schuhmann, and Susan Speigel.

These elections were held as part of the first 2024 gathering of the Association’s governing Council. The meeting also included an appointment of a Councillor to the vacant Eastern Ontario seat—Jenny Lafrance, OAA, OAQ.

Additionally, appointments were made with respect to Council representatives as interlocking directors to the Pro-Demnity Board of Directors. It also included discussion on the summary document coming out of last year’s Best Practices for Architectural Firms: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Roundtable, updates on the forthcoming landscape design competition for the Association’s headquarters, as well as semi-annual updates from the OAA’s service areas and regular reports from the Registrar and Executive Director.

As always, the OAA publicly posts Council agenda and meeting information packages on the OAA Website. Anyone interested in virtually attending an open session is able to contact Tina Carfa for the link and additional information. (The next meeting takes place on March 7.)

Pro-Demnity Director Positions

The OAA Council has three interlocking directors on the Board of Pro-Demnity Insurance Co., a subsidiary wholly owned by the Association. In addition to the Senior Vice President & Treasurer, a position held by Ted Wilson, additional appointments are made for two years (though they can be revisited annually, and attempts are made to “stagger” the appointments). The seats come up for consideration at Pro-Demnity’s annual meeting of the Shareholder, which is next scheduled for March 28. Council will be putting forth both Kristiana Schuhmann and Susan Speigel for the positions.

Results of Recent EDI Roundtable

In the fall of 2021, the OAA Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and Truth & Reconciliation Working Group presented 40 recommendations to Council before being sunset. Its final recommendation was a third EDI Roundtable focused on architectural firms—this took place last fall. (You can learn more about the previous roundtables, featuring Intern Architects and licensed members on the OAA Website.)