Yew Kee Cheong, Adelina Koleva, Barbara Di Gregorio, Shannon Ho, Thierry Paret, Vikki Lew, and Adam Pantelimon.

Three incredible days as chapter leaders gathered for AIA’s premier leadership and advocacy training in Washington, DC—the AIA Leadership Summit 2025.

Between intentional networking sessions, attendees asked thought-provoking questions, honed leadership-by-design skills, engaged with inspiring keynotes, and shared insights on management practices.

AIA International was well represented. Joining me were Thierry Paret, Adelina Koleva (AIA UK), Barbara Di Gregorio (AIA Continental Europe), Shannon Ho and Vikki Lew (both AIA Hong Kong), and Adam Pantelimon (AIA Canada Society).

This year, Adam announced his candidacy for the 2026-2028 At-large Director position.

Post-summit, Shannon and I toured the AIA Global Campus, currently undergoing renovation—looking great!

And Washington DC, in the spring was gorgeous.

Yew Kee Cheong, FAIA, MSIA

2024-2025 President, AIA International

Also, in our Leadership Council, our Strategic Council representative, Thiery Paret, participated with the panel session Leveraging Government Resources for International Success.

With international projects accounting for nearly 10% of architectural billings, the global marketplace presents both exciting opportunities and unique challenges. During our discussion, we explored key strategies to help architects and firms expand their global reach, including:

1. Business development programs - such as trade missions - that open doors to new markets.
2. Advocacy services to navigate complex regulatory and logistical challenges.
3. Strategies for leveraging government resources to enhance global competitiveness and project success.

Beyond these topics, our panel shared professional practice insights and lessons learned from international work. The overarching theme? Empowering AIA chapters and architects to tap into U.S. and state government resources to thrive in the global architectural landscape.