2011 Recipient | AIA Honorary Membership

Deborah Stephens Burns, Hon. AIA | Notes of Interest

When Debbie Burns was hired as executive director of AIA Northern Virginia, the Chapter was struggling financially and was providing only minimal service to members. In the position, Burns took on the challenge— revitalizing committees, developing educational opportunities, producing publications, analyzing the financial situation, and even planning social events. She has brought energy and substance to the Chapter through a wide range of activities and initiatives that benefit both architects and the general public.

Thanks to Burns' dedication and hard work, the Chapter has grown to be a "Big Sib" with 1050 members. It has an active calendar, an award-winning continuing education program, and seventeen engaged committees. "Debbie's generosity is contagious," Paul Welch, Hon. AIA, says in his reference letter, "With limited resources, Debbie has initiated highly effective continuing education and community outreach programs, and her leadership has inspired a quality of volunteer engagement not usually found in nonprofit membership organizations."

Burns' commitment to architecture existed far before her arrival at the AIA Northern Virginia Chapter in 1999. Trained as an architectural historian, she has contributed to the study of architecture and the preservation of historic buildings nationwide.

She served as an architectural historian with the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) and was also employed in the National Capital Region Historic Preservation Office, educating other federal agencies and the public about preservation issues. She shared her knowledge as an Adjunct Faculty member at Mount Vernon College in Washington, D.C., now a part of George Washington University.

Burns has researched and written about architectural topics from Shaker communities to the Bauhaus. Additionally, Burns is the author of Pennsylvania Architecture, co-authored with Professor Richard Webster and published for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in 2000.

Shortly after becoming Executive Director at AIA Northern Virginia, Burns found a special purpose in Continuing Education. Whether organizing a seminar on legal issues affecting sustainable projects or a bike tour of buildings along the Potomac River, Debbie strives to help architects expand, improve and refine their knowledge and skills.

She became involved with the Council of Architectural Component Executives (CACE), joining the Continuing Education Resource Network in 2000, and serving as chair 2005-2006. In recognition of its exceptional program, the Chapter was honored with the 2006 AIA Continuing Education System Award of Excellence. Because of her role in developing the program, then-AIA Executive Vice President/CEO Norman Koonce, FAIA, asked Debbie to serve on the AIA's Continuing Education Strategy Task Group in 2005. This group worked closely with Institute staff to provide component input on continuing education issues. Debbie also helped with the transition of the Resource Networks to Service Networks, serving as the Continuing Education Service Network Liaison for the CACE Executive Committee in 2008 and 2009. Since 2008, she has served on the National Knowledge Resources Component Service Network Advisory Group to enhance professional development opportunities for components and members nationwide.

Strongly committed to the success of the AIA, Debbie has shared her knowledge and ideas with members, CACE colleagues, National staff and the Board of Directors. In recognition of her cooperative spirit and willingness to provide support to national, state and local components, she received the 2010 AIA National Service Award. The award was given to celebrate "her collaborative spirit, commitment, and dedication in working with AIA National to provide service and support to the AIA's local and state components. Ensuring that component needs are heard and understood, she has generously given her time and expertise to important AIA committees…bringing us closer as One AIA."

Perhaps most notably is Burns' personal connection to the profession and specifically its members. She tirelessly works to best serve each individual member. Especially in the last two years when many of her Chapter's members lost their jobs, endured pay cuts or closed their firms, Burns has been there to offer a sympathetic ear and share job leads. She maintains an email list of those looking for work, regularly sends leads, and encourages firms to call the Chapter House first when they are looking to hire. Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA, writes in her reference letter, "Debbie has personally assured that numerous architects in her chapter who were adversely affected by the economy have landed on their feet … by securing positions for them, seeking employment opportunities on their behalf, or connecting them to potential work. This is dedication!"

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