August 2022 Chapter Leader of the Month: Matthew Tepper
University of VirginiaMatthew Tepper, a Long Island, New York native and University of Virginia Architecture student minoring in Global Sustainability + Urban and Environmental Planning is our August Chapter Leader of the Month.
Matthew’s first leadership experience with the AIAS began quickly after he became a general member. He instantly took on the role of Vice President at UVA in the Fall of 2021 to help kickstart the organization to its fullest potential. With his role as President beginning in the spring of 2022, he says that he is” grateful to our other executive board members for their support in creating a welcoming, positive, and productive organization at UVA School of Architecture’s AIAS chapter.”
Their chapter leadership has brought a series of programming from engaging with local architecture firms through Lunch and Learns and portfolio reviews, in addition to connecting with their local alumni network to share insight about their experiences since graduation in design related disciplines. In planning for the upcoming semester, his board is “looking forward to engaging and learning about ongoing projects on our grounds and in the greater community. We also intend to kickstart programming guided toward sustainable design. With a strong interest in sustainability, I would love to raise awareness about how as designers, we have the power to shape our cities and developments to look toward environmentally friendly and ethically sustainable futures.”
In preparation for the new school year, they have also completed a student resource guide for incoming first-year and transfer students as a reference point for entering the architecture curriculum. Since returning from the pandemic, Matthew notes that he and his team are “thrilled to see a rapid growth in membership evident by AIAS’ recent Membership Growth Competition from the past year and look forward to continuous progress in membership and engagement.”
Matthew’s nominator, Tabitha Summers wrote, “Matthew has transformed the chapter of AIAS at UVA, bringing it from virtually no membership to over 24 members, making it the fastest growing chapter in the Northeast. Matthew constantly has great ideas such as creating a website for the chapter. Matt is completely and diligently involved in increasing access to professional development opportunities for all students at UVA. I cannot imagine a more qualified leader for this award than Matthew Tepper.”
Matthew had the opportunity to attend Grassroots 2022 this year. In reflecting on the event, Matthew states that, “Grassroots was an excellent opportunity to converse with other passionate architecture students. It has propelled my chapter to continue our growth this upcoming semester to further opportunities, in addition to connecting with adjacent student organizations and the Charlottesville community.”
Matthew sincerely thanks his nominator for the nomination of this award!
