Sara Bronin, the Biden Administration's appointee as Chair of the U.S. Federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), recently announced her departure from the agency effective this month. Bronin, who is one of only a few licensed architects to hold the position, mentioned her optimism about forward movement in the preservation field in a LinkedIn post, along with a note about strides made in terms of outreach to Indigenous communities, housing, accessibility, and energy independence. 

The most recent AIA Firm Survey Report noted that 45% of all U.S. billings were from renovations, rehabilitations, and retrofits; additions to existing structures; and/or historic preservation activities in 2023.

“I think architects are among those best positioned to help lead this dialogue, working with clients and communities to build a knowledge base and collective will to change," she related to Archinect in a statement. "During my tenure, I was fortunate to interact with innovative architects like Lori Ferris, Nakita Reid, and Kathleen Lane, and to collaborate with the AIA on an ACHP conference focused on international approaches to 'climate heritage; policy. In the coming years, we need to develop new ideas for old places - and then turn those ideas into action."

You can find out more about the Cornell AAP professor and Key to the City author’s related work surrounding desegregation via our 2021 feature look at the issue here.