CKLDP PROGRAM
Honoring Christopher Kelley: Christopher Kelley, AIA was an active member of the DC architectural community and suddenly passed away in May of 2012. He was a respected leader within the Institute as well as within Gensler’s Washington office. Through his volunteer efforts, he participated and contributed to initiatives and programs that have had a positive impact on emerging professionals at different stages of their careers. In 2010 Christopher was honored with the AIA Young Architects Award for which the jury stated, “Christopher has proven himself a young leader within and around the AIA, a real example for other young professionals.” This program is intended to continue his legacy of leadership and activism.
AIA Miami | FLL CKLDP Program Overview: Beginning in 2017, the AIA Miami chapter undertook an initiative to develop a program which would help train and nurture the next generation of leaders following in the footsteps of the AIA DC chapter who created the program in 2013. This program, titled the Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program (CKLDP), and has been offered in Miami since 2017.
Based on the program’s success, AIA Miami looks to secure a promising faction of scholars for its class of 2019-20. The year‐long program consists of nine (9) individual half‐day sessions attended by a competitively selected group of sixteen (16) emerging professionals (an emerging professional is defined as a graduated from college with an architecture degree and within 10 years of licensure). Prospective participants must go through an application process for selection where proven career success, community involvement and the individual’s firm/agency support will be considered.
Curriculum: The curriculum focuses on core professional skills such as entrepreneurship and firm management; teamwork and collaboration; negotiating skills; client development; community leadership; understanding trends within the industry; and developing your future within the practice. The selected scholars to the leadership program are responsible for planning and participating in each of the individual sessions. The program will be kicked off by a “Boot Camp” session to introduce the participants and to develop the curriculum for the year. Sessions will be held monthly from 12:00pm – 5:00pm, uary through September. A full list of courses and specific dates are described below in the 2026 Schedule.
Application Process: Individuals may be nominated by their firm or can nominate themselves and will be selected on the basis of a written application, recommendations, and resume. The sixteen (16) successful applicants will represent a diverse group of emerging professionals that demonstrate a strong potential as a future leader. The application process is not intended to be exhaustive, but is competitive and should not be taken lightly. Throughout the application process, candidates are encouraged to emphasize their previous leadership experience; explain what expertise they intend to provide to the program; and clarify how they intend to utilize the skills learned through the program. A jury will convene in December to make the selections of the 2026 program scholars.
Call for Applications: The official Call for Application is announced October 17, 2025.
Application Deadline: All forms must be submitted by 11:59pm on November 25th, 2024 to be eligible.
Notification of Acceptance: Scholars will be notified of their selection to participate in the program by December 22nd, 2025.
Tuition: Tuition for AIA, CSI, & NOMA Members is $450; non‐AIA member tuition is $550. AIA Miami and AIA Fort Lauderdale may choose to offer tuition assistance to individuals that may be from small firms that would otherwise not be able to participate. The amount and number of tuition assistance will be at the discretion of the Selection Committee.
AIA Membership: Though AIA membership is encouraged for all scholars, it is not mandatory. A preference will be given to AIA MIAMI members, though other allied organization members are welcome to submit an application for review.
Required Commitment to the Program: The program’s success is directly related to the attendance by the participants and therefore attendance is mandatory. Each participant of the program will be required to sign an Agreement Form that will require a signature from one of the participant’s principals of their firm/agency. Provided due notice to the Executive Committee, with extenuating circumstances, each scholar will be allowed one (1) excused absence. If two (2) sessions are missed, a fine of $50 will be sent to the participants’ firm/agency. A further absence will result in an additional $50 fine and expulsion from the program. All scholars are required to attend the “Boot Camp” Session and the Closing Reception, no exceptions.
AIA Continuing Education: It is intended that this program will have AIA CE credit made available for its participants. A total of 45 CEU’s will be provided, 25 of which are intended to be HSW. AIA Miami will report for AIA credits, all others will need to be selfreported.
Contact: For more information please visit the AIA Miami website www.aiamiami.org, AIA Fort Lauderdale website https://www.aiafortlauderdale.com/ or contact the 2025 CKLDP Executive
Committee: Co-Chair: Naomi Harrison, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP nharrison@mcharry.com
Co-Chair: Egipcia Perez, Assoc. AIA, eperez@hksinc.com