December 15, 2005

Christine McEntee has been named the AIA's first female executive vice president and chief executive officer, succeeding Norman L. Koonce, FAIA, who retires on December 31. McEntee, whose tenure becomes effective February 1, 2006, formerly served as CEO of the American College of Cardiology. She is credited with increasing that organization's revenue by $18 million annually and growing membership to 33,000 during her seven-year term.

"I am extremely energized to be working with such a dedicated cadre of professionals who are deeply committed to making lives better through spaces and environments they create," says McEntee.

Koonce, her predecessor, who had been AIA CEO/EVP since 1999, wanted a break in order to turn his attention to issues of "exploring the power of architecture to elevate and enrich the human experience," while also spending more time with his family. Koonce established closer working relationships between local, regional and national AIA components, and increased association membership 12%, to 74,000 in 2004.

Tony Illia

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