Ornelas Honored with AIA Kansas Award
Reprinted Courtesy AIA Kansas
The Henry W. Schirmer Distinguished Service Award was presented to Wendy Ornelas, FAIA, by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Kansas at its fall 2006 meeting.
A staunch supporter of the AIA, Ornelas has been an active AIA member for more than 20 years and is the first female to receive this award. She excels in many areas of the profession and has provided leadership to not only the AIA but to many collateral organizations. She is a practitioner and academician, winner of awards for both design and teaching, a mentor, a past AIA Kansas president and board member, a Fellow, a Latina and a good friend to the profession.
Ornelas was named the associate dean of the College of Architecture, Planning and Design at Kansas State University in 2005. She is an associate professor of architecture, a member of the graduate teaching faculty, director of the college’s PhD program in environmental design and planning, and director of the Department of Architecture internship program.
She is also a partner in the successful architecture firm of Condia + Ornelas that received design awards for Coco Bolo’s Woodfired Grille & Cantina and Thomas Joseph Studio One. In addition, she has also received awards in unbuilt architecture as a team member of Stormwatch One, Fault Finder No. 52: A Monument in a Plaza, and Memorial to Six Million Heroes.
Ornelas has numerous accomplishments of leadership and participation with the American Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). She has been a team member of accreditation review teams, regional director of the West Central Region of the ACSA as well as chair of numerous committees. Ornelas led the research necessary for the faculty in the College of Architecture, Planning and Design to assess the efficacy of changing the college’s degree structure to an all-graduate degree program.
The Henry W. Schirmer Distinguished Service Award is given annually to recognize an individual member who has performed most distinguished leadership and service to AIA Kansas and/or AIA over an extended period of time, such services exceeding those expected in any official capacity, and who, by leadership, has advanced the cause of the profession and provided an inspiration to his/her fellow practitioners. It is named after long-time AIA member Henry W. Schirmer who, throughout his long career practicing architecture in Wichita and Topeka, held every office and board position possible in the AIA Kansas and developed the Kansas Architectural Foundation. He also held numerous offices at both the national and regional levels and published the first-ever AIA national firm directory. Past recipients include Dale Glenn, Ken Conrad, Stan Peterson, Eugene Kremer, Gary Karst, Joseph Vanderweide, Dwight Bonham, Vincent Mancini, William Livingston, Heil Pettit, David Hoffman and Vance Liston.
For more information, contact:
Wendy Ornelas, 785.532.5950
Diane Potts, 785.532.1090