Marketing and Communications

The AIANY Marketing and Communications Committee (MaCC) meets every second Thursday of the month at 6:30 PM. Our new virtual meeting link for 2021 is as follows:

https://zoom.us/j/92703744309?pwd=d0ZJV28wZ0xMRHlEYnU1MVFvMWRiUT09 

Speak Up, Speak Out: Communicating for Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Moderator:
Celeste Frye, CEO, Public Works Partners

Speakers:
Talisha L. Sainvil, AIA, NOMA, NCARB, LEED, Principal, 40 Six Four Architecture | Design Studio; Secretary and Editor-in-Chief, PYLON, AIA Brooklyn
Patrice Rajacic, Vice President, Marino Public Relations
Rajas Karnik, AIA, LEED AP, NOMA, BOA, President and Co-Founder, Build Out Alliance; Associate, FXCollaborative

About the speakers:

Celeste Frye is an urbanist known for designing and implementing multi-stakeholder initiatives that build strong connections across the government, nonprofit, and private sectors. As CEO of Public Works Partners, a WBE- and DBE-certified planning and consulting firm, she leads a multidisciplinary team that engages communities, designs innovative plans, and implements policies and initiatives for our public and nonprofit clients. Before co-founding Public Works in 2010, Frye held leadership roles at the NYC Department of Small Business Services and the NYC Office of Management and Budget. Frye holds a Masters of Regional Planning from Cornell AAP and an undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a graduate of Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses and Coro Leadership New York, and serves on the Regional Plan Association’s Connecticut Committee.

Talisha L. Sainvil, AIA, NOMA, NCARB, LEED was born and raised in Brooklyn and graduated from the University of Miami School of Architecture. Since then, she has gained almost 20 years of knowledge and practical experience by taking on various roles and responsibilities. Presently, Sainvil is the Principal of her Brooklyn-based architecture and design firm, where she specializes in homes and hospitality. Sainvil is a registered Aachitect in both New York and New Jersey, an active member of nycoba|NOMA, and currently serves on the board of AIA Brooklyn as Secretary and Editor-in-Chief of PYLON, the AIA Brooklyn publication.

Patrice Rajacic is a Vice President at Marino PR, leading the agency’s Corporate Communications unit. With more than nine years of communications experience, she is responsible for developing and executing strategic communications and reputation management programs for some of the agency’s largest and most complex accounts. Her work has garnered placements in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Business Insider, The Economist and USA Today, among others.

Rajas Karnik, AIA, LEED AP, NOMA, is the President and co-founder of Build Out Alliance, a non-profit organization that promotes and advocates for the LGBTQ+ community within the building design and construction industry. He is a registered architect and Associate at FXCollaborative, and is currently working on 1 Willoughby Square—a commercial building in Downtown Brooklyn that will serve as the future home of FXCollaborative. Karnik is also one of the founders and co-chair of FXOne, FXCollaborative’s LGBTQ+ employee resource group, and is actively involved in the firm’s justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts.

All committee meetings until further notice will occur virtually, via the below link.

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/1497589558

 Or Telephone:           +1(470)8692200 (US East)

 Meeting ID: 149 758 9558

For those of you who missed our panel discussion on April 14, a recording is now available here and on the Center for Architecture’s Vimeo Page.

As our economy and culture change in response to COVID-19, tailored storytelling is more important than ever. Bringing together leading voices in architecture, journalism, and PR, “Architectural Storytelling in a Time of Crisis” discusses how architects can engage with the public during an unprecedented and challenging time.

Panelists include:
Julie Lasky, Design Editor, The New York Times
Helene Oberman, Managing Director, Interior Design Media
Alexandra Polier, VP – Business Development, ODA New York

Moderator
Tami Hausman, Founder and President, Hausman LLC

Occurring during the monthly AIANY Marketing and Communications Committee Meeting on Thursday, February 13, 6:30 PM at the Center for Architecture, this workshop will discuss RFP Response tips and strategies, with a keen emphasis on storytelling methods to amplify your response. As an expert in your field, you know you can bring clear value to your clients, but do you ever struggle to communicate it throughout every RFP process? Do you feel as if you are throwing a dart into the unknown, and hoping for the best? The others in your industry likely feel the same way. Being an expert in the field doesn’t always translate into being able to communicate that expertise to a prospective non-designer client. This workshop is meant for architects, urban designers, and planners that often respond to on-call requests, or even specific planning and urban design RFPs. In this workshop, we will go through an intro to the five-part toolkit that will give you additional clarity on your value proposition and increase your strategic alignment with the client. This strategy backed confidence can be that “x factor” that makes all the difference. I look forward to having everyone put on their creative hats, and dive into the Creative RFP Toolkit.

Sreoshy Banerjea leads Urban Design within the Planning Division at The New York City Economic Development Corporation where she guides urban design strategy and manages consultants on visionary master planning efforts. Prior to her time in the public sector, she has been a project architect and urban designer at Dattner Architects on civic minded-urban projects including affordable housing master plans such as Lambert Houses and Hallets Point. In her early career, she has gained exposure to a variety of internationally renowned architects, including Rafael Viñoly architects in New York, and Dominique Perrault in Paris. Soon after her graduate studies at MIT, she co-founded her own startup, where she led a team that designed and launched an online marketplace app. This experience, as well as her current role has given her a unique perspective on value, business development, and storytelling. Sreoshy has a Master’s in Urban Design from MIT and a Bachelor of Architecture from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.