It is with considerable sadness that I announce that Kara Growden has resigned from the Institute. She will be leaving on Friday 15th July to take up a position with the Office for Strategic Engagement in the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
Kara has been instrumental in the successful delivery of a range of programs during her three years with the SA Chapter as well as providing support for the Chapter Council and Education Committee. As is the case for the Institute at large, many of you will be unaware of the breadth of activity that Kara has been engaged in. So here is a quick overview.
Media and Communications were two core aspects of Kara’s role and she has worked hard to develop relationships with media organisations, grow the coverage of architecture in the media and provide a pathway for publication of opinion pieces written by members. Kara has also developed a communications plan for the Chapter and generated regular member communications plus promotional material for events and program.
Public programs has been another key aspect of Kara’s role. She has made significant contributions to events such as FAD and Design Conversations, which raise public awareness of architecture and promote the value of design. Kara’s energy, creativity and passion for excellent design have been a great asset in bringing these programs to fruition.
These qualities have also been vital in relation to the SA Awards. Kara has been a driving force behind the successful delivery of this multifaceted and complex program, including managing the entries, coordinating juries and site visits and ensuring media coverage. In addition, she has worked closely with Gillian and other staff to organise and deliver the public jury presentations and the Awards presentation event plus follow on programs. This has enabled this member focused program to be expanded so that it also communicates the value of architecture to a wider public audience.
So, as you can see, we will be looking for a very special candidate to fill her position. We will miss her cheerful presence as well as her professionalism, organisation and efficiency. Her absence will be particularly evident over the next few weeks, when was also have Zaf on leave. So, in the interim, please be patient with the SA Chapter as we endeavour to keep all of the wheels of this big rig in motion.
Please join us in wishing Kara all the best as she moves to this next phase in her career. Send an email to sa@architecture.com.au, visit the office or join us for a drink at Udaberri from 4:00pm on Friday 15th July.