Cover Sheet - Excom s2
Tab B
ASLA Board of Trustees
April 24-25, 2015, Midyear Meeting
Grand Hyatt Hotel, Constitution E
1000 H Street, NW
Washington, DC
Agenda Item #6: First Quarter 2015 Program and Operations Report / InformationPurpose: To provide a summary of the first quarter 2015 accomplishments across major program areas.
History and Background: The attached Program and Operations Report summarizes the first quarter progress toward the program and budget goals outlined in the 2015 Annual Operating Plan (AOP). The executive summary of the AOP is attached as a reference for comparing/analyzing program results. The full text of the 2015 AOP can be accessed on the web.
Additional information and highlights will be provided in the scheduled pre-meeting webinars (March 31 and April 2, 1:00pm EDT/10:00 pm PDT) and at the meeting.
Governing Rules/Procedures: The Board is charged with approving the annual program and budget of the Society and with monitoring progress toward achieving goals and objectives.
Action Requested: The Board is requested to review the report.
Staff Contact: Nancy Somerville
Program and Operations Report
First Quarter 2015
Executive Summary
Executive Offices
§ Work on the Chinatown Green Street Demonstration Project included targeted meetings with key agencies and public officials, a stakeholder briefing and reception at Headquarters, development of education sessions for Greenbuild and the ASLA annual meeting, and launch of a fundraising campaign aimed at developers and local businesses. Funding to date includes a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust and a grant application to the National Endowment for the Arts is pending.
§ Green roof highlights in the first quarter include updated education pages and image galleries and work on a plant monitoring update. During the first quarter, the green roof page had 3,404 pageviews. The newly updated green roof education had 1,385 pageviews, which is up 20 percent over same time last year.
§ Human Resource highlights included recruitment for vacant positions, enhancing the ongoing wellness programs, and updating the performance review process. Turnover in the first quarter was three positions or six percent.
§ The call for 2015 Council of Fellows nominations closed with between 80-90 nominations received this year. To assist nominators, the COF Executive Committee held a nomination preparation webinar for chapters and individuals working on submissions.
§ Other first quarter highlights included substantial progress toward completion of Sustainable Sites Initiative™ agreements, confirmation of the 2015 slate of officers, committee orientation conference calls, and Constitution and Bylaws Committee launch of the 2015 Bylaws review.
Finance, Meetings, and Business Operations
§ Work on the annual financial audit was a major focus in the first quarter; results will be reviewed by the Audit Committee in March and presented to the Board at midyear meeting in April.
§ Other first quarter highlights for Accounting included a conference call/training for chapter treasurers and monthly calls with the Finance and Investments Committee.
§ Meetings focuses in the first quarter included: a Technology Summit with annual meeting vendors that focused on how technology can be used to more effectively in conjunction with the annual meeting and EXPO; release of RFPs for annual meeting-related vendor services; preparation for opening of annual meeting registration and housing in May; and planning for the Alumni Tailgate and Edible Landscapes events.
§ Advertising sales contracts for Landscape Architecture Magazine (LAM) and sales for 2015 EXPO space and sponsorships are both at 81 percent of the annual budget, tracking well ahead of 2014 performance.
Government Affairs
§ In the first quarter, ASLA activated the iAdvocate Network to send 11 federal and state alerts, including informational alerts on important reports and cutting edge research. ASLA government affairs also created a Twitter account to engage policy makers, advocates, coalition partners, and other key stakeholders on federal and state advocacy issues important to the profession.
§ With a new surface transportation bill expected this year, federal efforts remain focused on transportation priorities. Other federal priorities include water and stormwater management, community resilience, and small business growth and development issues.
§ With most state legislatures convening in January, the first quarter of 2015 proved to be an active time for state advocacy, including threats to licensure. Several states undertook proactive legislative efforts to improve and protect licensure laws.
Public Relations and Communications
§ Forty-seven of the 49 chapters sent representatives to the January Public Awareness Summit. Attendees helped develop outreach plans for the next 12 months, with a particular emphasis on World Landscape Architecture Month activities.
§ ASLA is participating in World Landscape Architecture Month for the first time in 2015. With informal collaboration with IFLA, ASLA is asking its chapters to connect with IFLA organizations and request they take pictures of iconic landscape-architect-designed spaces and share on social media with the hashtag #WLAM2015
§ The stated 2015 Annual Operating Plan goal calls for at least 100 stories in print, broadcast, and online media referencing ASLA and the profession. In the first quarter, 139 major-market stories referenced the Society, and 2,314 referenced landscape architecture.
§ Traffic to asla.org continues to grow after launch of the new homepage in fall 2014. In comparison with first quarter 2014, asla.org pageviews are up 7.4 percent. ASLA.org gained in unique visitors, with a 3.5 percent bump.
§ Social media participation increased across all platforms. ASLA has introduced an advocacy Twitter account (@ASLA_Advocacy) to promote the legislative and political interests of our members and the profession.
§ LAND continued an improved performance on open rates into first quarter 2015.
Marketing
§ The ASLA 2015 Annual Meeting & EXPO branding was finalized.
§ Work began with the graphic designer to redesign the sales and marketing sections of the ASLA website.
§ JobLink has 91 postings as of March 11, surpassing last year’s first quarter average of 54 postings.
Landscape Architecture Magazine
§ LAM turned much attention in the first quarter to its web and social media presence.
§ The Landscape Report, a new e-newsletter under the LAM brand, exclusively for ASLA members, launches at the end of the first quarter.
§ A range of excellent design appeared in the magazine, including major play projects, urban design, and museum grounds by ASLA members.
§ The LAM Editorial Advisory Committee focused in its three calls on the roles of consultants, on education, and on the National Park Service’s centenary in 2016.
§ The magazine is working to engage emerging professionals in new ways.
§ Traffic to the LAM web site ran roughly equal to that of the first quarter of 2014.
Member and Chapter Services
§ ASLA membership is down slightly from year end 2014, a decrease of 0.16 percent.
§ Chelsea Keith, Student ASLA, was elected as the 2015-2016 ASLA National Student Representative.
§ ASLA national leadership completed for chapter and four student chapter visits in the first quarter; strategic planning sessions were facilitated for three chapters.
Professional Practice and Information Technology
§ PPN highlights included: three live Online Learning presentations, with 50+ attendees; and approval of a new PPN on Environmental Justice.
§ An ASLA standard form agreement for construction documents is under development.
Education Programs and LAAB
§ The 2015 Annual Meeting education program was finalized.
§ The Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System (LA CES) approved 11 new provider applications in the first quarter, compared to nine in the first quarter of 2014.
§ Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB) highlights for the first quarter included hosting the President’s Council Meeting, holding the Winter LAAB Board Meeting, conducting accreditation site visits and presenting an LAAB Annual Report webinar.
Executive Offices
Governance and Administration
§ Executive Committee actions at the winter meeting included review of the FY 2014 year-end program and financial results and focused discussions on emerging professionals and leadership development. The committee also met with the White House Council on Environmental Quality (see Government Affairs). Other Executive Committee actions in the first quarter included confirmation of the 2015 slate of officers and approval of a new Professional Practice Network on Environmental Justice (see Professional Practice).
§ The Headquarters renovation/Center for Landscape Architecture project is currently in schematic design. Fundraising totaled $716,915 or 71.7 as of March 20. Fundraising task force chair James Burnett, FASLA, Mark Johnson, FASLA, Tom Oslund, FASLA, and Gary Hilderbrand, FASLA, have joined ASLA leadership as project advisors. In March, Gensler (project architect) and Oehme van Sweden (project landscape architect) staff briefed the advisory team on the project status and reviewed options for the treatment of the back exit stair. Next steps for Gensler include additional investigation of daylighting options and side yard options. Staff have begun looking at interim space options in the Headquarters neighborhood.
§ Substantial progress was made toward completion of a final agreement with the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) for GBCI purchase of the Sustainable Sites Initiative™ (SITES™) intellectual property and management of the SITES program, and start of open certification.
§ ASLA hosted a meeting of the Presidents Council (PC) in January; agenda items included ASLA’s proposed joint statement on diversity; data collection and analysis; and emerging professionals issues. Members of the PC are ASLA, Council of Landscape Architecture Registration Boards, Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board, Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture, Canadian Society of Landscape Architects, and Landscape Architecture Foundation.
§ ASLA participated in the U.S. Stakeholder Consultation on the United Nations Global Compact to review and provide input on a draft Responsible Business Best Practice Toolkit for the land, construction, and real estate sector. Other liaison/outreach in the first quarter included participation in the meetings of the Renewable Natural Resources Foundation and the Franklin Park Technical Advisory Group, and meeting with the Urban Land Institute.
§ In the first quarter, the Constitution and Bylaws Committee began a review of the ASLA Bylaws with a reach-out to stakeholders for suggestions/issues regarding possible Bylaws changes and updates. The Ethics Committee planned the process for revising the Code of Environmental Ethics and discussed communications/education initiatives. During the first quarter, two committee chair orientation webinars were held; chairs subsequently used the orientation information for orientation discussions within their committees.
§ ASLA provided information to support the District Department of the Environment’s Green Embassies Forum; and ASLA provided a briefing on green roofs and green infrastructure for a U.S. State Department-hosted group of Chinese design and construction professionals.
Green Infrastructure Education and Advocacy
§ Outreach to stakeholders and potential donors for the Chinatown Green Street Demonstration Project was a major focus in the first quarter. Meetings were held with the Office of Asian and Pacific Islander Outreach of the Mayor’s office and the office of City Councilmember Elissa Silverman, as well as with District Department of Planning and Department of Transportation staff. Design Workshop continued work on the discovery phase of master planning, completed drafts of the first two chapters of the master plan/green infrastructure sourcebook, and assisted with development of graphics and messages for outreach communications. A stakeholder briefing and reception is scheduled for March 25.
§ Funding for the Green Street project to date includes a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust. A grant application to the National Endowment for the Arts is pending. The project is slated to receive future construction funding through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. A fundraising campaign aimed at developers and local businesses was also launched in the first quarter.
§ An education session proposal on the Chinatown Green Street project, "Green, Complete Streets in Your Community: The ASLA Method,” was submitted to GreenBuild 2015; notification of acceptance will be in May. “Completely Green: Developing Green, Complete, and Smart Streets - the ASLA Method” will be delivered at the 2015 ASLA Annual Meeting.
§ During the first quarter, the green roof page had 3,404 pageviews, down five percent from the same time last year. The newly updated green roof education web page had 1,385 pageviews, which is up 20 percent over same time last year. The Roof is Growing! education webpage now has new photos and a link to the Career Discovery page. Updating of the green roof image gallery page and plant monitoring information is nearing completion. Both the image gallery page and the fact sheet will complement each other by telling the story of what has worked or not on the green roof over the years. More will be done to promote the page in 2015.
§ Green roof visitors during the quarter have included U.S. State Department-hosted professionals from China, and students and faculty from North Carolina A&T State University.
§ Also during the first quarter, ASLA provided green infrastructure information to the District Department of the Environment (DDOE) for its DC Green Embassies Forum and to a reporter for the South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong newspaper.
Council of Fellows
§ The COF Executive Committee held a nomination preparation for chapters and individuals who are working on submissions.The webinar was an opportunity for those committees or individuals preparing nominations to ask questions and get feedback about the process from former jurors, COF executive committee members, and others who are familiar with the process.
§ The call for 2015 Council of Fellows nominations closed with between 80-90 nominations received this year, which are currently being processed. The jurors are reviewing the entries and will convene May 7-8 at ASLA headquarters.
Human Resources
§ During the first quarter, the turnover rate was six percent, with three departures: accounting technician, managing director of resource development, and marketing manager. The accounting position, along with another open accounting technician position, has been filled, which fully staffs the accounting department. The resource development position, which was restructured as director, stakeholder relations and resource development, has also been filled. Recruitment is underway for the position of marketing manager; the position has been moved from the Professional Practice department to Public Relations and Communications.
§ The 2015 application for the top 50 Healthiest Employers in Greater Washington was received and ASLA has begun the process of completing the application. Wellness is an important component of ASLA staff benefits and ASLA has won this award in each of the last two years.