Mickey Jacob, FAIA, managing principal at Urban Studio Architects in Tampa, Florida, was inaugurated as the 89th president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) during ceremonies held on December 7th at the Ronald Regan Building and International Trade Center. He succeeds Jeff Potter, FAIA, in representing over 80,000 AIA members.
"I look forward to working together to harness our power to shape the future of the architecture profession with a priority on building leadership and enhancing the impact and role of our emerging professionals," commented Jacob. "It is our duty to promote thoughtful leadership, bold advocacy and effective communications to promote the value of design and increase the public awareness of how architecture positively impacts the quality of life in our communities."
Jacob has more than 25 years of AIA participation holding numerous leadership positions with AIA Tampa Bay, AIA Florida, and AIA National. Following his term as president of AIA Florida in 2004-2005, he served as the 2007-2009 AIA Florida/Caribbean Regional Director on the AIA National Board of Directors. In 2009, he was elected to a two-year term as an AIA vice president.
A native of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Jacob graduated from the University of Detroit in 1981 and began practicing in Tampa, Florida where he was licensed in 1986. In 1989, Jacob and his partners formed Urban Studio Architects, an architecture and interior architecture practice with a focus on sustainable design practices in a variety of project types. Jacob oversees the day to day business operations, the development of the firm's strategic direction, and the implementation of business development.