Impact

Scholar Alumnus Jared McKnight presented with AIA National Associates Award

Award honors individuals for professional and civic leadership

Penn State architecture and Schreyer Honors College alumnus Jared Edgar McKnight, who graduated in 2011 with bachelor's degrees in architecture and international studies, has received the American Institute of Architects National Associates Award for 2016, presented on May 19 during the AIA National Convention in Philadelphia. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Wallace Roberts & Todd (WRT), an integrated design firm of architects, landscape architects and planners, has announced that Jared Edgar McKnight, architectural designer at WRT, has been awarded the American Institute of Architects National Associates Award for 2016. McKnight was presented with the award during the organization’s national convention in Philadelphia on May 19. McKnight, a Schreyer Honors College Scholar alumnus, graduated from Penn State in 2011 with degrees in architecture and international studies.

The Associates Award is the highest award given to an individual associate AIA member who best exemplifies the highest quality of leadership and has demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to his or her component or region’s membership in the community, in professional organizations, and/or in the design and construction industries. Seven winners were selected for the 2016 awards from candidates across the United States by a national jury.

“I am extremely humbled to receive the AIA National Associates Award,” said McKnight. “My overriding ambition is to have a profound and lasting impact on the people, projects and places where I work, so it is a great honor to receive this recognition from the AIA, and I am completely thrilled to be able to accept the award in Philadelphia, the city where I live and started my professional career."

McKnight received the 2015 AIA Pennsylvania Associate Award in October, which recognizes exceptional contributions to the profession by an AIA Pennsylvania associate member who graduated in the last five years and who has demonstrated professional and civic leadership.

The Philadelphia native has devoted an enormous effort to civic leadership throughout his young career. McKnight is currently in his second year of a two-year term as the associate director on the AIA Philadelphia Board of Directors and has been an active member of the AIA Associate Committee since 2012. In addition, he is the inaugural 2016 co-chair of the Philadelphia Emerging Architects committee, a joint collaboration of the AIA Philadelphia Associate Committee and Young Architects Forum that aims to engage all emerging architecture and design professionals in the city of Philadelphia.

A member of the AIA Philadelphia Design Committee and the AIA Pennsylvania Emerging Professionals Committee, McKnight was an integral part of the planning committee for the 2016 AIA national convention in Philadelphia. In addition to his industry accomplishments, he also serves on the board of directors for the Friends of Louis I. Kahn Park in Washington Square West, his Philadelphia neighborhood.

Jared’s leadership has made a lasting impact on the region’s community. Since 2012, he has been the event chair for one of AIA Philadelphia and the Center / Architecture + Design’s largest philanthropic events, CANstruction Philadelphia. This year marks the 10th anniversary of CANstruction Philadelphia, and in the previous nine years, the event has donated more than 340,000 pounds of food and raised more than $30,000 for Philabundance, the Delaware Valley’s largest hunger relief organization. In recognition of his volunteer efforts and commitments to AIA Philadelphia, Jared was named the recipient of the 2013-14 AIA Philadelphia Volunteer of the Year Award.

“Jared’s dedication to his craft is astounding,” said Joseph W. Healy, AIA, LEED AP BD +C, managing principal at WRT. “He has accomplished a great deal both professionally and philanthropically over his short career and I look forward to watching him continue to grow.”

At WRT, McKnight has been a valued team member on the award-winning Hoover-Mason Trestle project in Bethlehem, as well as other projects including: Crystal City Public Realm Design in Arlington, Virginia; SCBD Lot 10 in Jakarta, Indonesia; and The View – Phase 2 in Philadelphia.

The Schreyer Honors College promotes academic excellence with integrity, the building of a global perspective, and creation of opportunities for leadership and civic engagement. Schreyer Honors Scholars, including Gateway Scholars admitted after their first or second year of enrollment, total more than 1,900 students at University Park and 20 Commonwealth campuses. They represent the top 2 percent of students at Penn State who excel academically and lead on campus.

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Last Updated May 24, 2016