Thunder Bay’s John Stephenson is the 2017 president of the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA).
Stephenson is a founding partner of FORM Architecture Engineering, the largest architectural practice in northwestern Ontario, with a portfolio that includes a number of publicly funded institutional projects.
A graduate of the University of Toronto’s architecture faculty, he moved to Thunder Bay in 1980 where he worked with Graham Bacon Welter Architects & Consulting Engineers.
He started his practice in 1986 as Kuch Stephenson Architects and then Kuch Stephenson Gibson Malo Architects & Engineer, both predecessor firms to his current practice.
Stephenson is an active community volunteer and a frequent public speaker on sustainable design for the built environment for local, regional and provincial audiences.
In an OAA news release, Stephenson said he is committed to building a strong profession that is valued and empowered to serve the public interest through excellence in design and professional practice.
“Key to achieving this goal is recognizing that effective project and risk management is central to the architect’s role today.”
Stephenson has served with the OAA since the early 1990s and has served as senior vice-president, treasurer and participated on several committees.
During his tenure, he has taken several initiatives such as reviews of licensure process for interns and OAA’s honours and awards program, a new media content creation and communication strategy, and the modernization of OAA governance addressing inclusivity and reflecting the profession’s diversity.
