Gresham Smith is proud to announce that Senior Risk Manager and Legal Counsel Josh Flowers, FAIA, has been elected to The American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Board of Directors as the 2025-2026 Secretary, serving a term beginning on December 13, 2024. He is the first architect from Tennessee to be elected as Secretary since the AIA was founded in 1857.
As secretary, Flowers will focus on facilitating change and advancing shared imperatives, communication and transparency. His approach includes the belief that clear and open channels of communication are essential not only for decision-making processes but also for promoting inclusivity and collaboration across the local, state, and national levels of the AIA.
“It is an honor to be elected to serve as AIA Secretary,” remarked Flowers. “During the candidacy process, I had the opportunity to speak to architects across the United States and overseas about their vision for the future of the architecture profession. I am grateful for these conversations and look forward to collaborating as we work together to build a strong profession for the future.”
A registered architect and licensed attorney, Flowers has held leadership roles at various levels of the AIA. He currently serves as the 2024 Vice Moderator of the AIA Strategic Council, where he leads AIA’s efforts to study issues affecting the future of the profession. Josh also serves on the AIA Contract Documents Committee, where he serves as a Task Group Chair for the 2024 revisions to the AIA’s Design-Build documents.
Flowers was President of AIA Tennessee in 2019, advising the AIA Tennessee Government Relations Committee on legal issues impacting the practice of architecture. As the President of AIA Memphis in 2012, he founded the AIA Memphis Leadership Program which connected emerging professionals with Memphis Fellows through an eight-month leadership curriculum. He also served as the 2016 Chair of the AIA Young Architects Forum, a program organized to address issues of particular importance to recently licensed architects.
“Josh’s leadership in AIA is having a tremendous positive impact on the architectural industry and we are very appreciative of his dedication and passion to serve,” commented Gresham Smith’s CEO, Rodney Chester. “This national leadership role will allow Josh to widen his impact and drive improvements that are a benefit to everyone in our industry.”
Flowers is a recipient of the AIA National Young Architects Award and the Building Design + Construction 40 Under 40 Award and was named to the AIA College of Fellows in 2018. He received a Bachelor of Architecture and Juris Doctor Degrees from the University of Tennessee where he served as editor of the Tennessee Law Review.
