Pictured: Dan Collison, Meghan Elliott

MINNEAPOLIS, September 1, 2022
– Dan Collison and Meghan Elliott, Assoc. AIA, are the recipients of the 2022 AIA Minnesota Collaborative Achievement Award.

The Collaborative Achievement Award seeks to encourage, stimulate, and recognize exceptional contributions made by individuals and organizations that improve the quality of our physical environment. This award celebrates architecture as a collaborative effort that relies on the talents and commitment of many individuals working together to achieve common goals.

For over 14 years, Dan Collison has been an influential leader in the formation and development of downtown Minneapolis and adjacent neighborhoods. As past Director of several nonprofits, he leveraged the vision of these organizations to promote positive development and growth of our urban environments. The jury recognized Dan’s trailblazing leadership in convening local groups to work on sustainability issues, as well as his long-term commitment to seeing initiatives all the way through to success.

Meghan Elliott, Assoc. AIA, has dedicated her career to historic building redevelopment. Jurors noted that even though she is in the early stages of her career, she has made massive contributions to the profession, and to redevelopment of many notable projects. She has also been a high-profile advocate for the Minnesota Preservation Tax Credit, an important tool for architects and the development community to preserve and redevelop our existing building stock.

The AIA Minnesota Collaborative Achievement Award jury included representatives from AIA Minnesota committees and previous award winners. This year’s submissions were reviewed by Adam Ariano, AIA; Peter Hendee Brown, FAIA; Jessica Holmes, Assoc. AIA; Samantha Mendiola, AIA; and Sara Weiner, AIA.

The jurors noted the creative, sustained, and passionate service of Dan and Megan to the future of Minnesota communities, as well as their collaborative work with a wide variety of partners to accomplish goals that advance the profession.

Dan and Meghan will receive their awards at the annual AIA Minnesota Awards Celebration on December 2, 2022. Learn more about the Collaborative Achievement Award here.

The American Institute of Architects Minnesota, founded in 1892, is dedicated to strengthening our communities, improving our built environment, and providing exceptional design. For more information on the organization and Minnesota architectural firms, reference our website and subscribe to ENTER, our digital weekly newsletter that explores how design is shaping a better built environment for Minnesota.