Helene Drelling, President of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), has selected Raleigh, NC, architect Frank Harmon, FAIA, to be the AIA’s representation to the University of Virginia and Thomas Jefferson Foundation's 2014-2017 selection committee for the prestigious Thomas Jefferson Medalist in Architecture award.

Since 1966, this medal has been awarded to an outstanding architect, planner, artist, or advocate for design on April 13, Jefferson's birthday, at a ceremony in Charlottesville. The celebrated German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969) was the very first recipient.

Chaired by the UVa School of Architecture Dean Elizabeth Meyer, the selection committee is comprised of only four other dignitaries. Along with Harmon, the current committee includes: Baltimore architect Gil Schafer as the Thomas Jefferson Foundation’s representative; New York architect Billie Tsien, a previous Medalist; and prominent American architecture critic and author Martin Filler.

“Thomas Jefferson was the only American president who was an architect. It's an honor to be on a jury that celebrates his legacy,” Harmon said. “His design for the University of Virginia is arguably Americas greatest work of architecture. When he designed the university campus in 1825 he wanted it to be modern, with a sense of history, an ideal not out of place today.”

AIA NC Gold Medalist Frank Harmon is founder and principal of the multi-award-winning firm Frank Harmon Architect PA and Professor In Practice at North Carolina State University’s College of Design. His distinguished career and extraordinary accomplishments as an architect have made him a sought-after speaker and jury chair for architectural awards programs nationwide. Most recently, he conducted an architectural seminar at Harvard University.

The selection committee is meeting this month to discuss the 2015 nominees for the medal and to select the final winner.

For more information on the Thomas Jefferson Medalist in Architecture Award, visit

www.arch.virginia.edu/thomas-jefferson-foundation-medal-architecture.

For more information on Frank Harmon, visit www.frankharmon.com.