​When did you first become involved with the Council, and what interested you about volunteering for the organization?I joined the Louisiana State Board of Architectural Examiners in 1993, but didn’t volunteer for Council activities until I joined the Architect Registration Examination ^® (ARE) paper/pencil grading teams in 1995. I enjoyed this very much as I thought that the volunteer work I was doing was actually advancing the profession and helping interns along their path to licensure. What programs and initiatives have you worked on throughout your committee service?I am currently the chair of the Licensure Task Force, which is investigating the possibility of integrating the components of licensure within an NAAB-accredited program. I also served on the Practice Analysis Task Force and the Committee on Examination (and several related subcommittees) that ensured the content of the ARE is aligned with current practice. I have served on the Regional Chairs Committee, which addresses issues specific to NCARB’s six regions, and the Procedures and Documents Committee, which reviews the Council’s guiding documents and recommends changes as necessary. I also served on the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) Accreditation Team from 2009-2012. What were the major initiatives the Council focused on during your term as president, and what is the current status of those initiatives?The major focus of my year as president was the development of ARE 5.0. After heading the Practice Analysis Task Force to develop the basis for a new exam, it was exciting to see the efforts of the ARE Research and Development Subcommittee come to fruition in a new exam format that should be very well received when it launches in 2016. Many years of efforts by many ARE volunteers are resulting in a new format for the exam that is organized in the way we practice-and I think it will be a great success and embraced by our interns. We also began the efforts to look at the path to licensure for interns, to streamline it if possible, while maintaining the rigors of education, the examination, and experience. Those changes are now moving forward with the work of the Licensure Task Force, which has the potential to improve the path to licensure with an integrated additional path, resulting in licensure upon graduation. I really think this a milestone for our profession and look forward to the response from the NAAB-accredited institutions that will soon participate in this venture. How has the organization changed since you first volunteered?NCARB has always been a dynamic, “let’s just get it done” type of organization, but the Council is moving forward at an even more aggressive pace with initiatives related to the IDP, the ARE, services to Certificate holders, and-most importantly-strategically thinking about the future with “Blue Sky” dreams always at the forefront. It’s an exciting time and place to volunteer. The rewards to volunteers of making our profession better far outweigh the thousands of hours and weekends our volunteers donate. What do you think is the Council’s greatest accomplishment since your involvement?I am most proud of the development of the Council staff into a dynamic and strategic group.  Additionally, our CEO Mike Armstrong was selected after a two-year process led by Scott Veazey, and I was honored to be on that selection committee. We worked very hard, and I know that we picked the best candidate for the job, as Mike’s energy and dreams have propelled us forward. What are your hopes for the Council going forward?I hope the Council continues to move forward constantly, and always questions its actions and plans with a keen eye to be relevant and serve the profession, our interns, Member Boards, and all stakeholders. We cannot afford to stop dreaming and need to be looking out five or 10 years for new testing methods, for new services for our Certificate holders, interns, and Member Boards; not just to be new, but to be the best at what we do, while working closely with our collaterals—AIA, AIAS, ACSA, and NAAB. How do you plan to stay involved with the Council?Past presidents don’t ever go away; they just show up once a year with all of their medals at the Annual Meeting! Honestly, as long as I can assist the Council, I hope to be available to serve. This has been the most rewarding volunteer service of my architectural career, and I am energized whenever I am at a committee meeting or dreaming of where we could go next with the Council. I know most of our past presidents feel this way, and the Past President’s Council is being reorganized to better tap the brain trust of the past leaders of NCARB. What would you say to someone just appointed to their state board about their role in the profession? Why would you encourage them to volunteer for NCARB service?Get involved and get involved as soon as you can! I regret that I waited three years into my first six-year term on the Louisiana Board to get involved. Nineteen years of Council service later, I can honestly say I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. Try to get on a committee, volunteer for anything you can-you will receive tremendous satisfaction from serving your profession. Now that I think about it-can I be president again?