David Hoffman, FAIA, NCARB

2016–2017 Second Vice President

Officer Reports:

Tell us about your main responsibilities as NCARB’s second vice president and personal highlights from the year.

 

The second vice president’s main responsibilities are reflecting on, observing, and conceptualizing future leadership approaches in the context of current programs and NCARB’s Strategic Plan. The second vice president has a standing assignment as liaison to the Member Board Executives (MBE) Committee, which I found to be very beneficial. Member Board Executives hold positions of continuity, and they have a grassroots understanding of how NCARB’s goals are implemented. Interacting with the MBE Committee reinforces the fact that our MBEs are one of NCARB’s most valuable resources. Another highlight of my year was the processes of developing leadership awareness opportunities that the secretary, treasurer, first vice president/president-elect, president, and I have gone through together, which has resulted in a very cohesive and coordinated team.

 

As Board liaison to the Member Board Executives Committee, what are your key takeaways from spending time with this community?

 

The MBE Committee is the beating heart of NCARB, and they deal with the unvarnished pragmatic aspects of everything we do. They offer a wealth of resources: feedback, quality assurance audits, strategic planning, regulatory monitoring, database consolidation, and so many others. The MBEs are critical to the NCARB mission.

 

How is NCARB working with our architectural collaterals to improve the path to licensure?

 

It has been gratifying and enlightening to experience the genuine contributions of our collaterals, each in their own way. The latest Licensing Advisors Summit in Chicago was an incredible success due in large measure to NCARB taking the lead in developing and providing the program, as well as very significant financial support to our collateral participants. The American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), and the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) were all well-represented and laser-focused on the facilitation of the licensure path. NCARB, working directly with both ACSA and schools of architecture, has been advocating and supporting implementation of the Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure (IPAL) initiative in
21 schools so far.

 

NCARB Member Board Members have also assisted individual AIAS chapters with informational seminars, as well as underwriting AIAS programs at the national level—all with the intent of clarifying the licensing process. NCARB supports NAAB in the development of the student performance criteria related to practice, licensure, and regulatory requirements, as well as maintaining a pool of potential accreditation team members. NCARB and AIA work closely disseminating information about the Architectural Experience Program™ (AXP™) and supporting supervisor/mentor activities. These examples are only scratching the surface in representing
the entire effort NCARB is making toward facilitating the path to licensure; there is so much
more underway.

 

You’re licensed in 29 of the 54 U.S. jurisdictions. How has being NCARB certified helped you throughout your career, and how does your practice influence your work at NCARB?

 

The ease of obtaining reciprocal licenses has been extremely valuable. I cannot imagine approaching the licensing effort on a state-by-state basis, filling out reams of paper work, waiting for individual board actions, and dealing with the potential issues that separate license applications encounter. Further, our clients seem to recognize the national credential that the Certificate represents and the associated flexibility to work in almost any jurisdiction they may wish to go. Thirty-seven years of dealing with 29 individual jurisdictional requirements, statutes and rules, and regulations have provided me with a very broad understanding and appreciation for the services that NCARB provides and the evolution of regulatory processes. It also makes one appreciate how different jurisdictions approach the licensure path in their own way and from their unique historical perspectives.

 

You’ll be the chair of NCARB’s Centennial Advisory Committee in FY18, and you’ll be president during NCARB’s Centennial Celebration in FY19. How are you preparing for the organization’s 100th anniversary?

 

We started early: The first seminal discussions and considerations started about a year and a half ago. The Centennial Celebration needs to reflect on NCARB’s founding, establishment, and evolution, as well as the narratives of the participants in the journey. After the celebration, we will create a body of information that will serve not only as a snapshot of where we are in 2019, but also as a comprehensive resource summarizing NCARB’s history. We should also try to take a short look into the future—the next 100 years and what it may bring. With these goals in mind, we are exploring Centennial graphic and narrative traveling exhibits, an all-encompassing milestone publication, the establishment of a Centennial website, unique events during the Annual Business Meeting (ABM) in 2019 (both formal and informal), the creation of a Centennial logo (already in use), production of Centennial mementos, special venues for the events during the ABM in Washington, DC (the city of the celebration), provision for participation of NCARB staff in the celebration, and many more ideas.

 

Soon, the Centennial Advisory Committee will meet for the first time. Their role will be to advise and provide counsel from their unique points of view on all of these plans and any aspects we may have missed. Member Boards are already assembling information and histories about their own boards for inclusion and documentation on the website and in the publication. Logistical planning for DC is well along, and while we will have a lot to do, I feel comfortable with where we are and the timeline we are on. NCARB staff have been wonderful in assisting in the planning effort.

 

What other initiatives will you focus on as NCARB’s 2017-2018
first vice president?

 

My predecessors have been visionary in the establishment of task forces, committees, and work groups to address many significant issues. We are now reaping the benefits of those groups’ efforts: recommendations, visions, new ideas, and ways that NCARB will be better able to serve our constituents and our customers. In the context of a budget shortfall forecast in the next two years and considering this wealth of information, I am approaching my watch as an opportunity to take stock of this fount of ideas, select those that make sense currently, and concentrate on how best to implement them within the existing committee, work group, and task force frameworks and charges. The sheer volume of ideas and activities by any measure is incredible. Taking some time to step back and evaluate all that we have on our plate seems reasonable, particularly with the deficit concern. 2019 will automatically bring with it the finalization of the updated Strategic Plan, planning for the next practice analysis survey, the next Accreditation Review Conference, and probably increased international activity. We, Member Board Members, Member Board Executives, and NCARB staff will all be very busy.