Alfred Vidaurri Jr., NCARB, FAIA, AICP

2017–2018 Secretary

Officer Reports:

How did your leadership of the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners—as well as several NCARB committees—prepare you for your role as secretary?

 

I had the honor of serving on the Texas Board for 11 years, with the last six years as chair of the board. That early connection to NCARB allowed me to become involved with the Council almost immediately as a member and volunteer. My past 14 years of participation with the Council has exposed me to a great diversity of programs, committee work, task forces, and collaborations with our collateral organizations. All of these experiences and developed relationships have served as a great foundation in preparing me for this important position.

 

How does your work as a practicing architect impact your involvement with NCARB?

 

As a practicing architect licensed in various states, I get to experience firsthand the day-to-day challenges, rewards, and opportunities of our profession. This perspective is important as I work to strike a balance between what we can do as a Council and the impact it has on our daily business. Being a long-time Certificate holder has been important to me and my company as we enjoy these prosperous times and have expanded into other states. I am always impressed with the ease of reciprocity and the outstanding customer service each time!

 

You were the FY18 Board liaison to the Procedures and Documents Committee (now the Policy Advisory Committee). What role does the committee play in NCARB’s processes, and why is their work important?

 

The Procedures and Documents (P&D) Committee is made up of all six regional chairs. Proposed resolutions from all active NCARB committees come to the P&D committee to be analyzed (with the assistance of NCARB staff), revised, and potentially put forth to the membership for discussion and final vote. With a year like FY18 that featured important updates to our programs, NCARB Bylaws, and our Model Rules of Conduct, the system provides essential transparency into the resolution process and gives the membership a prominent place at the table.

 

NCARB had several important resolutions in FY18, including an overhaul of our Model Rules of Conduct. What led to that decision?

 

NCARB’s updated Model Rules of Conduct have been a work in progress for several years now. In 2015, Dennis Ward kicked off the initiative by establishing an Ethics Task Force to examine how NCARB could better promote professional conduct, and one item on their list was refreshing the Rules, which hadn’t had a holistic review since their initial creation in the 1970s.

Overhauling the document required a lot of input from NCARB’s membership and Board of Directors, including several comment rounds before the final version was presented for a vote at the Annual Business Meeting. With new focus on harassment, architects’ obligation to report unethical conduct, the role of the supervisor, and more, our hope is that the refreshed document will be easily adopted and adapted by all of NCARB’s Member Boards.

 

Member Boards also voted to remove the Education Evaluation Services for Architects (EESA) requirement for architects completing the education alternative for NCARB certification, and update the HSW categories for continuing education. What impact will that have?

 

NCARB implemented the new education alternative for certification in early 2017, and we’ve already seen more architects get certified through the program’s two paths—the Certificate Portfolio and the Two Times AXP route—than in the past decade of the previous Broadly Experienced Architect (BEA) program.

This year, members voted to give applicants with 64 or more semester credit hours of postsecondary education the option of having their transcript evaluated by the Education Evaluation Services for Architects (EESA), rather than requiring it. Because the EESA costs over $2,200, removing this requirement eliminates one of the common barriers to NCARB certification through the education alternative, opening up reciprocity to more architects.

Additionally, members voted to realign the health, safety, and welfare continuing education subject areas defined in NCARB’s Legislative Guidelines and Model Law/Model Regulations. With this change, the subjects that are recognized for health, safety, and welfare continuing education hours are now re-distributed in categories that align with the six experience areas of the AXP and the ARE 5.0 divisions. The redefined categories better reflect current practice, and allow for simpler modifications to keep up with trends and changes in the practice of architecture. In the next year, NCARB will introduce Continuing Education Guidelines to provide more guidance to our Member Boards and architects on HSW topics that count toward CE requirements.

 

Another important FY18 resolution was a major cleanup of the NCARB Bylaws. Can you talk a little about the process of developing that resolution?

 

This year, NCARB’s Board of Directors undertook a holistic review of our organization’s Bylaws, removing outdated, inconsistent, and redundant language so that NCARB can operate with clarity. Cleaning up the document was a massive effort, requiring rounds of checking and double-checking with the Board, NCARB’s legal counsel, and of course our membership. The main objective was to align the NCARB Bylaws with today’s best practices for organizations like ours.

 

How can members and the public stay informed about NCARB’s activities?

Members can stay up-to-date with Board activities by visiting the new Member Board Community, as well as participating in the pre- and post-BOD meeting calls with their regional leadership. Board minutes and BOD Briefs are uploaded to the community or sent to members after meetings. The public can find the latest news on NCARB’s programs on ncarb.org and our social media channels.