At NCARB’s 2023 Annual Business Meeting, the 55 licensing boards passed a resolution that updated the structure of our Board of Directors. The new model increases the pool of qualified applicants, streamlines the leadership timeline, and enables greater flexibility and diversity.
Why change NCARB’s leadership structure?
NCARB has been researching changes to our leadership structure for several years, with a goal of ensuring that our leadership better represents the diversity of the population we serve, as well as reducing the time required to join NCARB leadership. The changes were proposed based on research into governance best practices, advice from expert consultants, input from NCARB’s Diversity Collaborative and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, and feedback from NCARB’s membership.
What are the changes?
Previously, NCARB’s Board of Directors included six officer positions, six regional directors, a Member Board Executive director, and a public director.
The resolution reduced the officers to a total of four: president, vice president, secretary/treasurer and immediate past president. The membership voted to merge the secretary and treasurer officer positions, eliminate the second vice president position, and add two at-large director positions. By streamlining the number of officer positions and creating additional pathways to Board service, the updates also shorten the time required to move into Board leadership and expand the pool of eligible candidates for director positions.
What does this mean for me?
While most positions on NCARB’s Board of Directors require service on one of NCARB’s 55 licensing board members as a prerequisite—which can limit qualified candidates to a narrow pool—candidates for the new at-large director positions qualify by either serving for two years on a licensing board or two years on one of NCARB’s Board-appointed volunteer efforts.
This opens up the opportunity to serve on NCARB’s Board of Directors to a larger, more diverse group of people, including non-architect members and board executives from NCARB Member Boards as well as architects who have not yet served on a Member Board.
When do the changes go into effect?
The changes to NCARB governance will go into effect over the course of several years, starting with elections to NCARB’s FY25 Board of Directors next June.
How can I become an NCARB volunteer?
The call for NCARB volunteers typically goes out each spring. Most volunteer positions require you to be a licensed architect; however, there are some opportunities available for other professionals, licensure candidates, and educators. To learn more, get in touch with us at council-relations@ncarb.org.
Plus, keep an eye on our Serve on a Licensing Board page to see if there are open positions on your local licensing board.
If I’m already an NCARB volunteer, how do I put myself forward as a candidate to be an at-large director?
Individuals interested in serving as an at-large director on NCARB’s Board of Directors will be able to self-nominate. The first at-large directors will be elected in June 2024. Calls for candidates will go out later this year.
