NCARB is committed to supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in the architecture profession through our work as a regulatory organization—and part of how we’re carrying out that commitment is through the work of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee.

Creating the DEI Committee

Our DEI Committee evolved from grassroots efforts established by regional leaders and other engaged volunteers to research and recommend strategies to increase the diversity of NCARB’s volunteer community, including regional and national leadership within the organization. Last year, NCARB’s membership voted to create a permanent DEI Committee dedicated to moving forward NCARB’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at the volunteer, leadership, and practice-wide level.

The DEI Committee at the 2022 Committee Summit in Washington, DC.

Why DEI Matters

Public health, safety, and welfare are ensured more effectively when architecture professionals reflect the communities they serve—in terms of race, ethnicity, and gender, but also age, disability status, background, and other factors. By fostering a diverse, inclusive community of professionals, NCARB and its Member Boards can better achieve their mission to protect the public.

 

Members of the DEI Committee discuss best practices at the 2022 Committee Summit.

 

What the Committee Is Working On

Each spring, NCARB’s incoming president selects volunteers for the committee and tasks each committee with several charges to work on over the year ahead. In Fiscal Year 2023, NCARB’s DEI Committee focused on several efforts:

  • Collaborating with the Board of Directors to develop a proposed roadmap of diversity, equity, and inclusion goals for the organization to meet by the year 2030, enabling NCARB to strategically focus on key efforts to maximize DEI impact
  • Exploring best practices for nonprofit governance related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, which will help guide future efforts 
  • Facilitating larger discussions with NCARB’s membership related to diversity, equity, and inclusion to ensure that the conversation around inclusion efforts continue moving forward both internally and externally
  • Supporting efforts to gather data from NCARB’s members and volunteers that will help establish a baseline for DEI efforts at the organizational level and inform future efforts
  • Developing methods to draw new volunteers and members into the leadership pipeline, with the goal of creating a more diverse pool of individuals who are eligible for national leadership positions in the future  
  • Collaborating with NCARB staff to highlight the diverse experiences of architects and licensure candidates navigating the path to becoming an architect

Over the next several months, we’ll be highlighting the stories of a variety of established and emerging professionals on the NCARB Blog. To hear about non-traditional licensure experiences and hear the latest updates about the work of the DEI Committee, stay up-to-date on the NCARB Blog!