August 2019
Board Meeting Update
The NAAB Board of Directors met in Chicago on July 27-28, 2019, for its summer meeting. At the meeting, among other things, the board

  • Voted on six accreditation and Substantial Equivalency decisions from the spring 2019 visits.
  • Elected new directors, who begin their terms at the conclusion of the October 2019 board meeting.
  • Elected the 2019-2020 officers.
  • Approved the 2019 Procedures for Substantial Equivalency and the release of the document for a 60-day public comment period, available here. Please send comments to Janet Rumbarger, director, International Services, by October 11, 2019. She may be reached at jrumbarger@naab.org.
  • Received program reports from the various committees and task forces.

The next board meeting is scheduled in Philadelphia on October 18-19, 2019. 
New NAAB Directors
Congratulations to the new NAAB directors:

  • Rebecca O’Neal Dagg, of Auburn, AL; 2019-2022 director nominated by ACSA
  • Damon Leverett, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, of Tucson, AZ; 2019-2022 director nominated by AIA
  • Robyn Payne, AIAS, of Lawrence, KS; 2019-2021 director nominated by AIAS
  • Raúl Rivera-Ortiz, AIA, NCARB, of San Juan, PR; 2019-2022 director nominated by NCARB

Thank you to our collateral partners for such great nominations! 
New NAAB Officers
Congratulations to the 2019–2020 officers:

  • President: Barbara Sestak, FAIA
  • President-elect: Marilys R. Nepomechie, DPACSA, FAIA
  • Secretary: Jeanne Jackson, FAIA, NCARB, LEED AP
  • Treasurer: Benjamin B. Lee, FAIA, LEED AP

We look forward to your continued leadership!
2019 Annual Statistical Report
The 2019 Annual Statistical Report will launch on Friday, August 30, 2019. Programs can access the report at ars.naab.org , and must complete it by November 30, 2019. Programs with a 2-year or 5-year Interim Progress Report due in 2019 will also access their report template file via ars.naab.org , and must upload the report, along with their statistical report, by November 30, 2019.
NAAB Volunteers Awarded
NCARB President’s Medal
At its annual business meeting, NCARB bestowed its highest honor, the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service, on 12 individuals, five of whom have volunteered with the NAAB.

  • Robert A. Boynton, FAIA, who served as NCARB president in 2004 and was appointed to the NAAB Board of Directors and the AIA National Ethics Council.
  • Ann R. Chaintreuil, FAIA, NCARB, who served as the first female president of NCARB in 1998. Chaintreuil volunteered her expertise to the Intern Development Program and also represented NCARB on a NAAB visiting team.
  • Jeanne M. Jackson, FAIA, NCARB, LEED AP, who has been a valuable member of seven committees and task forces and seven NAAB visiting teams. In 2018, she was selected to serve on the NAAB Board of Directors after her nomination from NCARB.
  • Richard H. McNeel, AIA, NCARB, IIDA, LEED AP, who has served on the Examination Committee, Test Specification Task Force, several ARE subcommittees, and as an NCARB representative on many NAAB visiting teams.
  • Harry G. Robinson III, FAIA, AICP, who as president in 1993 represented NCARB in negotiations for international reciprocity between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Robinson was appointed to the NAAB Board of Directors in 1996, and founded the Career Discovery Program in Architecture and the African American Architect Initiative at Howard University.

Read more about all 12 medal recipients here .
Partner Spotlight:
New Collateral Leadership
The NAAB would like to recognize the new boards of directors of its collateral partners:

  • ACSA, which announced its Board of Directors election results at the Annual Meeting in March
  • AIA, which elected its new Board of Directors at A’19 in May
  • AIAS, which elected its new Board of Directors at the Grassroots conference in July
  • NCARB, which elected its Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting in June