The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) installed Dennis Ward, AIA, as president and Kristine Harding, AIA, as first vice president/president-elect at its annual meeting last week. Ward, president of Florence, S.C.–based firm FW Architects, replaces NCARB’s outgoing president Dale McKinney, AIA.
In a speech at last week’s event, Ward discussed the organization’s position at a “threshold of a momentous change to the sustainability of our profession.” He is taking over at a time when NCARB is discussing alternative paths to licensure, debating the “intern” title, and simplifying the certification process. During his term as president, he plans to create an ethics task force, continue the exploration of an integrated path to licensure, and strengthen the NCARB Certificate.
NCARB is becoming a “leader regarding licensure concepts, an aid to the work of our Member Boards, and an advocate for the value licensure brings to the public,” Ward said in a press release. He has previously served in a variety of NCARB positions, including first vice president/president-elect, second vice president, treasurer, and secretary, as well as ​the director of the Southern Conference (Region 3)​.
Kristine Harding
Harding, vice president and group manager of the Huntsville, Ala.–based KPS Group, will serve as NCARB’s vice president through July 2016 before taking over as president. She is a member of NCARB’s board of directors who has served as director, vice chair, and secretary of the Southern Conference, and has been involved in several of the organization’s committees.
“This is truly an exciting time to be a part of the NCARB leadership team,” Harding said in a press release. “I look forward to assisting NCARB in attracting new architects, in increasing the value of what we offer, and in creating programs that will make NCARB vital to everyone in our profession.”
In addition to inaugurating Ward and electing Harding, NCARB also awarded its highest honor, the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service, to former NCARB presidents Blakely Dunn, AIA, and Gordon Mills, FAIA; Kwan Henmi Architecture & Planning president and CEO Denis Henmi, FAIA; chair and director of NCARB’s Region 4 James O’Brien, FAIA; and Mississippi State Board of Architecture executive director Jenny Wilkinson. The award honors individuals who have made notable contributions to the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare through their service to the profession and to NCARB.
