Hello and happy autumn, Candidates, Supervisors, and fellow Advisors! I am so excited to take on the role of Architect Licensing Advisor for the Commonwealth and to help you along your career journey, no matter the season. In case you’re wondering why I’m here and what this is all about, here’s a little background on the role.
Architect Licensing Advisors are volunteers who share their time to assist licensure candidates and architects as they work toward initial licensure, reciprocity, supervision, or mentorship. Anyone can be an Advisor and most volunteer with their firms, however, some are appointed by their university or (like myself) their AIA Component. Some Advisors only serve for a few years, and others have done so for decades. The community of Advisors includes students, new graduates, mid-career professionals, educators, licensing board members, and retirees.
No matter how we came to the role of Advisor, or how long we’ve been in it, we all share a commitment to assisting current and aspiring architects as they navigate the sometimes overwhelming path ahead. This could not have been made more clear than at NCARB’s biannual Licensing Advisors Summit, held this summer in Kansas City. Attendees came from all over the US and beyond (one from as far as Guam!) to connect with others, share their ideas and perspectives, and learn about NCARB’s new initiatives, policies, and support they have to offer their members. I have already learned so much from the vast network I connected with at the Summit, and left energized and full of ideas for ways to engage with our AIA Virginia community.
It’s easy to look at a large national organization like NCARB and feel like you’re just a Record Number sending emails and frustration into the void but I promise; they, like us, are real people. And they really are invested in supporting the licensure candidates and architects that they serve. If you ever reach a point where you feel helpless, hopeless, or like you’re going backward instead of forward – that’s where your Licensing Advisor can step in. Advisors have access to our greatest resource, the knowledge and experience of others, and can crowdsource advice or solutions if an answer isn’t readily available.
Thanks to our previous Advisor Michael Hammon, AIA for setting the bar high. I’ll be sharing additional resources and guidance with you during my two-year term. Please feel free to reach out, especially if there’s a topic you’re curious to learn more about, or a resource you think would be helpful to others. Questions about AXP, the AREs, or NCARB in general are always welcome and encouraged. I’m looking forward to connecting with you and supporting your path in any way that I can.
Gina Robinson, AIA
Architect Licensing Advisor – Virginia
gina.robinson@hdrinc.com