Iowa Architect Gordon E. Mills, FAIA,
Elected First Vice President of National Architect Council

Washington, DC—Gordon E. Mills, FAIA, of Dubuque, IA, recently was elected first vice president of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) at its 88th Annual Meeting and Conference in Denver, CO. For the past three years Mills has served as the Council’s second vice president and treasurer. By virtue of his recent election, Mills will assume the presidency of NCARB in July 2008.

Mills recently retired as chairman and chief executive officer of The Durrant Group, Inc., a 74-year-old multidisciplinary professional services firm based in Dubuque. The firm serves a diverse domestic and international client base with 12 offices located in eight states. Mills previously was managing director of Durrant’s Midwest offices as well as the firm’s secretary-treasurer. Mills joined Durrant in 1967 and has helped the firm grow in size, capability, and reach.

From 2002-2004 Mills served as director for NCARB’s Region 4 (Mid-Central Conference), which comprises Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Mills also was elected regional chair in 2001-2002 and regional vice-chair in 2000-2001.

His service to NCARB includes three years as a volunteer grader for the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®), which is a nine-division test taken by all U.S. and Canadian candidates seeking architectural registration. Most recently, Mills has lent his experience and expertise to the Council’s ARE Technology Task Force and Committee on Professional Conduct. He also has worked with the ARE Development Task Force, the Committee on Examination, and the Committee on International Relations.

In 2001 Mills was advanced to the American Institute of Architects’ College of Fellows—the highest honor the AIA bestows on its architect members—in recognition of his longstanding professional contributions. In 2006 he was named a Senior Fellow in the Design Futures Council, a global network of design community professionals whose mission is to explore trends, changes, and new opportunities in design, architecture, engineering, and building technology. He earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Iowa State University in 1965. Mills holds the NCARB Certificate for national reciprocity and is registered to practice in five states (Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota,
Virginia, and Wisconsin).

From 1996-2005 Mills served as a member of the Iowa Architectural Examiners Board. He was elected board chair in 2001-2002. He also has held a number of leadership roles for the AIA on both the state and national levels. Mills is a co-founder of the Iowa Architectural Foundation.

Mills received AIA Iowa’s Gold Medal in recognition of his distinguished service to the profession of architecture in 2002. That same year, he also was recognized by Iowa State University as an alumnus who is “making Iowa greater.” Mills is a charter member of the 1000 Friends of Iowa as well as a member of the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce and the Dubuque Area Committee on Foreign Relations. From 1966 to 1972 Mills served in the U.S. Army Reserve’s 389th Engineering Battalion.

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