Jill Lewis Smith, AIA, NCARB, of Louisville, Kentucky, is NCARB’s FY27 director of Region 4. Smith is also the president and founder of Civic Consultants Inc., an architecture and consulting firm based in Louisville. With more than 35 years of professional experience, she has dedicated her career to advancing resilient, sustainable, and high-performance building design while expanding opportunities within the architectural profession.
Smith first joined the Kentucky Board of Architects in 2001 and served through 2014, including terms as secretary/treasurer, president, and acting executive director. Reappointed in 2022, she again served two consecutive terms as president from 2023 to 2025. Across her two appointments, Smith has contributed 18 years of service to the Kentucky Board and has participated in numerous committees focused on licensure, legislation, investigations, finance, and professional regulation.
An active NCARB volunteer for more than two decades, Smith has served in a variety of leadership roles, including Region 4 treasurer, vice chair, secretary/treasurer, and chair. She has contributed to NCARB's Regional Leadership Committee, Policy Advisory Committee, Continuing Education Committee, Practice Analysis initiatives, Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®) development efforts, and Education Symposium Committee. She has also represented NCARB on National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) visiting teams.
Prior to founding Civic Consultants in 1999, Smith served as the city architect for Louisville, overseeing capital improvement and operational projects throughout the community.
Smith earned both her Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degrees from Tulane University. She holds the NCARB Certificate and is licensed to practice architecture in Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio.