Minneapolis, MN—Ronald B. Blitch, FAIA, FACHA, NCARB, of New Orleans, LA, was installed as president of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) at its 93rd Annual Meeting. Blitch previously served as second vice president and first vice president/president-elect.
“I am looking forward to beginning my term as president because we have spent our last year opening up new discussions, improving and establishing important relationships, and asking critical questions about the Council’s role in the profession,” Blitch said.
Blitch first became involved with the Council in 1997 when he volunteered to grade the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®), the multi-division test developed by NCARB and taken by all candidates seeking architectural registration in the United States. Since then he has chaired the Examination Committee and served on the Committee on Procedures and Documents, and the Broadly Experienced Architect Committee.
In 2011, he chaired the Practice Analysis Steering Committee, which prepared the 2012 Practice Analysis of Architecture. This significant study, sent to architects, interns, and educators in April 2012, identifies the knowledge and skills that are necessary to practice architecture independently.
“The work now begins to interpret the Practice Analysis results and begin the development of a long-range master plan for future of NCARB’s programs and policies,” said Blitch. “The Practice Analysis will offer a glimpse into the current state of our profession and help launch us into a future that should be responsive and focused on excellence and agility.”
In 1993, Blitch was appointed to the Louisiana State Board of Architectural Examiners. He served until 2000, and then was reappointed in 2006 and 2012. He served as the board’s president in 2010. In 2008, Blitch was elected treasurer to the Southern Conference (Region 3), which represents Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He was elected chair of the conference in 2009.
Blitch is president of the design firm Blitch Knevel Architects, Inc., of New Orleans, LA. He earned the NCARB Certificate in 1978, and he is registered to practice architecture in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. He holds a bachelor of architecture degree from the University of Notre Dame and completed study at the Notre Dame “Centro di Architettura” in Rome, Italy.
An American Institute of Architects (AIA) Fellow, Blitch has served as president of AIA’s Louisiana component and chair of AIA’s Design for Aging Knowledge Community. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Architects (FACHA).His contribution to the community includes his work on the board of regents for Our Lady of Holy Cross College, New Orleans, as well as chair of the Abita Springs Historic Commission in Abita Springs, LA, and numerous roles for other philanthropic, educational, and municipal entities.
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About NCARB
The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards’ membership is made up of the architectural registration boards of all 50 states as well as those of the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. NCARB assists its member registration boards in carrying out their duties and provides a certification program for individual architects.
NCARB protects the public health, safety, and welfare by leading the regulation of the practice of architecture through the development and application of standards for licensure and credentialing of architects. In order to achieve these goals, the Council develops and recommends standards to be required of an applicant for architectural registration; develops and recommends standards regulating the practice of architecture; provides to Member Boards a process for certifying the qualifications of an architect for registration; and represents the interests of Member Boards before public and private agencies. NCARB has established reciprocal registration for architects in the United States and Canada.
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