The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards will be under new executive leadership in 2011.

Lenore Lucey, FAIA, has announced that she will leave her post as executive vice president of NCARB on July 1, 2011. NCARB represents the architectural registration boards of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and three U.S. territories, with 105,000 registered architects. It oversees the Architect Registration Examination and the Intern Development Program, and certifies credentials.

Lucey has most notably led the organization through a complex transformation from a paper-based system to a computer-based one. In recent years, it has started to digitally process and archive its members’ records, which include training, certification, and examination documents.

When Lucey joined NCARB in 1997, it was transitioning from the paper-and-pencil Architect Registration Examination to electronic administration of the ARE. Lucey admits that the process proved time-consuming as the council has dealt with moving information from outdated legacy systems. “It was like a steam engine that took a long time to get its wheels moving,” she says. “Now that it’s up to speed, things are really moving.”

NCARB’s digital transformation is expected to be completed in conjunction with Lucey’s departure in 2011. As a result, Lucey says she expects the council to move significantly faster in processing records and requests in the coming years.

As NCARB’s major push into digital transformation comes to a close, Lucey says it’s an appropriate time to step down. She has not decided if she will formally retire after leaving the organization. “It could be anything from trying something new to doing nothing,” she says of her future pursuits.

Gordon Mills, FAIA, president of NCARB, says that the council also has improved its relationships with industry organizations, including AIA, under Lucey’s watch. “With the AIA, we now share observers on key committees,” he says, “and that’s only happened in the last five years thanks to Lenore.”

Challenges for her successor will include further improvement of reciprocity for registered architects, Lucey explains. She also expects global mobility of architects to become an even greater issue in the coming years.

NCARB has created a Transition Planning Task Force, chaired by NCARB Treasurer Scott C. Veazey, AIA, to pave the way for Lucey’s successor over the next two years. The board is expected to reevaluate the next executive vice president’s role as it pertains to the council’s strategic goals. The task force will begin a nationwide search for Lucey’s replacement in 2010.