Get Licensed: Your Guide to Becoming a Registered Architect in New York

Thinking about licensure but unsure where to start? Wondering how recent updates to the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) and reciprocity agreements might impact your career? Join industry experts from the New York State Board for Architecture and National Council of Architectural Registration Board (NCARB) for an insider’s look at the latest changes in the licensure process. This is your chance to get firsthand insights into the ARE 5.0, experience reporting, and pathways to becoming a licensed architect—all in one session designed for emerging professionals like you!

Why Attend?

✅ Get direct updates from the people shaping licensure policies
✅ Understand how changes to ARE 5.0 and experience requirements affect you
✅ Learn about reciprocity agreements and what they mean for your future mobility
✅ Engage in a Q&A session—ask the experts your burning questions!

Speakers:
Robert Lopez, RA, AIA, NCARB, Executive Secretary, New York State Boards for Architecture and Landscape Architecture
Martin Smith, AIA, NCARB, CAE, Assistant Vice President, Experience + Education, NCARB

This is more than just an information session—it’s an opportunity to connect, learn, and take charge of your path to licensure. Save your spot now and take the next step in your career!

About the Speakers:
Martin Smith joined NCARB in 2009 when he was hired to develop and expand NCARB’s outreach efforts to universities and the profession. Today, he has an essential role in the development and oversight of the Architectural Experience Program® (AXP®), Architect Licensing Advisors Program, alternative programs for NCARB Certification, and additional programs within the Experience + Education directorate. Beyond his work with NCARB, Smith has 10 years of architectural design and construction management experience, having worked for firms in New York City and New Canaan. His projects vary from single- and multi-family residential to commercial and university buildings, focusing on adaptive reuse and historic preservation projects. Smith holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Syracuse University and is licensed to practice architecture in New York. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects and holds the NCARB Certificate for national reciprocity.

Robert Lopez has been the Executive Secretary to the New York State Board for Architecture and the State Board for Landscape Architecture within the Office of the Professions at the State Education Department since 2005. Prior to joining the Department, he was a Principal and shareholder at a national 750-person architecture & engineering firm based in Albany, New York, and was the Director of its K-12 Studio. Lopez has been a registered architect in the State of New York since 1993, is a member of the American Institute of Architects, and holds the NCARB Certificate.