Maryland Board of Architects April 2026 Business Meeting Minutes

DATE: April 22, 2026
TIME: 11:00 AM
LOCATION: 100 S. Charles Street
3rd Floor Conference Room Tower 1, Baltimore, MD 21201
Video Teleconferencing
Phone Number: (US) +1 567-250-3071 PIN: 211 193 419#

MEMBERS PRESENT: Cynthia Shonaiya, Chair, RA
Douglas Polt, RA
Kevin Sneed, RA
Casey Dawkins, PhD

MEMBER ABSENT: Gretel Lott, CID
Kuo Pao Lian, RA
Paul Edmeades, RA

STAFF PRESENT: Zevi Thomas, Executive Director
Raquel Meyers, Assistant Executive Director
Peggy DallAcqua, Board Counsel
Noraida Lozano, Board Administrator

OTHER PRESENT: Sherry Nickerson, Representative, AIA Maryland
Mellissa Cannata, Representative, Amber Books
John Corkill, Architect
Chadwick Stewart, ARE Applicant
Jerome Walker, ARE Applicant

Call to Order

Ms. Cynthia Shonaiya, Chair, called the Business Meeting of the Maryland Board of Architects to order at 11:01 a.m. virtually, via Google Meet, Phone Number: (US) +1 567-250-3071, PIN: 211 193 419#.

Approval of Minutes

The members reviewed the minutes of the Business Meeting held on March 25, 2026. Motion (I) was made by Mr. Polt, seconded by Mr. Sneed, and unanimously carried by the Board to approve the minutes without corrections.

Complaint Committee Report

Mr. Dawkins presented the following report on behalf of the Complaint Committee:

11-AR-25 – Awaiting information on the status of the April 13, 2026, OAH hearing
05-AR-26 – Requesting additional information from the respondent
06-AR-26 - Awaiting a response from the respondent
07-AR-26 - Awaiting a response from the respondent
08-AR-26 - Awaiting the outcome of a civil case and a response from the respondent
09-AR-26 – Notified the respondent about the complaint and recommended closure.
One conduct review – Still pending NCARB’s final decision.

Motion (II) was made by Mr. Polt, seconded by Mr. Sneed, and carried by the Board to accept the Complaint Committee Report.

Review of Applications

Applications for the Architectural Registration Exam (ARE)

Ms. Shonaiya presented the report for the Architectural Registration Exam (ARE) and reciprocity applications.

There were ten (10) ARE applications administratively approved:

ALVARADO, Edgar

CENTENO, Cristhy

CROMWELL, Eleanor

DECHENE, Austin

EICHENSEHR, Ian

LAPOINTE, Edward

MELLIES, Waverly

PESSAGNO, Kyle

STEVENS, Martha

ZHU, Shihu

There were three (3) ARE applications approved by the Board:

RENNELS, Kelsey

STEWART, Chadwick

WALKER, Jerome

Applications for Reciprocity - None

Motion (III) was made by Mr. Sneed, seconded by Mr. Dawkins, and unanimously carried by the Board to approve thirteen (13) ARE applications. There were two (2) pending ARE applications: a candidate with initials JB who needs clarification on the ERC forms, and a candidate with initials JWH for whom the Board needs the original copy of one reference letter. No reciprocity was submitted for this meeting.

Old Business

Pathways to Licensures Forum

Mr. Dawkins reported that the Pathways to Licensure Forum committee attempted to meet with representatives from Morgan State School of Architecture. Unfortunately, the previous contact is no longer the head of the IPAL program. The committee decided to reach out to the Dean of Morgan State to coordinate a meeting and schedule the Licensure Forum event for the fall. Mr. Dawkins will follow up with the School’s Dean.

Annual Business Meeting (ABM) Candidates FY2027

Mr. Thomas confirmed with Ms. Shonaiya that ABM registration is open. Ms. Shonaiya announced the NCARB candidates’ forum would take place on April 27, 2026, at 3:00 PM. She encouraged the Board to attend the Q&A event, as it’s a good opportunity to hear from the candidates directly. She asked Mr. Thomas to share the link with the Board. Mr. Thomas agreed.

Mr. Sneed informed the Board that he is on the credentials committee this year. One of the committee’s responsibilities includes creating questionnaires in case there are no questions from the audience.

The Board reviewed the ABM candidates for FY27. Ms. Shonaiya and Mr. Sneed shared their insights with the Board. Sylvia Kwan is the unopposed candidate for NCARB Vice President, and Shannon Rimes is the unopposed candidate for Member Board Executive Director. Olivia Davis and Jean Otto are the candidates for the Public Director position. Mr. Sneed mentioned Jean Otto was a popular choice. Ms. Shonaiya also mentioned that Robert Cozerelli will be the new Regional Director for Maryland.

For At-Large Directors, only two candidates will be selected. As previously discussed during the last Board meeting, the Board unanimously agreed that Bobbi Jo Duneman and Jakiel Sanders stood out among the eight candidates. The Board also found Emmanuel Moreno to be the most compelling of the remaining candidates.

Annual Business Meeting Resolutions FY2027

Resolution 2026-A – MRA (Mutual Recognition Agreement) In the UK (United Kingdom) – (Straightforward).
Resolution 2026-B – This resolution would update 6 policies previously passed by the membership to reflect terminology and practice - (Straightforward).
Resolution 2026-C – This resolution would update NCARB certification guidelines to add an alternative to the examination requirement for the NCARB certificate for architects licensed through historic exams.

Mr. Thomas mentioned that during their member board executives meeting, it was discussed that in New York, they may require both a portfolio review and an oral exam for certain international architects to obtain licensure in that jurisdiction.

Ms. Shonaiya stated that this resolution requires careful understanding and deliberation. She requested the Board Counsel’s opinion. Ms. DallAcqua agreed to review the ABM FY2027 Resolutions.

New Business - None

Correspondence - None

Executive Director’s Report

Mr. Thomas informed the Board that the NCARB Annual Board Meeting will be held in Minnesota on June 25-27, 2026, and NCARB links are already provided for registration.

The following are the delegates attending and their source of funding:

Cynthia Shonaiya – NCARB
Casey Dawkins – Consumer Member - NCARB
Kuo Pao Lian – New Member – NCARB (Attendance to be confirmed)
Paul Edmeanes - NCARB
Douglas Polt – Region 2
Kevin Sneed – State-funded

The Board has agreed to assign Mr. Sneed as the voting delegate for Maryland.

Mr. Thomas confirmed that Senate Bill (SB 653/HB 1180) has cleared the vote and been presented to the Governor. Ms. Meyers and he, along with the policy director of the O&P Division, and Ms. DallAcqua will meet to work on administrative and regulatory changes that may be impacted by Senate Bill (SB 653/HB 1180).

Under these Senate Bills, two items require the Board’s attention: creating a portal or a way for anonymous complaints. The other item mostly affects authorities having jurisdiction/code officials, as they now have a duty to verify the person presenting these drawings.

Mr. Thomas indicated that the effective date of this bill is October 1, 2026, and he will provide updates to the Board regarding its implementation.

AIA Maryland Audience Participation

Ms. Nickerson offered to answer any questions the Board may have. She stated that AIA Maryland looks forward to supporting the State Board over the next year regarding the sunset provision. She agreed with Ms. Shonaiya that the governor is likely to sign this bill, as it passed both houses.

Ms. Shonaiya mentioned that upcoming meetings will form another task force to review items the Board wants to present to the next assembly. Ms. Nickerson pledged AIA Maryland’s support.

Board Counsel’s Report - None

Executive Session - None

Adjournment

There being no further business to discuss, Motion (IV) was made by Mr. Dawkins, seconded by Mr. Polt, and unanimously carried by the Board to adjourn the meeting at 11:55 a.m.

The next Board Meeting will be on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at 11:00 a.m.

____ With Corrections
__X__ Without Corrections

(Signature on File)
Cynthia Shonaiya, Chair

May 27, 2026
Date