Maryland Board of Architects September 23, 2026 Business Meeting Minutes

TIME: 11:00 AM

LOCATION: 100 S. Charles Street

Tower 1, 3rd Floor

Baltimore, MD 21201

Video Teleconferencing via: https://meet.google.com/tbt-uxif-gth

Phone Number: (US) +1 567-250-3071 PIN: 211 193 419#

Douglas Polt, RA

Kuo Pao Lian, RA

Casey Dawkins, PhD

MEMBER ABSENT: Kevin Sneed, RA

STAFF PRESENT: John Dove, Commissioner

Raquel Meyers, Interim Executive Director

Matthew Venuti, AAG, Board Counsel

Aajah Harris, Director of Policy
Andrew Friel, Director of Government Affairs

Noraida Lozano, Administrative Specialist

Wainford Lewis, Office Assistant

OTHER PRESENT: Stacey Jefferson, Director of Public Engagement, FAMLI

Angie Plazas, Outreach Coordinator, FAMLI

Sherry Nickerson, AIA Maryland Lobbyist

AIA Maryland’s Virtual Employee

Mellissa Cannata, Representative, Amber Books

John Corkill, Architect

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.

Approval of Minutes

The members reviewed the minutes of the Business Meeting held on August 26, 2026. Motion (I), made by Mr. Dawkins and seconded by Mr. Polt, was unanimously carried by the Board to approve the minutes without corrections.

FAMLI (Family and Medical Leave Insurance) Presentation

Ms. Stacy Jefferson​, Director of ​​P​ublic Engagement for the Maryland Department of Labor's Family and Medical Leave Insurance Division ​(FAMLI), presented the new statewide program. FAMLI will launch in 2028, ensuring employees have access to paid family and medical leave. This program provides job protection and pays leave up to $1,000 per week for up to 12 weeks, which can be taken continuously or intermittently.

There are four life events covered by FAMLI: welcoming a child (which includes fostering and adoption), an employee's own serious health condition, a family member's serious health condition, and preparing for a family member's deployment.

Employee contributions will begin in January 2027, and benefits will begin in January 2028. The FAMLI program is funded by contributions from both employers and employees, with a total rate of 0.9%, split evenly at 0.45% each. To be eligible for benefits, employees must have worked a minimum of 680 hours in a Maryland-based position.

Monthly webinars will begin on September 30, 2026, to guide participants through the registration process. Additionally, the customer care team is available from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. to assist with FAMLI program inquiries. ​Registrants can now visit the website at https://paidleave.maryland.gov/.

Complaint Committee Report

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

11-AR-25 – The Final Order is being prepared for the Board Chair’s signature.
05-AR-26 – Awaiting a response from the respondent.
09-AR-26 – Awaiting more information from the respondent.
10-AR-26 – Awaiting more information from the complainant.
12-AR-26 – Awaiting a response from the respondent.
27-AR-01 – New complaint. Awaiting a response from the respondent.

There are two (2) pending reinstatements currently awaiting additional information from licensees with the initials LB and DD.

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

Applications for the Architectural Registration Exam (ARE)

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

There were seven (7) ARE applications administratively approved:

FERRUFINO-MENDOZA, Patricia MCCABE, Taylor
GINSBURG, Theodore O'GRADY, Reilly
GRANT, Tyron ZHANG, Yilu
LAU, Rachel

There were two (2) ARE applications approved by the Board:

ALBERS, Ryan ALGHAFFARI, Maytham

Motion (III) was made by Mr. Lian, seconded by Mr. Dawkins, and unanimously carried by the Board to approve nine (9) ARE applications. No application for reciprocity was submitted for this meeting.

Old Business

1. Pathways to Licensure Forum

   Ms. Shonaiya reported that the Pathways to Licensure Forum presentation held at Morgan State University on September 10, 2026, was a success. The Board was represented by herself, Mr. Lian, and Mr. Sneed, with representation from NCARB, AIA Maryland, and Morgan State University. She confirmed that there were over 30 attendees and that the Board representatives successfully highlighted multiple paths to licensure, including the IPAL program available at Morgan State University.

   Mr. Lian agreed with Ms. Shonaiya that the Licensure Forum was a great success. He mentioned that Brian Grieb, a professor at Morgan State University, and the students were very appreciative of the event. Mr. Grieb noted how valuable it was for the students to understand the licensure path and mentioned that having representatives from NCARB present was particularly helpful.

2. Legislative Initiatives – None
3. Sunset Review and Extension

   During the meeting, Mr. Venuti confirmed that the Legislative Committee is proposing a sunset extension and has already initiated the draft. The current sunset date is July 1, 2027, and the committee intends to extend it by 12 years in accordance with standard practice. Mr. Venuti will keep the Board updated as this process progresses. Furthermore, Ms. Nickerson, Lobbyist for AIA Maryland, pledged the organization's full support to the Board ​whenever needed.

4. Regulatory Changes

   Mr. Venuti clarified to the Board that the Legislative Committee is actively seeking departmental support for the proposed legislative changes. He noted that the Professional Engineers have commenced their statutory rewrite and suggested consolidating these proposals into a unified "Design Boards" legislative initiative to strengthen advocacy. The Design Boards have committed to this strategy. The committee has aligned its regulatory revisions with the proposed statutory changes. Mr. Venuti is finalizing additional amendments based on recommendations from former Board member Mr. Edmeades.

New Business

​ Mr. Lian noted that professors at Montgomery College have expressed interest in hosting the next Licensure Forum, with a specific focus on the two-year experience program requirement. Mr. Dawkins agreed to consider this proposal and will include it on the agenda for the upcoming Licensure Forum committee meeting.

Ms. Shonaiya recalled the discussion with Mr. Venuti about including the 2-year program credit in Maryland's education equivalency requirements. This credit should be listed separately from the 10-year requirement, as the latter specifically applies to candidates with no educational equivalency.

Correspondence – None

Executive Director’s Report

​Ms. Meyers updated the Board that her tenure as Interim Executive Director will conclude on September 29th. Additionally, interviews for the Professional Engineer Board Administrative Officer position were finalized on September 16th and 18th. She also confirmed that she and Ms. Shonaiya were approved for out-of-state travel to the NCARB Member Board Chairs/Member Board Executive Leadership Summit,​ to be held in Memphis, Tennessee, from October 9–10, 2026. ​

The updates regarding our anonymous complaints portal ​​remain on schedule for the October 1st deadline. ​​The FAQs have been updated, and the complaint form ​has been uploaded.

Ms. Meyers presented two email blasts to the Board for review: the first ​was for ​Maryland code officials regarding recent legislative changes, and the second ​was intended for Maryland architect licensees. These communications address the requirements of Senate Bill 653, which mandates verification of architects' credentials. Ms. Meyers will continue to collaborate with our Board Counsel, Matt Venuti, to finalize the language for these updates.

M​s. Shonaiya inquired about the transition regarding the Executive Director position, noting that Ms. Meyers' term as Interim Executive Director is scheduled to conclude on September 29th. Commissioner Dove addressed the Board, confirming that an offer has been extended to and accepted by a new candidate. The individual is slated to begin their tenure on September 30th, and an official announcement will be made closer to the start date.

Ms. Shonaiya expressed the Board's appreciation for Ms. Meyers seamless leadership as Interim Executive Director, noting that the Board looks forward to her return to her previous role.

Ms. Meyers reported that there are currently two potential candidates for the vacant architect position on the Board; these applications have been forwarded to the Office of the Secretary for review. Additionally, the Board continues to seek a new consumer member, and Ms. Meyers encouraged anyone with recommendations or interested candidates to reach out to her.

Board Counsel’s Report

Mr. Venuti noted that all items in his report were addressed during the "Old Business" portion of the meeting. To streamline the agenda, Ms. Shonaiya suggested moving legislative initiatives, sunset provisions, and regulatory changes to the Board Counsel report moving forward.

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 11:37 a.m.

The next Board Meeting will be on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at 11:00 a.m.

______ With Corrections __X__ Without Corrections

(Signature on File) October 28, 2026
___________________________ ______________________
Cynthia Shonaiya, Chair Date