Alfred Vidaurri Featured in Texas Architect

Texas Architect magazine’s September/October issue features an interview with Alfred Vidaurri, a Freese and Nichols Vice President/Principal, on the profession and his new role as president of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB).

Here are some excerpts:

“If you would have asked me 16 years ago if I would ever be in an interview like this as president of NCARB — never in my wildest imagination. It was a very different organization back then. I’m not sure I would have wanted to be involved 16 years ago, because I saw no one that looked like me. I saw very few from underrepresented groups. The good news is this is changing, and that’s why I feel, yes, it’s a great honor being the first Latino, Hispanic NCARB president, but I also feel it’s a great responsibility to show others that the door is open. It is possible. And I look forward to the day when we no longer honor the first or the second or the third of something, but instead we honor the wonderful uniqueness and the leadership and vision that a person is going to bring to the table.”
…
What advice do you like to give emerging professionals?
… “Don’t sit back and wait for others to lead you. You need to make sure you find a great mentor. You need to understand the requirements ahead of you and have conversations with the leaders of your firm to say: ‘Look, this is my goal, this is my timetable, and this is what I need to do. I need you to work with me to achieve that because, at the end of the day, it’s good for the firm AND it’s good for me as an individual.’”

Read the full article: Q&A with Alfred Vidaurri Jr.