Unlike most people, I never struggled with a career choice. For as long as I can remember I wanted to be an architect. I have no single event or mentor that I can point back to as a root cause or inspiration, all that I know is that it has always been there. I entered architecture school with almost no knowledge of the profession, the closest my high school came to an architecture class was mechanical drafting, which involved drawing and redrawing the same gear all semester long. Prior to entering college, I read as many architecture books as I could, but most everything about architecture school came as a surprise. Suddenly I was designing spaces and being forced to justify every move, something which took some time to get used to. My time in architecture school instilled a deep appreciation and understanding in the transformative power of design, a value that I still carry today. It is hard to describe to someone who is not an architect the experience of watching a successful design become built and realized, to stand inside something that had once only existed as an idea in your head. By the time I completed my Bachelor of Architecture (at New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark) and later my Master of Architecture degree (at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York), I was certainly ready to design but not necessarily well prepared for work in an office. My first job out of school was in a windowless basement with two other people in a very small firm, and for the first few years all it seemed that I did was fix redlines of drawings that I never drew in the first place. That firm eventually expanded and moved to an office that I designed (finally we were above ground and there were windows), and as new, younger people started to work there, I found myself naturally moving into a mentorship role. I wanted people to know everything that I was never told, to give support and honest advice whenever I could. Professionally I received my architecture license, followed by my LEED BD+C accreditation and, more recently, my WELL AP accreditation (the WELL Building Standard was launched in 2014 and is committed to advancing human health and wellness in buildings and communities). All that time, I never abandoned my mission to mentor others and share whatever knowledge I may have any way I could.

Once I was licensed, I finally joined the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and my local section, the Architects League of Northern New Jersey (ALNNJ). Within a year of joining, I was already involved in the Programs Committee and soon founded an annual ALNNJ event that still continues today, the Ted Kessler Walking Tours. This gave me a chance to share my knowledge about the history and architecture of New York City, and every year since I have spent countless hours researching and developing new walking tours for our members and guests. This commitment contributed to receiving the ALNNJ Anton Vegliante Award in 2014, it is an award given to an architect for advancement of the profession, and it is the highest honor that the ALNNJ can award upon one of its members. During this same time, I found myself working on an architectural job that involved almost weekly travel, and a chance to see parts of the country that most people would never imagine visiting. One month I might find myself in Huntsville, Alabama, then Grand Forks, North Dakota, then Victoria, Texas, then Nanaimo, British Columbia. I have always loved traveling and I still think it is one of the most valuable things you can do with your time. There is no better way to understand the world or the country than actually being there, and the randomness of the work travel for all those years was equal parts exhausting and exhilarating and, in the end, an incredible experience that I still value today.

By 2016, the work travel had slowed to a manageable pace, and I finally had enough time to join the ALNNJ Board of Trustees. I became Chair of the ALNNJ Scholarship Committee where I rebuilt the program from the ground up. The ALNNJ Scholarship Committee awards annual scholarships to high school and college students attending architecture school and, since 2019, awards Diane and Ben Lee Design Education Grants to New Jersey K-12 teachers. I also founded and Chair a new committee, the ALNNJ Community Outreach Committee, which looks to engage the public wherever possible. In 2018 I became President of the Architects League, which was a great honor as well as a rare opportunity to help move the profession and organization forward. As ALNNJ President, not only did I get a chance to serve the Architects League's members, but also a chance to meet others in leadership roles in both New Jersey and across the country. This led to serving as Design Jury Chair for AIA Central New York's annual design competition and my involvement as a judge in the regionals and finals for STEAM Tank, a statewide K-12 competition sponsored by the New Jersey School Boards Association and the US Army. This also led to serving as Co-Chair for AIA New Jersey's K-12 Committee. As Co-Chair, I worked to develop a hands on architecture and planning workshop that we held for kids in Camden and Newark, as well as an all day, intensive tower design competition for teams made up of high school girls from across northern New Jersey. My work on the K-12 Committee, along with my work with the Architects League and my position as an NCARB Licensing Advisor, all work towards promoting the same goals. Architecture is a profession that uses design to transform people’s lives and communities for the better, which is the reason that I love being an architect. I value and appreciate the opportunity to design and improve the world through the built environment. And, since I love being an architect, I also value my role of mentoring the next generation of architects, of sharing what information I have, and of doing whatever I can to give back and strengthen the profession wherever possible.

Joseph E. David, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP