Employee Spotlight: Haley DeNardo
Beginning the AXP can feel like a daunting task, but for Haley DeNardo, an intern architect at NBA, she has benefited from a supportive mentor and peer group to help her along the way. Haley shared insights from her journey as the featured licensure candidate on NCARB’s Live: Working with Your AXP Supervisor Webinar!
Left to right: Jeremy Fretts, Haley DeNardo, Joseph McCoy and Kimberly Tuttle
Haley was joined by AXP Supervisor, Joseph McCoy, AIA, LEED AP, Senior Associate at Sanchez Palmer Architects; licensing advisor Kimberly Tuttle, AIA, NCARB, Director of Partnerships+Events at the American Institute of Architects Students; and moderator Jeremy Fretts, AIA, NCARB, M.A. Ed., Assistant Vice President of Experience + Education at NCARB. The webinar focused on how licensure candidates can work together with their supervisors to complete the AXP. Throughout the webinar, Haley and the rest of the panel discussed topics such as behavior for candidates and supervisors, helpful resources for supervisors and tips for students and emerging professionals just beginning the AXP.
Read more about Haley’s career and AXP journey below…
Selecting the right AXP supervisor is important. What advice would you give for selecting a supervisor?
It needs to be someone that’s in your studio who’s going to know what you’re working on every week and be able to provide the support you need, but also has the power to push you in different directions. You have to trust each other.
How have you and your supervisor worked together in order to achieve your goals?
Walter Ploskon has been a great supervisor and resource. I feel very comfortable stopping by his desk to let him know if I need hours for something, and he’s always ready to help me. The other day he walked me through a budget proposal since I wasn’t familiar with writing one but needed to know how to do it. Almost everyone here [at NBA] is willing to mentor people so that makes it pretty easy!
Walter and Haley at the 2019 Penn State Career Fair
What has been the most important thing you’ve learned from your supervisor?
The most important thing I’ve learned from Walter is the way to handle yourself and the way you speak with others. Communication is very important to me since I have another degree in it, and I appreciate the way Walter manages and conducts himself. He is very honest, and he’s willing to let me try something as long as I’m willing to show the drive for it.
What recommendations do you have for documenting your experience hours?
I log my hours in bulk every three to four months using an Excel spreadsheet, and that’s worked very well for me. I’ll use my weekly timesheets to count my hours then plug them into one of the six practice-based divisions. Logging hours during my internships was also helpful because I got them done quicker.
What advice would you give to young professionals just beginning the program?
Really feed into the huge community of other people that are doing the AXP at the same time. Collaborating with peers that are going through the same experience has been very beneficial. Christine Parisi and I are the only two employees in the Alexandria office testing at the moment, and we’ll discuss study resources. I also serve as one of the leaders on NBA’s Young Professional Forum, and our monthly meetings allow me to stay connected with the Atlanta office and to find out if anyone there is taking exams. Additionally, it’s important to build a close working relationship with your supervisor, who will often times fall into a mentor category, and they’ll still be an important resource for you even after you finish hours and testing.
Haley at the July 2019 AREForum’19 where the boards of all five collaterals discussed the future of architectural education
You currently serve as Director on the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). What have you learned the most from being in this leadership role?
The way we [NAAB] have discussions has helped me separate an idea from the person and take constructive criticism. We all come from different backgrounds which provides several perspectives, and not everyone is going to understand how you think if they’ve grown up in another place. The role also changes the way I work because I have to be better at time management, but Walter is always flexible about it and supports me. Knowing that I have his and everyone else’s encouragement at NBA means a lot.
Group picture at AREForum’19
What are the key resources that have helped you with the AXP?
I mainly use the NCARB handbook along with a number of NBA’s in-house resources to study for the exam: Ballast 5.0, The Architect’s Handbook of Professional Practice, Black Spectacles and any old 4.0 materials. I would also recommend Designer Hacks, Schiff Hardin Lecture Series and Pluralsight.
How has NBA helped you with the AXP? What opportunities has the firm offered you?
NBA is structured vertically, meaning one studio carries a project from concept to completion, and this was a big selling point for me compared to horizontally structured firms. I love being in a place that gives me the chance to do more if I show drive to do it. We are more led by our clients, which creates a special opportunity for long-standing relationships. This structure also helps you become a more well-rounded architect or designer because you get to dip your toes in every phase of the project.
What’s been your favorite thing about working at NBA?
The people. One of the main deciding factors, along with the company’s vertical structure, was Walter himself and the employees he told me about during my interview. Whether in Atlanta, DC or remote, we have really great people here that make working wonderful. Work and projects are always going to change, and it’s important to be surrounded by people that you really enjoy, considering how much time you spend with them. People here are consistent, and you know what you’re going to get with them. I think we have a really great work culture here. Another thing I love about NBA is the opportunity for growth. I’ve been here for around a year and a half, and I’ve had the chance to take on several different roles. There are not a lot of places that would let you do that.
Haley joined NBA’s Alexandria office in June 2018 after graduating from Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Architecture and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications Arts and Sciences. Along with her role on NAAB, she is also an American Institute of Architects Associate Member, a Pennsylvania State University Alumni Association Member, and she served the university’s architecture program through mentoring, recruiting and touring.