This week we celebrate the Tennessee State Board of Examiners for Architects and Engineers' 100th anniversary. The board is a part of the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance’s Regulatory Boards Division. Since the board was founded on April 9, 1921, we have carried out the mission and purpose of safeguarding life, health and property. The programs and services we have developed set the standards of practice for architects, engineers, landscape architects and interior designers in our state. Citizens of and visitors to the state of Tennessee live and work in an environment that is largely man-made. Tennessee law recognizes the need “to safeguard life, health and property, and to promote public welfare” in that environment by ensuring that design professionals who shape that environment are properly qualified. Through the State Board of Examiners for Architects and Engineers, the state sets standards for the education, experience and performance of those who wish to practice these professions. In Tennessee, there are over 37,000 active engineers and over 10,000 architects, so overall there are around 50,000 design professionals who are licensed by the board. Any person who uses the title of architect, engineer, landscape architect or interior designer, or advertises to provide those services in Tennessee, must be appropriately licensed.