IIDA Announces 2020 Member, Student, and Educator of the Year
IIDA is proud to announce the 2020 recipients of the annual Of the Year Awards. This year’s Member of the Year is Abby Scott, IIDA, senior interior designer and architectural studio leader at HDR. The Student of the Year, sponsored by OFS, is Tyler Hatton, Student IIDA, a graduating senior at The Ohio State University. The Educator of the Year, sponsored by KI, is Katherine Ankerson, FIIDA, dean of the College of Architecture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The IIDA Of the Year Awards recognize IIDA members who have demonstrated outstanding commitment, passion, professionalism, and dedication to IIDA and to the design community.
“Our 2020 Of the Year recipients are all driven IIDA members with proven track records of leadership, mentorship, hands-on advocacy, and dedication to supporting both their communities and the design industry at large,” said IIDA Executive Vice President and CEO Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA. “We are proud to be presenting them with these honors and to have them representing the Association.”
The IIDA Member of the Year Award recognizes and honors an IIDA member who has demonstrated volunteer service and dedication to assisting IIDA as it advances the interior design profession and advocates for interior design excellence. The award includes a $7,500 cash prize and a complimentary IIDA membership.
With almost 20 years of experience, Abby Scott, IIDA, has worked on a broad range of projects and has been involved in all aspects of the design process such as programming, design development, finish selection, space planning, and project management. Abby is actively involved in IIDA and her local design community, serving in a variety of leadership and volunteer positions including as a past president of the IIDA Great Plains Chapter Board, an IIDA chapter advisor, and a member of the local interior design coalition of Nebraska. In her role with HDR, she functions as a lead on design projects and a primary contact for clients, helping them create unique and inspiring environments. Abby has an interior design degree from Iowa State University and is NCIDQ and LEED-certified.
The IIDA Student of the Year Award recognizes an IIDA Student Member who has significantly impacted their school’s interior design program through outstanding leadership, insight, and involvement. The award includes a $5,000 cash prize, sponsored by OFS, and a complimentary IIDA membership.
Tyler Hatton, Student IIDA, is a 2020 graduate of The Ohio State University with a degree in interior design and a focus on retail design strategy and sustainability. During his time as a student, Tyler remained active with IIDA, holding the position of co-leader of the IIDA Ohio State Campus Center since 2017. In 2019, he received first place in the IIDA Student Design Charette at NeoCon and has been involved in a number of additional design competitions, including the Big 10 Student Design Challenge, sponsored by Herman Miller, and the Innovation in Material Product Design, sponsored by Mohawk Group. Tyler has held positions with BHDP Architecture and L Brands and has been a speaker and presenter at several interior design events and conferences, such as the IIDA Chapter Leadership Council.
The IIDA Educator of the Year Award recognizes and celebrates a full-time design educator for outstanding accomplishments and commitment to interior design education. The award includes a $10,000 cash prize, sponsored by KI, and a complimentary IIDA membership.
Prior to her appointment to Dean of the College of Architecture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Katherine Ankerson, FIIDA, was professor and head of the Department of Interior Architecture and Product Design at Kansas State University and had served as professor and associate dean in the UNL architecture college. She has held academic positions at Radford University and Washington State University after spending many years as a practicing architect and designer. Katherine received her Bachelor of Science in Architecture and a Bachelor of Architecture from Washington State, in addition to a master’s degree in architecture. This year, she was also inducted into the prestigious IIDA College of Fellows. A strong proponent of design education, Katherine advocates for interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary engagement, the value of design and making and embracing new technologies in addition to strengthening traditional design tools.
If you have questions, please contact Karen Kiell, senior director of member services, at kkiell@iida.org.
About IIDA
IIDA is the commercial interior design association with a global reach. We support design professionals, industry affiliates, educators, students, firms, and their clients through our network of 15,000+ members across 58 countries. We advocate for advancements in education, design excellence, legislation, leadership, accreditation, and community outreach to increase the value and understanding of interior design as a profession that enhances business value and positively impacts the health and well-being of people’s lives every day. www.iida.org
