The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Foundation, in partnership with the Interior Design Educators Council Foundation, Inc. (IDECF), is pleased to announce that applications are being accepted for the first-ever IIDA Foundation Diversity Award. This award recognizes and celebrates an educator who is representative of a diverse background and is making a significant contribution to interior design education today. The recipient of the IIDA Foundation Diversity Award will receive $5,000 on behalf of the IIDA Foundation.
“By honoring an extraordinary educator representative of a diverse background, we hope to highlight the future of our industry and encourage more educators from under-represented groups to pursue a career in interior design education,” said Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA, LEED AP, Executive Vice President and CEO of IIDA. “Educators are in a unique position to advance diversity—in every sense of the word—by guiding and motivating students to push boundaries, question the status quo, and spur change and growth in the profession of interior design.”
To apply, a candidate must be a current full-time educator, a member of IDEC, and representative of a diverse background encompassing any of the following: race, ethnicity, gender, physical ability, disability, and/or sexual orientation. In addition, candidates must have made significant contributions to the teaching profession for advancing the practice of interior design. The award will be presented at the IDEC Annual Conference, March 8-12, 2017, in Chicago.
Completed application packets are due by 5 p.m. CST on Friday, October 28, 2016 to Aisha Williams at awilliams@iida.org. For more information, please contact Aisha Williams at awilliams@iida.org or visit the website.
About International Interior Design Association
The International Interior Design Association (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 advancement 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. For more information, visit www.iida.org.