The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) held its 2nd annual Educators Roundtable, Thursday, October 12 through Saturday, October 14, 2017, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, tackling the important topics of well-being, diversity, and social responsibility in interior design education. This critical discussion was hosted by Milliken and moderated by IIDA Executive Vice President and CEO Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA, LEED AP.
“This year, IIDA and Milliken gathered a broad range of up-and-coming and experienced professionals along with educators from design programs around the country. Together, our goal was to determine how we prepare tomorrow’s designers for the issues that have emerged as paramount to the future of our industry—well-being, diversity, and social responsibility,” said Durst. “These areas present both opportunities and challenges, and ultimately, it is up to current design leaders to ready the next generation for our evolving industry.”
“Milliken is committed to creating innovations that do good for our communities, our environment, our workplaces, and our future. Design is integral to that process and working alongside the educators who are shaping these students is critical to innovation. We are proud to have hosted another successful IIDA Educators Roundtable,” said Mark Strohmaier, vice president of marketing at Milliken.
Designer participants at the IIDA Educators Roundtable included: Josie Briggs, IIDA, LEED AP ID+C, principal interior designer, NBBJ; Wanda Coates-Flowers, lead interior designer, Army Corps of Engineers;2017-2018 IIDA International Board of Directors President James Kerrigan, IIDA, LEED AP ID+C, design principal of interiors, Jacobs; and Shawn McLean, IIDA, owner, McLean Bergel Design.
Educator participants included: 2017-2018 IIDA International Board of Directors Vice President Annie Chu, IIDA, FAIA, NCIDQ, founding principal, Chu + Gooding Architects and professor of interior architecture, Woodbury University; Pamela K. Evans, Ph.D., IIDA, FIDEC, LEED AP, director, Interior Design, College of Architecture and Environmental Design, Kent State University; Christina Gonano, IIDA, RID, IDEC, professor of interior design, Savannah College of Art and Design; 2016 IIDA Diversity Award recipient Kijeong Jeon, IDEC, NCIDQ, professor, Interior Architecture Program, Department of Art and Art History, California State University Chico; IIDA Global Chair of Student Experience Primo Orpilla, FIIDA, principal and co-founder, Studio O+A and lecturer, Interior Design, San Jose State University; 2017 IIDA Educator of the Year Jon Otis, IIDA, founder and principal, Object Agency and professor, Pratt Institute; Doug Seidler, IIDA, chair, associate professor, Interior Design, Marymount University and 2017-2018 IDEC president; and Jack Travis, FAIA, NOMAC, adjunct professor of interior design, The School of Visual Arts, New York School of Interior Design, Pratt Institute, and the Fashion Institute of Technology. Student representatives included the 2016 and 2017 IIDA Students of the Year Amy Leigh Hufford, Student IIDA, interior designer, Nelson, and Lindzey Duval, Student IIDA, interior design coordinator, HDR, respectively; and Genia Wright, MPA, PMP, Pratt Institute and COO/CFO, Vera Institute of Justice. The roundtable also featured guest speaker Dana Pillai, president, Delos Labs and executive director, Well Living Lab.
A report detailing the Educators Roundtable will be available in December 2017. For questions and more information, please contact Aisha Williams at awilliams@iida.org.
About International Interior Design Association
The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) is the commercial interior design association with 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. www.iida.org
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About Milliken
For 150 years, Milliken has been innovating with the purpose to explore, discover and create ways to enhance people’s lives. Our community of innovators has developed one of the larger collections of United States patents held by a private U.S. company. With expertise across a breadth of disciplines, including specialty chemical, floor covering and performance materials, we work around the world every day to add true value to people’s lives, improve health and safety, and help make this world more sustainable. For more information, visit www.milliken.com and join us on Facebook and Twitter.