IIDA NY Names Leadership Award of Excellence Recipient
Jennifer Graham of Perkins&Will Honored at Chapter’s First In-Person Leaders Breakfast in Two Years
The International Interior Design Association’s New York Chapter (IIDA NY) is proud to announce that Jennifer Graham, FIIDA, LEED AP, Principal, Senior Project Manager, Perkins&Will, is the recipient of the Leadership Award of Excellence. Graham was celebrated at the 2022 Leaders Breakfast, which took place on May 12th at Pier Sixty, Chelsea Piers in Manhattan.
With 36 years of experience in design, Graham’s extensive accomplishments demonstrate her passion and commitment to the needs and growth of the industry. Dedicated to creating and upholding a supportive, positive, and empathetic work environment, Graham leads the Social Purpose program at Perkins&Will. Equally devoted to global sustainability, she has connected manufacturers and dealers to provide furniture for non-profit organizations, diverting waste from landfills.
As a champion of education and mentorship in the design community, Graham has spearheaded numerous initiatives to provide accessible workshops, networking activities and affordable continuing education credits for designers. In 2009, she co-founded LMNOP (Leadership, Mentoring & Networking Opportunities), a non-profit organization that provides personal and professional development to colleagues in design. In 2020, LMNOP formed a joint partnership with IIDA NY to continue its mission, while remaining an independent entity.
An advocate for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Graham strives to further social justice movements for the design community. She currently serves as IIDA NY’s inaugural Vice President of Action and Co-Chair for the Catalyst Committee and a member of the New York School of Interior Design’s (NYSID) DEI Commision. In further recognition of her character and record, Graham received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts on May 25th from her alma mater, NYSID, for outstanding contributions to the design field.
“I’d like to thank the IIDA NY chapter’s leadership committee and all those who have contributed to my journey,” Graham said before an audience of almost 800 attendees at the Leaders Breakfast series. “I’m very grateful to my collective families of esteemed colleagues at Perkins&Will, IIDA NY, LMNOP, but most importantly, my sister and twin daughters who are here with me today. I’m more than humbled to accept this award.”
Following a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the IIDA NY Leaders Breakfast series returned with an in-person event that celebrates design excellence in the global marketplace and honors the chapter’s leadership. Launched in New York in 1989 by Jeannie Bochette of Steelcase, the IIDA NY Leaders Breakfast series began as a single event to introduce the chapter to the business world as a leading association of commercial interior design while informing members of major issues affecting the industry. Now, the event has established a forum where members and their clients can participate and network with their peers while honoring the work of others.
About IIDA NY
The IIDA New York Chapter (IIDA NY) is a professional networking and educational association of more than 800 Members in five specialty Forums. IIDA NY provides its Members with the resources to reach expertise, knowledge and contacts. Networking events allow professionals and industry members to connect on more personal terms that encourage trust, collaboration and innovation. In 2021, IIDA NY formed Equity Council, an independent, open and inclusive body of participants who may or may not be members of IIDA. Their goal is to foster engagement and accountability toward meaningful change in the design industry, advocating for increased equity in the field through four key pillars: inclusion, diversity, education and communication. The Chapter is proud to have been recognized as IIDA Large Chapter of the Year in 2011, 2008, 2001 and 2000. For more information, visit: http://www.iidany.org/.
