The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) announces Khoi Vo, ASID, IIDA, CIDA, IDEC, IDECF, as the organization’s new chief executive officer. Vo’s tenure as incoming CEO began September 6, and he will work alongside current ASID CEO Gary Wheeler, FASID, until September 30. Wheeler will continue to serve ASID in an advisor capacity through December 31, before retiring.
Most recently a leader at the renowned Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Vo brings more than 20 years of experience across the worlds of interior design, architecture, and education to his new role.
The ASID CEO search committee began its work in early 2021, narrowing down an impressive field of candidates from the business and design worlds.
“In Khoi Vo, ASID found a ‘unicorn,’ with highly specialized experience and an effective and energetic style of leadership crucial for the organization’s growth and expansion in the years to come,” said Jennifer Kolstad, Global Design & Brand Director at Ford Motor Company, and co-chair of the ASID CEO search committee. “As ASID advances its mission to promote the value of interior design and its power to impact lives, Khoi Vo’s leadership will serve not only the Society, but the whole design world and public.”
“Khoi Vo brings all the qualities needed and more to lead ASID into the future—an understanding of our diverse membership, a practitioner with experience, a proven business mind, and a leader who can build teams and networks with a new perspective,” said John Cialone, FASID, and ASID CEO search committee co-chair. “We are excited for his stewardship to continue the work of promoting the value of interior design and our members in this new chapter of ASID’s history.”
“We are delighted to welcome Khoi Vo as the next CEO of the American Society of Interior Designers,”said Carolyn Ames Noble, Chair, ASID board of directors. “Khoi is well-positioned for this opportunity as a transformational global leader with dynamic experience in interior design, industry relations, business development and higher education. Khoi’s collaborative approach to work is especially meaningful for ASID, as we uniquely work across all design practice sectors, in concert with our 21,000 members, 46 chapters, ASID staff and the national board of directors.”
Vo has touched the design world for nearly two decades as both a designer and an educator. In 2002, he founded Studio Four Los Angeles, where he worked as the design director and designed and sold architectural products. He later founded Khoi Vo Design and operated as the studio’s design director for 12 years and oversaw all phases of the firm’s projects. As someone who led collaborative partnerships within the profession, Vo has worked with industry giants including Deloitte, Disney, Google, Ford, Facebook, NASA, and Clayco throughout his career.
Vo started his teaching career at several institutions of higher education in Southern California. He later became a professor at SCAD’s department of interior design and later served as Chair. After a stint at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Vo returned to SCAD to head its former Hong Kong campus and then serve as the institution’s vice president for industry relations, a role from which he is stepping down from to join ASID.
An acclaimed design professional, Vo is a distinguished member of various industry organizations. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Interior Design Educator Council Foundation and was previously an ASID board member from 2017-2019. He has also served as Site Visitor and Co-Chair for the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA), and as a member of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC) for more than a decade.
Vo has received numerous awards during his career, with highlights including the 2015 Honorable Mention for the CIDA Award for Excellence in Teaching and the 2017-18 Design Intelligence Top 25 Most Admired Educators.
Vo earned a Bachelor of Arts with a design focus in architecture from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fl. He later received a Master of Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles.
About ASID
The American Society of Interior Designers believes that design transforms lives. ASID serves the full range of the interior design profession and practice through the Society’s programs, networks and advocacy. We thrive on the strength of cross-functional and interdisciplinary relationships among designers of all specialties, including workplace, healthcare, retail and hospitality, education, institutional and residential. We lead interior designers in shared conversations around topics that matter: from evidence-based and human-centric design to social responsibility, well-being, and sustainability.
We showcase the impact of design on the human experience and the value interior designers provide. ASID was founded over 40 years ago when two organizations became one, but its legacy dates back to the early 1930s. As we celebrate nearly 85 years of industry leadership, we are leading the future of interior design, continuing to integrate the advantages of local connections with national reach, of small firms with big, and of the places we live with the places we work, play, and heal. Learn more at asid.org.