2015 IIDA MEMBER OF THE YEAR

June 15, 2015

EXCERPT FROM MY IIDA MEMBER OF THE YEAR APPLICATION SUBMITTED MARCH 2015

Since graduating from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in March 2012 and beginning my career first at RSH Architects, I have taken a firm stance within the interior design community in Pittsburgh, PA.

Upon accepting the position of Pittsburgh City Center Director, I was tasked with the obstacle of reviving a faded City Center while competing for the time and attention of the local industry alongside many other organizations. With the highest attention to trending topics, central locations, and relentless marketing through newsletter blasts and dozens of personal emails, the Pittsburgh City Center has planned a wider variety of monthly events and has increased average attendance.

We strive to give our Members and attendees a voice to create a City Center that does not just belong to one person, but is our own and makes their event ideas come to life. This was particularly true after the “Women’s Roundtable,” where two attendees were eager for more women’s-themed events and recommended a talented speaker in our area to highlight the art of negotiating. Thus, the “Women & Negotiating” event was created as a direct response.

Not only should there be a variety of events, but I also believe that they should be affordable to all and inviting to students. My energy in the educational realm can be seen through speaking at many Student Membership Drives and classroom critiques at several Pittsburgh universities.

I am passionate about issues related to advocacy and participate with the Interior Design Legislation Coalition of Pennsylvania (IDLCPA) on behalf of myself and as a representative of IIDA.

Now, I design at Fukui Architects by day. By night, I am working to create meaningful, relevant, and exciting events that support our industry in their ever expanding roles as designers. Some might call these super powers. To me, I call it IIDA.

// PRESS

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Also seen in the 05.18.2015 edition of Office Insight and 05.20.2015 edition of the IIDA Design Matters.