The International Interior Design Association’s New York Chapter (IIDA NY) has announced the inauguration of its latest Executive Board of Directors for the 2021-22 term. In addition to the recent announcement of Elsie St. Léger, IIDA, WELL AP, as Chapter President of IIDA NY, the statewide chapter has elected new positions to the executive board at large. St. Léger is an interior designer and assistant project manager at NYU Langone Health as well as a founding member of IIDA NY’s Equity Council, a group dedicated to increasing equity and inclusion in the design industry.
“In the coming year, our goal is to enact real change in the design industry,” says St. Léger. “Our new board consists of professionals committed to working together to meet that goal. We’re excited to tackle the upcoming challenges of the new year as well as educating and inspiring the design community.”
The new executive board includes Sarah Levine (ZGF), President-Elect; Erin Ruby (Erin Ruby Design), Immediate Past President; Jennifer Graham (Perkins & Will NYC), Vice President of Action; Corina Folts (SWBR), Vice President of Advocacy; Larry Cohen (VS America), Vice President of City Centers; Leonardo Caion Demaestri (Gensler) & Vanessa Perry (OFS), Vice Presidents of Communications; Suzette Rhodes (Herman Miller) & Samantha McCormack (TPG), Vice Presidents of Events; Stephen Blau (CFI) & Amy Mays (HDR), Vice Presidents of Member Services; Haeyoung Shin (Gensler) & Jason Lazarz (KI), Vice Presidents of Professional Development; Ginger Gilden (Macro Consultants) & Alexandra Davis (IA Interior Architects), Vice Presidents of Sponsorship; Elisabeth Mejia (HKS) & Robin Reigi (Robin Reigi Inc.), Vice Presidents of Student Development.
IIDA NY is a professional organization that unites interior design professionals throughout New York state, providing them with networking opportunities, educational events and charitable initiatives. The chapter includes City Centers, in which a group of 10 or more IIDA Members in a city organize and deliver programs of interest to local members.
Moving into the 2021-22 calendar year, the IIDA NY chapter will continue to spearhead the conversation about equity in design, including through its newfound partnership with Equity Council, an independent consortium of designers and industry professionals unified in fostering engagement and accountability toward meaningful change in the design industry.
“As we look towards an uncertain future, I am grateful for the opportunity to work with this new board and Equity Council to ensure one thing is certain,” says St. Léger, “a design industry that is representative and inclusive of all its stakeholders.”