Road Construction: an ASID Emerging Professional Town Hall – Sponsored by Atelier Lapchi

Date:   Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Time:   4:30 — 7:00 pm
Location:   Atelier Lapchi Showroom, Merchandise Mart, 6th Floor, Suite 6-160
Sponsor:  

Space is limited—register today at: http://asideptownhall.eventbrite.com/

Join an open floor discussion on using your education and experiences to construct a professional road to success that leans from the conventional. Hear from a panel of interior design and architecture graduates who have benefited from embracing alternative career paths. Whether current market demand influences your future, or you find yourself with varied yet complimentary interests and skills, you may leave inspired to go a similar route. Enjoy refreshments during a cocktail hour as you network with peers and pros! Learn from others’ experiences! Bring your questions and comments to the floor and contribute to a conversation shaped by the next generation of design industry leaders!

Meet the Moderator:

Kia Weatherspoon, Allied ASID
Kia Weatherspoon is determined by design. She is an Interior Designer motivated by learning from and encouraging her design peers. Purpose and passion are key factors in Kia's career. Her love for design originated from her military service. Kia is a Project Designer and Master's candidate in the DC Metro area. She is actively involved with ASID and currently serves on the Society’s Emerging Professional Advisory Council.

Meet the Panelists:

Melissa Day
Melissa Day is the Portland-based Partner and Brand Strategist with Think Monumental, a branding agency transforming ideas into brands by design. An architect by training and strategist by trade, she works with companies to develop focus and bring their brands to life in-store and online. She is the former Director of Strategy with ID Branding and a native of the Ohio area where she practiced retail design with clients like P&G, Hilton, and YMCA of Cincinnati.

Pedro Lima, ASID
Pedro Lima, interior designer, is a full-time faculty member at the Art Institute of New York City. His work has been seen on HGTV's Mission: Organization, and Sweat Equity. Pedro is serving on the ASID national advisory council for Emerging Professionals and served as the ASID New York Metro Chapter President in 2010. Pedro is licensed in NY State and NCIDQ certified. He has a private collection of Tibetan rugs available through Inigo Elizalde Rugs.

Addie Marino
Addie Marino holds a Bachelor of Science in Design & Environmental Analysis, Interior Design from Cornell University. Marino currently works as a Creative Strategist at Facebook. Prior to that she led a small team of experiential designers at PSF. Marino creates and builds socially designed marketing products, platforms, and programs that brands invest behind to transform their business. Her unique design perspective is an intersection of experiential, environments, graphics, and strategy and at Facebook, she develops broad strategic and creative ideas and turns them into inspiring market-ready products.

Laura McDonald Stewart, ASID, IIDA, RID, LEED AP
Laura McDonald Stewart received her BS in Civil Engineering from Southern Methodist University and her MFA in Interior Design from Savannah College of Art and Design. After almost eight years in the commercial interior design field she founded PLiNTH & CHiNTZ, the online magazine that prepares a new generation of designers to enter the workforce and educates the public about the industry. Stewart also manages METROCON Expo & Conference, the annual two-day design-focused event in Dallas.

Allison Schapker, LEED AP
A recovering architect turned eco-opportunity hunter, Allison Schapker’s passion is helping mission-driven organizations find their sustainability sweet spot. With eight years experience in ecological planning, she uses design thinking to develop resilience through green processes, infrastructure and buildings all while conserving money, time and resources. In building and managing talented teams of designers, Allison has the great pleasure of creating places that inspire and generate value in meaningful ways.

The ASID Emerging Professional Town Hall series targets designers who are just getting their start. Each town hall strives to bring personal experiences to the floor as industry professionals share advice for new interior designers and discuss topics of interest to this career stage.