Looking to lead? We're looking for you

A graduate of Baylor University with a Bachelors in Interior Design, Ariel Cox specializes in space planning, material selection, and number crunching. Her design philosophy focuses on aesthetic, everyday use and function while constructing environments through creative new aspects of design. She believes design brings a story to life. Ariel impacts the lives of orphans in Eldoret, Kenya through the  philanthropic work of her 501(c)3 non-profit, My Child Ministries. She is an interior designer with A.Clore Interiors and works with residential and commercial clients as well as volunteers in her local community. She serves on the ASID Florida North Chapter board as communications director.

Cara Rude is passionate about design that creates a regenerative lifestyle through healthy materials and biophilic design principals, and educates professionals, policy makers, and the public on the impact of healthier building design.

Cara has advanced the manufacturing industry through her implementation and authorship of the MCG Transparency Initiative and the Red List Free Champaign which have measurable effects on project specifications, facilitating a change in building material manufacturing and labeling. As a member of the ‘Healthy Materials Collaborative’ she has worked to share a collective Transparency letter as and a community digital library known as ‘Mindful Materials’.

Cara’s educational ambassadorship with the International Living Future Institute has positioned her as a national advocate in health and resiliency in the built environment. As the NEWH NW Chapter, Sustainable Chair, she has become a speaker with the National NEWH Green Voice, providing thoughtful sustainable design content at conferences around the country.

Cara was the first WELL AP in the state of Alaska, served as president of ASID Alaska Chapter, and is a dedicated member of the ASID Government Affairs Committee.

Vivien Chen is a detail-oriented designer with a strong passion for design excellence in dynamic and innovative environments. Growing up in a mixture of cultures, she draws on her experience of diverse values for her design aesthetic. Her creativity in interior architectural design brings a unique perspective to each design environment, allowing her to work closely with various project teams to achieve the goals and culture desired by the client. She believes good design is an expression of many contradictions: one that is simple yet complex, considers form and function, possess a timeless quality, but pushes the boundaries of design.

Hannah Grau is an interior designer who curates complete hospitality designs from building locations to finished plate settings. Enthusiastic in nature, industrious by discipline, and inventive through imagination, she fuses approachability with expertise to create dynamic interior strategies. She has led designs for nine coffee shops, eighteen restaurants, five mixed-use spaces, and two retail stores in nine states across the country. Hannah is a LEED GA, a member of ASID, and is known for forecasting trends in the restaurant industry and translating them to clients and projects of all budgets and sizes. She believes design should be involved in all elements of a space to create something truly functional and beautiful for staff and consumers alike. She received a B.S. in Interior Design from High Point University and a certificate in sustainable design and architecture from the Lorenzo de Medici School of Art and Design.

Meena Krenek is an award-winning design director who has transformed her clients’ companies by strengthening their corporate cultures through experiential design. Meena focuses on creating environments that are inspiring and unique to the needs of the business of each client. She is focused on integrating architecture and interior design to create solutions that encourage emotional connections with space.

Meena considers space and form at many scales while understanding the importance of the human experience through design. Her strength is design that tells a story and encourages the end user to embark on a unique brand journey every day. Her design leadership at Gensler fosters innovative thinking for experiential design and brings a unique and thoughtful thoroughness and unforgettable, dynamic energy to all of her projects.

Kate Magee has experience in each phase of the design process, from visioning and programming to contract documentation and contract administration. Her portfolio spans a wide range of corporate, not-for-profit, association, government, and hospitality interiors projects. Kate is particularly passionate about translating her clients’ mission and vision to their physical space. A former Division 1 collegiate gymnast, 12-time marathoner, and avid fitness enthusiast, Kate extends her commitment to healthy living to her design work by creating spaces that promote well-being, increased productivity, and overall happiness.

Haley Nelson has experience in a range of corporate, non-profit, association, and law firm projects with solutions that explore the connection between the human experience and design, promoting future-facing workplace solutions. Haley is a LEED and WELL Accredited Professional who takes an active role in encouraging sustainable design solutions and design for well-being in her projects. Many of her projects have achieved the highest levels of certification, have been published, and have won design and sustainability awards.

Haley has the ability to see the big picture in her approach to design considering at once a deep understanding of the client, the dynamics of her design team, the realities of schedule and budget, technical issues, and robust knowledge of products, materials, sustainability, and wellness.

Haley is a thought-leader and has presented at numerous venues such as NeoCon, NeoCon East, DesignDC, and the SMPS Mid-Atlantic Conference on topics ranging from trends in workplace design based on a self-initiated research project to a study on lighting in the open office and pro bono design.

Melissa Pribyl was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska where the people and places influenced her to become equally passionate about sustainable design practices and increasing the wellness of our interior spaces. With over ten years of design experience, she enhances the way the interior environment interacts with individuals, believing that the ‘people are the heartbeat of the place.’ Both personally and professionally, Melissa aims to create environments that help people reach their potential and thrive and is committed to mentorship, volunteerism, and wellness advocacy. With a passion to create and a dedication to her studies, Melissa earned a B.S. in Interior Design from Northern Arizona University.

Bonny Slater specializes in creating inspiring environments to support health and wellness. With a background in design and environmental psychology, she brings a unique perspective to her projects.  Her research-driven approach seeks to craft meaningful experiences by meeting physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. 

Bonny’s research has included the study of color in immersive environments, design considerations in behavioral health facilities, and the cultural implications of evidence-based design. Her recent work focuses on the connections between engagement, design, and population health in community health centers. She has received awards from ASID, AIA, Contract and Healthcare Design, and has been featured in Metropolis, Contract, Healthcare Design, and Architectural Record. She frequently contributes to the GenslerOn blog, where she advances thought leadership around designing to support health and wellness.

Sandra Diaz-Velasco emphasizes emotion, detail, and craftsmanship in her award-winning work. Uniting architecture, interior design, and artistry, and guided by a philosophy of constant renovation and environmental preservation, her company,EOLO, is highly sought-after for luxury projects in and beyond Florida.

Sandra is a member of AIA and ASID and is a passionate advocate for career advancement for women in the fields or architecture and construction. She is on the board of the Association of Women Architects & Engineers.

The recipient of AIA Miami’s 2017 Merit Award for Interior Architecture, Sandra has had her designs showcased by Décorbook Worldwide, Luxe Interior & Design, the Miami Herald, and the American Society of Interior Design.

HKS | Dallas, TX

Gracie Andraos is a premier workplace designer at HKS, leading teams for such corporate interiors as Expedia, Topgolf, and American Beacon Advisors. A design leader with forward thinking creativity, Andraos’ client-driven work ethic and collaborative attitude have propelled over 14 years of successful projects. She creates effective workplace environments by listening to her client’s needs, thoughtful space planning, and designing with thorough attention to detail. The results are top-performing workplaces that transform organizations and the employees inside them.

Sarah Barnard Design | Santa Monica, CA

Sarah Barnard is a member of ASID, is certified by the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), and is recognized by the International Institute for Bau-Biologie & Ecology as a Building Biology Practitioner (BBP) and by the U.S. Green Building Council as a LEED AP. She has served on the Santa Monica Conservancy's board of directors, and specializes in sustainable interior design and historic preservation. Barnard’s diverse body of work includes upscale private residences, chic restaurants, luxurious spas, community housing, and corporate headquarters. She holds an MFA from Claremont Graduate University as well as undergraduate degrees in art and interior architectural design.

Woodbury University | Los Angeles, CA 

Nina Briggs is a founding principal of THE FABRIC with an extensive portfolio that includes compelling architecture and interiors where design response and execution is holistically applied and integrated into spatial quality, furnishings, materials, color, lighting, and sustainability. Briggs received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Southern California, and has been an educator of architecture and interior design since 1997 in colleges throughout Southern California. Briggs seeks to elevate and redefine design to positively affect inhabitants psychologically, while solving spatial problems.

SFCS Architects | Roanoke, VA

Kelsey Kees is a graduate of Virginia Tech’s Interior Design program and is a LEED AP. Kees designed higher education and corporate sector projects for Teresa Ko – Commercial Interiors in Blacksburg, Virginia, and is now with SFCS Inc. in Roanoke, Virginia, working on senior living design projects. She has served in many positions with the ASID Virginia Chapter including IT Task Force Committee Chair, Social Media Chair, Co-Chair for the Designer Silent Auction, Communications Director, Finance Director, President-Elect, and currently serves as chapter President.

IA Interior Architects | Chicago, IL

Bridget Schmitt is an accomplished interior designer who creates fitted solutions for a diverse range of commercial clients. She has been a designer at IA for seven years and is dedicated to continual learning and exploration of design ideas. Schmitt was the lead designer for the innovative 161 North Clark Street 5-Star Service Center and has provided unique and effective solutions for well-established hospitality, education, and corporate clients, including American Medical Association, William Blair, and CBRE Global Investors. She believes that successful design not only supports clients’ business objectives by enhancing the aesthetics and performance of their work environments, but at its core, improves people’s lives. She is devoted to empowering people and businesses with functional, beautiful, and informed design conceptualized in the interest of their well-being.  

Georgia Southern University | Statesboro, GA

Angelita Scott is an assistant professor of Interior Design at Georgia Southern University. Her research takes a salutogenic approach to the interior environment and focuses on the intersection of the built environment and psychological and physiological well-being, and the intersection of culture and the built environment. Through these perspectives she focuses on stress reduction and occupant satisfaction. Scott has worked in the interior design profession as a practitioner, educator, and researcher for nearly 15 years and has worked as a marketing professional for non-profit organizations. Scott earned a Ph.D. in interior design with a focus on evidence-based design from the University of Minnesota and holds a Master of Business Communication certificate from the University of St. Thomas. Scott believes interior designers have the ability to make great contributions to the human condition by supporting behavior, development, and health. Through the lens of well-being and social justice, she hopes to empower her students and position them as future change agents for the interior design profession.

 Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture | Omaha, NE

Erin Trofholz’ collaborative style allows for an open, engaging approach to the entire interior design process. With a diverse background in programming, space planning, design, and furniture/finish selection, Trofholz brings a well-rounded approach to some of Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture’s (APMA) most complex projects. Her work seamlessly incorporates thoughtful design elements to create beautiful, welcoming, and functional spaces, including some of the University of Nebraska’s most celebrated buildings, housing for the underserved, historic buildings turned modern offices, and public libraries across the state. Since 2009, she has served as an adjunct professor in Interior Design at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. As a partner at APMA, Erin is responsible for overseeing the firm’s Studio Alliance, an internal group dedicated to maximizing office efficiency and function as well as fostering employee engagement and satisfaction.

The Designer Agent | San Diego, CA

Brooke Williams is passionate about her philosophy that everyone deserves design and offers her clientele a balance of creativity, forward thinking, and budget focused design solutions.

After serving as an Information Systems Technician in the Navy, Williams enrolled at the Design Institute of San Diego where she earned a BFA in Interior Design. She has served in various ASID board and committee positions on both the local and national level. Williams’ firm blends real estate and interior design and helps people find and design their new homes. She has recently started a nonprofit charity, Design for a Difference, which serves single parent families struggling with poverty and/or recovering from homelessness.

HKS | Dallas, TX  

Clive Wilkinson Architects | Los Angeles, CA 

BOX Studios | Chicago

Eric Haydel Design | Boston, MA

HOK | St. Louis, MO 

Liepold Design Group LLC | Millburn, NJ

Alfred State College | Alfred, NY

Design Institute of San Diego | San Diego, CA  

Byrne | Kent City, MI