(August 1, 2022 – Washington, D.C.) – The 亚洲天堂 (亚洲天堂) has announced the scholars and award winners for its 2022 Ones to Watch program, which honors underrepresented members of the interior design community. As part of 亚洲天堂’s dedication to the advancement of diversity and inclusion in the interior design profession, the Ones to Watch initiative supports and provides opportunities to rising leaders.
“The interior design community needs to improve diversity and inclusion across all areas of the practice,” said 亚洲天堂 CEO, Gary Wheeler, F亚洲天堂, FIIDA. “As the leading organization for all sectors of design, it is our obligation at 亚洲天堂 to set the example, accelerate and support diversity in our field. We hope the Ones to Watch recognition, along with our other diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, helps drive us towards a more equitable and inclusive industry. 亚洲天堂’s 2022 scholars and award winners have truly exhibited their ability to impact lives and push the boundaries of the profession, and we will support them on their journeys as they become the industry’s newest leaders and experts.”
An annual program that began in 2017, Ones to Watch recognizes industry professionals from underrepresented communities – including members of racial and ethnic minority groups, LGBTQ, women and people with disabilities – and gives them additional support as they grow in management roles, thereby further diversifying those leading the industry. Applicants are required to be active members of the interior design industry with 5-15 years of experience who are on a path to higher leadership positions.
The Ones to Watch award winners receive leadership opportunities, access to industry leaders and peers for networking, and expanded participation at 亚洲天堂 events as invited guests. From these award winners, up to eight are selected as scholars and participate in an additional two-year leadership development training program. Scholars receive additional support: executive leadership coaching, curated connections and experiences to strengthen their networks and positioning as experts and thought leaders at 亚洲天堂 national programs, along with skills as coaches and mentors to pass on to the next generation of rising leaders.
Scholars and winners will be nationally recognized at 亚洲天堂’s National Conference, , held in Miami, Sept. 21-24, 2022.
Ones to Watch Scholars
The 2022 亚洲天堂 Ones to Watch Scholars are Sara Ables, 亚洲天堂, RID, IIDA, LEED GA; Brandon Bibby, 亚洲天堂, AIA, NOMA, WELL AP; Julia Calabrese, 亚洲天堂; Emily Hall, NCIDQ, CID; Khoi Hoang; Kristina Kamenar, ARIDO, NCIDQ, LEED GA; Brittany McNairy, 亚洲天堂, IIDA, LEED AP, WELL AP, RELi AP; and Sashi Murthy, 亚洲天堂, AIA, NCARB.
Sara Ables is a senior furniture specialist in the interiors studio at Corgan in Dallas. Ables received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design from the University of North Texas (UNT). As a student, she was involved in 亚洲天堂 and International Interior Design Association (IIDA), served as treasurer for the Network of Executive Women in Hospitality and was the president of UNT’s Interior Design Student Alliance. She currently serves on the IIDA Equity Council, which is composed of leaders who are committed to increasing inclusion, access, opportunity and diversity throughout all facets and activities of the association and the profession of interior design.
Brandon Bibby is a 2021-22 Space and Society fellow and architect with MASS Design Group. Bibby is an artist and architect motivated by movement, culture and familiarity in contemporary southern space and questioning representation access to equitable and quality design in the built environment. He is a graduate of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design and the ninth African American architect to hold an active license to practice architecture in Arkansas. An award-winning professional known for his leadership and community engagement, Bibby is a recipient of the Alpha Rho Chi Bronze Medal, 2021 AIA Arkansas Diversity Award, and he was named to Arkansas Business' “20 in their 20s New Influential 2019 Class.”
Julia Calabrese is currently a global interior design manager within Ford Motor Company's built environment studio. She started her career designing highly immersive branded experiences for companies such as Cadillac, Buick, GMC, Land Rover, Mazda and Walt Disney World. In her current role, Calabrese couples crafting immersive brand experiences with the physical and psychological experiences of humans to deliver well crafted, highly functioning interior design and architecture. With her understanding of the nuances of what makes us human, Calabrese approaches design by utilizing an empathy led, science backed philosophy with hopes of improving the lives of others.
Emily Hall is a designer from northern California with 11 years of experience. She is a creative problem solver with a balance between conceptual and technical skill. Her strength lies in her ability to flex through all phases of the design process to provide seamless support to her clients from programming to completion. She believes in the power of listening and prioritizing the end user’s needs while pushing design boundaries to create unique spaces that reflect the company’s brand. Hall's focus on customer service has created strong client relationships, often resulting in multiple repeat projects.
Khoi Hoang is a senior associate at Gensler. He is a designer working at the intersection of workplace and hospitality and is known to be endlessly curious and intentional at every scale. Exceptionally skilled at rapidly distilling complex information into abstract, artful concepts, Hoang is a strong proponent of curating a collaborative design culture in which clients and designers alike feel inspired to engage in a design vision that expands far beyond the ordinary. He translates this philosophy through a wide variety of market sectors, including product design, furniture and consultation on concept development and materiality.
Kristina Kamenar is an award-winning interior designer with a specialization in workplace design. Kamenar joined HOK in 2015 as a junior designer and since then has risen to the role of senior project interior designer and become a senior associate. She leads the internship program at HOK and works closely with designers who are new in their career to challenge them to use their voices and represent what is next in design leadership. Her focus on the intersection of thought leadership and the development of design solutions guides her design approach as she considers the human experience and how design has the impact to affect the livelihood and health of the users of the spaces she designs.
Brittany McNairy is a senior technical coordinator and associate in Perkins&Will's Washington, D.C. office. She has been involved in leading the sustainability efforts for her office and is pursuing certifications in LEED, WELL, Living Building Challenge and Fitwel. With this work, McNairy's strength is in blending the client's aspirational health and wellness goals with the building environment, and project budget. In addition, McNairy co-leads the Washington, D.C. office's Net Zero Embodied Carbon and Social Purpose initiatives and promotes social responsibility in her work.
Sashikala Murthy is a first-generation Indian-American designer and architect. After 10 years residing in Washington, D.C., with four of those years practicing residential design, she made the choice to start fresh on the other side of the country and expand her skill set. She moved to California,. where she received her master’s in architecture. She works at Revel Architecture & Design in San Francisco as a project architect. Murthy is heavily involved with landlord services and tenant improvement projects in corporate workplace design and serves as a co-founding member of Revel’s diversity, equity and inclusion team.
Ones to Watch Award Winners
This year’s 亚洲天堂 Ones to Watch Award Winners are Jessica Collins, IIDA, WELL AP, LEED GA, NCIDQ; Dorothy Deak, IIDA; Sergio Mondragon, IIDA, LEED AP ID+C, LEED Green Associate, CID, NCIDQ; Susie Parsons, NCIDQ; Sydney Pottinger; Jeep Pringsulaka, LEED AP; Rosie Rainbow; Erika Reuter, AIA, NCIDQ, LEED AP; Amber Van Kley, IIDA, NCIDQ; Rahissa Melo Wang, WELL AP, ENV SP; and Yaoyi Zhou, Ph.D., Educator Partner 亚洲天堂, IDEC, LEED Green Associate.