Sloan Leo
Founder & CEO | FLOX Studio

Sloan Leo (they/he) is a design theorist, facilitator, and practitioner. They are the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of FLOX Studio. FLOX is a community design and strategy studio that supports mission-driven organizations to animate the practice of their values. Using facilitation, FLOX Studio engages innovative social impact leaders to collaboratively design their culture, strategy, and organizational development efforts. Rooted in black feminist theory, Afrofuturism, and social justice, FLOX is on a mission to improve the embodied experience of social impact workers and the institutional communities they comprise. Appointed the inaugural Designer-in-Residence at the School of Visual Arts Design for Social Innovation Master’s program, Leo has over 15 years of experience with social impact management and community design.

Joan Price
Retired | Gensler

With nearly three decades of impactful contributions to Bay Area architecture and design, Joan Price is renowned for her unmatched ability to foster relationships and connect with clients. While not an architect or designer herself, she made significant strides during her 20-year tenure at Gensler, becoming the firm’s first Director of Business Development and co-managing the San Francisco office. Joan’s achievements include establishing Gensler’s Client Advisory Council and spearheading Design Forecast Live, a global industry event. Honored with the Walter Hunt One-Firm Firm Award, she played a pivotal role in shaping Gensler’s integrated practice worldwide. Joan’s community involvement includes co-founding the CoreNet Apprentice program and serving on boards, all while mentoring and inspiring emerging professionals. Now retired, Joan resides in Berkeley, CA with her husband and two dachshunds.

HISTORY

Leaders Breakfast was started in 1989 by the IIDA New York Chapter and was expanded in 2001 into an international event series by IIDA Headquarters. In 2009, Interior Designers of Canada (IDC) was added as an additional partner, bringing the series to multiple Canadian provinces.

Through the support of two International Benefactors, MillerKnoll and Interior Design, Leaders celebrates design’s importance in the global marketplace by honoring the people who are both the legacy and future of design.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Each Leaders event features a renowned keynote speaker to provoke and encourage new ideas and recognizes one city-selected honoree making significant contributions to the design industry. With some distinction from city to city, the format of each Leaders event is standard: The morning begins with an hour of networking for designers, architects, and other industry professionals, followed by a sit-down breakfast. During breakfast, attendees are treated to a presentation by the keynote speaker, and the locally-chosen honoree is given the Leadership Award.