By professionals, for professionals.

LIFT Leadership Program

Welcome to the LIFT Leadership Program—a six-session experience designed to help interior design professionals grow into confident, strategic leaders. Through interactive sessions, real-world insights, and meaningful peer connection, you’ll strengthen your leadership skills, business awareness, and professional impact. Whether you’re leading teams, guiding clients, or shaping the future of design, LIFT gives you the tools and community to lead with purpose and confidence.

Contact:
VP of Professional Development
profdev@iidanc.org

Schedule & Format

Applications have been extended!
Now due by Monday March 9, 2026

Candidates Awarded by March 11, 2026

March–May | Six sessions

• Select Wednesdays, 4:00–7:00 PM
• Each session combines expert insight, curated discussion, and peer exchange, followed by a hosted networking hour

Who Should Apply

Professionals with 3–15 years of experience working in or adjacent to interior design, including:

• Interior designers
• Vendors and manufacturers
• Brokers and real estate professionals
• Contractors and builders
• Client-side leaders and decision-makers

Eligibility & Requirements

Candidates must be IIDA members, be nominated by their firms or other industry leaders and complete an individual application—including nomination, firm support pledge and current resume. A modest participation fee applies.

Graduates commit to volunteering with IIDA the following year. This program is for professionals who don’t just participate in the industry—they help define it.

Workshop Information

As designers advance in their careers they are increasingly expected to lead teams manage client relationships and handle complex business decisions often without much formal preparation and while learning on the job.

LIFT brings together thoughtful curriculum, industry insight, and peer exchange to support that growth with confidence and clarity.

The program’s ethos is grounded in generosity, accountability, and service—advancing individual careers while strengthening the design community through continued engagement with IIDA.

Business of Design

Creative excellence alone is not enough to sustain a successful design practice. This session focuses on the realities of running a design business—understanding financial fundamentals, navigating economic pressures, and managing daily operations with intention. Susan Orlandi and Joan Price will share candid insights and foster discussion on building practices that are not only creative, but resilient, profitable, and built for the long term.

From Concept to Conversation: The Human Side of Design Stories

Great design deserves to be understood, felt, and remembered. This session explores how storytelling, communication, and presentation transform ideas into narratives that inspire clients and align teams. Join Millie Kwong and Brian Graham as they share practical insights and lead an interactive conversation on communicating design with clarity, confidence, and emotional resonance.

Advocating for Your Career

As a professional in a creative industry, focus is often on innovation, efficiency and the final product. Design schools teach skills for a narrow professional path that rarely reflects the full range of opportunity and experience possible. Melissa Pesci and Yana Ronin will share their professional stories, teach how to recognize opportunity, and give guidance on how to effectively grow your career with intention.

Real Estate and Trends

Interior design does not exist in isolation—it moves in step with real estate markets, cultural shifts, and evolving lifestyles. This session examines how designers can read market signals, translate trends into meaningful design decisions, and build lasting professional relationships. Through real-world perspectives from China Botsford, Luke Ogelsby, and Richelle Nolan, participants will gain tools to stay relevant, connected, and ahead of change.

Building Brand

Brand is how a person or company stands out, and stands up for what they believe in. It’s putting a stake in the ground and saying “this is who we are” with authenticity and clarity. Founders Melissa Hanley and Brian Buhl share their stories on creating vibrant and unique brands in a creative industry. Learn how to refine values and vision into a brand that resonates and creates gravity around ideas.

Mentorship and Emotional Intelligence

Design careers are shaped by people, not ladders. This workshop reframes mentorship as an emergent, reciprocal practice rooted in emotional intelligence. Join Carolyn Clark-Beedle and Katy Mercer for an engaging IIDA session exploring how self-awareness, empathy, and trust influence mentorship, leadership, and creative growth—and how designers at any level can build relationships that support both personal and professional evolution.

LEAD

INSPIRE

FOSTER

TRANSFORM