President's Letter

Dear IIDA Carolinas Chapter Members, Partners, and Design Industry Friends,

Greetings!  It is with great pride, honor, and humbleness that I come before you as the current President of such an amazing Chapter.  Over the past year, our Chapter has held steady in membership keeping us as one of the largest Chapters in the country, but more importantly, we have banded together as an organization during some difficult times.

I have witnessed friendship and bonding, great networking through a tough economic time, but above all, the support given to our Chapter throughout the past year has been unsurpassed in spite of the economy.  I would like to thank all our current Partners and Industry Friends for their continued generosity.  Our Chapter could not survive without your help.  I hope you will consider continuing your Partnership or becoming a new Chapter Partner for the upcoming year…stay tuned for some exciting information concerning Partnership as our Annual Partnership Campaign will be begin soon!

As I look to the year ahead of us, what keeps coming to mind is the book by Spencer Johnson, M.D., called “Who Moved My Cheese?”  In his book, Dr. Johnson compares humans to mice in a maze and the cheese is the ultimate prize.  For us humans, the cheese symbolizes life goals - personal and professional.  When someone or something moves our cheese as we are in the maze of life, we have to make changes in the way we operate in order to reach our cheese…our goal…our ultimate prize.  With all the uncertainty in our future, change is inevitable and our mission is to welcome it and move forward as a society…or in our case as an organization on the cusp of changes past, present, and future.

Therefore, you will notice some changes in how we plan upcoming events, allocate finances, and reach out to our membership, students, and communities.  Changes in Interior Design Legislation within North and South Carolina are evident.  The SCIDC (South Carolina Interior Design Coalition) and DPNC (Design Professionals of North Carolina) are ready and up for the challenges ahead.  The Carolinas Chapters’ Board of Directors is ready to discuss and implement any changes we see for the betterment of our members.  We also welcome comments and feedback from our membership concerning how things can be done differently for our Chapter.  Please feel free to reach out ̈́this is YOUR Chapter and the ultimate goal is to provide you with the best.

We have a fun filled and fast paced year ahead so fasten your seatbelts!  Coming up in September and October we will be hosting our Annual Membership Drives to be held within each City Center.  We will be giving away FREE MEMBERSHIPS for 2011, so don’t miss out on these fun programs.  In November we will have our Traveling Knowledge Forum Event in the Triad, Upstate, and Coastal City Centers.  The topic is “7 Catalysts for Change in Tough Times” presented by Cheryl Duvall, FIIDA, LEED AP.  We will wrap up the year with our Annual Holiday Parties in each City Center.  In 2011 the fun will continue with a month dedicated to Design Students, a Chapter-wide Philanthropic Month, two CEU Forum Events, a DesignWorks Awards Competition, a Trade Show and our 2nd Annual Fashion Show…back by popular demand.  Keep your eye on our Chapter calendar, local and Chapter-wide e-mail blasts for more information.

As you can see, we have a lot to look forward to and a lot to be proud of in the midst of change all around us.  Thank you for your continued membership and support of IIDA Carolinas Chapter.  I look forward to a great year ahead…Cheers!

Beth Johnson, IIDA

IIDA Carolinas Chapter President 2010/2011

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