Jan. 6, 2024
are shown presenting in front of visiting professionals.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. —
The Interior Design program at Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design in 2025 will
further enhance its focus on career preparedness and industry connections through
the formation of a professional advisory board.
The new advisory board unites seven prominent leaders in the interior design industry—including
six program alumni—to serve as a guiding force to ensure curriculum and professional
development continue to evolve in step with industry needs, trends, and expectations.
This will help faculty better prepare students for the skills, knowledge, and technologies
that are in demand, as well as keeping them up to date on industry fees and salaries.
Maintaining strong relationships with alumni, design businesses, and professional
organizations is a priority for the program.
“Thanks to KCAD’s location in the heart of the contract furniture industry and our
network of accomplished alumni, we’ve always worked closely with practitioners in
West Michigan and have many people to tap for advice,” said associate professor and
Interior Design program chair Mary Ellen Fritz. “The advisory board will take this
to the next level by setting up a formal structure to strengthen our program goals
and curriculum through outside perspectives, verifying our students are prepared for
a wide range of career opportunities.”
That’s especially important for continuing to meet the rigorous standards set by the
Council for Interior Design Accreditation, which has accredited the KCAD program since
1974. It’s also key to preparing students to earn the industry’s benchmark certification
from the Council for Interior Design Qualification.
To earn this certification, designers must pass a three-part examination which covers
building systems, codes, construction standards, contract administration, design application,
professional practice, and project coordination. KCAD’s curriculum enables students
to take the first part of the exam while they’re still in school, so they’re well
positioned to hit the ground running when they graduate.
“NCIDQ certification makes a difference,” Fritz said. “It’s key to maintaining our
consistently high professional placement record for graduates—averaging 82 percent
at the time of graduation since 2013—since passing the exam is required for licensure
in most of the U.S. and Canada.”
It also sets up graduates for higher earnings. According to a 2019 report from the American Society of Interior Designers, the median salary of certified designers is $16,000 higher than those who did not
hold any type of certification or credential.
As KCAD Interior Design students prepare to join these ranks, many of the new advisory
board members see an opportunity to pay their own education forward and open doors
for future designers.
Board member Jody Poole, a 2010 graduate who serves as vice president of design at
Grand Rapids-based design firm Custer, Inc., began her own journey into the field with a student internship at the company. Poole
helped found Custer’s Renegade customs division in 2017 and led it for five years as
creative director before it was acquired by a New York design firm. Now, she leads
an even larger collaborative team with a passion for mentoring the next generation
of design talent.
“To be able to assist in shaping the dialogue surrounding our next generation’s curriculum
is a privilege,” Poole said. “To be able to help in lifting up young designers is
the icing on the cake.”
Likewise, board member Heather Harrington, a 2015 graduate and director of interior
experience at Grand Rapids-based Pure Architects, was happy to reciprocate what the college had done for her. Harrington’s time at
KCAD set the stage for her wide-ranging career in the industry, from flooring retail,
contract furniture planning and specification, to full-scope contract interior design.
“I’m thrilled to participate,” she said. “It allows me to give back to a community
that has been pivotal to my own success, while also allowing me to make an impact
in the trajectory of emerging professionals in our industry.”
To help students envision different paths for their careers, the program purposely
chose board members who work in different aspects of the interior design industry.
Board member Melissa Malburg, a 2004 graduate and principal/director of strategy and
discovery at Grand Rapids-based design and architecture firm Progressive Companies, has evolved over a 20-year career to focus on the broader strategic value of interior
design as a creative problem-solving tool for businesses of all kinds.
“I’m looking forward to working with the diverse group of advisors to bring our unique
perspectives to the ongoing benefit of the program and future designers,” Malburg
said.
Members can also serve as role models for the students, personifying the motto “If
you can see it, you can be it.” Board member and 2007 graduate Tiffany Thornton is
the founder of Grand Rapids-based Tiffany Eden Design, a Black-owned boutique firm specializing in commercial and residential design.
“Diversity in spaces like this is extremely important—I am a part of a very small
‘club’ of Black commercial interior designers,” Thornton said. “I want to share my
experiences working with small businesses and projects that center around the urban
community and how diversity in design is crucial to creating spaces that are more
relevant and inclusive to different cultures.”
Board member and 2006 graduate Laurie Placinski, vice president of Real Estate, Design
and Partnerships at Grand Rapids-based BAMF Health, recently drew on her two decades of healthcare design, strategic planning, and leadership
to oversee the design ideation, planning and construction of BAMF’s flagship state-of-the-art
facility focused on advanced treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s, and heart conditions.
Placinski is now eager to give the next generation of designers a running start on
the skills they will need to succeed.
“Design thinking has become a foundational driver that spurs innovation and enhances
strategic growth within all areas of business,” she said. “I look forward to bringing
experience-based applications to the table to support KCAD’s curriculum.”
Meanwhile, board member and 2007 graduate Todd Emeott, principal at Chicago-based
architecture firm Lamar Johnson Collaborative, also recognizes the need to keep students
aligned with what’s happening on the ground. His experience has equipped him with
a broad perspective of the industry, having worked in corporate, law and financial
services, healthcare, education, and hospitality markets for over 17 years.
“I have seen the market and client demands shift multiple times. Each time there is
a shift, it takes a process of re-invention to stay relevant,” Emeott said. “KCAD
gave me the foundation of thinking critically and being flexible to change. I want
to keep that sense of relevance alive in the way KCAD students are learning about
their career.”
Beyond the formal duties of the board, members will also continue KCAD’s tradition
of connecting with students as mentors or guest critics.
Board member and former adjunct instructor Megan Murray, principal interior designer
at Grand Rapids-based Megan Murray Interiors, takes an active role in the industry as vice president of membership for the International
Interior Design Association Michigan Chapter and a board member of local non-profit
Lions & Rabbits Center for the Arts.
“In my time as an adjunct, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I learned from the
students in return,” Murray said. “Having a thriving two-way communication channel
helps us to better understand what to expect in terms of new talent entering the workforce,
how to work with one another, and how to mentor young designers.”
The KCAD Interior Design advisory board’s work will begin in January of 2025, and
each member will serve a two-year term.