2023 CIDQ Annual Meeting Highlights

Dec 04, 2023 By Marci Merola

Marci Merola gives us highlights from this years event, including AI, the future, and initiatives that impact interior design regulation and licensure

By Marci Merola Dec 04, 2023

Published in Articles

(Above Image: CIDQ Annual Meeting Panel. Image courtesy of NCIDQ)

This fall, CIDQ board and staff; representatives from IIDA, ASID, and IDC; credentialing organizations and educators were joined by more than 80 state and Canadian provincial regulatory board members and delegates convened in Louisville, Kentucky for the 2023 CIDQ Annual Meeting. The event, held November 10-11 featured lively discussions about the state of, and the future of, interior design regulation, AI’s impact on interior design and the regulatory environment, and updates from the Consortium on Interior Design.

Presided by CIDQ President-Elect Erin Jennings, IIDA, AIA, CIDQ’s key strategic initiatives, the NCIDQ Exam, and issues related to interior design regulation were on deck, as well as official board business. Also included: keynote speaker Mark Bryan, IIDA, futurist and designer; a panel discussion lead by CIDQ’s Matthew Barusch; a 2023 legislative update from the Consortium for Interior Design partners Barusch, IIDA’s Marci Merola, and ASID’s Lauren Earley, and more!

Senior Foresight Manager at the Future Today Institute, Mark Bryan, IIDA, set the future-forward tone with a keynote discussion on “The Intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Interior Design, and the Regulatory Landscape.” Bryan discussed multiple challenges that are inherent with AI, such as digital verification and authenticity of licenses and titles. He suggested that through AI, the role of interior designers may eventually shift from creator to editor, but with that shift could come an enhanced ability to predict the needs of specific populations. Ultimately, he urged regulatory boards to prepare for the growth of AI by beginning to include it in examinations and practice, as well as to begin setting standards for responsible use of AI in our industry and beyond.

Director of Government Affairs and Advocacy at CIDQ Matthew Barusch, moderated a panel discussion on work of the “Practice Overlap Task force of the Interorganizational Council on Regulation” (ICOR) which comprises regulatory board organizations for interior design, architecture, engineering and landscape architecture. Director of Interior Design at Condray Design Group, and Board Member at the Texas board of of Architectural Examiners (TBAE) Rosa Salazar, IIDA, AIA; Chief Strategy Officer at The Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB) Veronica Meadows, and Executive Director of the Texas State Board of Architectural Examiners Julie Hildebrand, discussed goals of the Task Force. These include creating uniform guidelines and definitions for where the various professions overlap in practice, and then adoption of these definitions by organizational members. The goal is for this group to finalize its work this year, with next steps to be determined in 2024.

Legislative updates were also a highlight—IIDA’s Director of Advocacy, Marci Merola, joined her Consortium for Interior Design partners, CIDQ’s Barusch, and ASID’s Associate Director of Government and Public Affairs Lauren Earley, in giving an update on the current state of interior design legislation in the United States, as well as a brief overview of the newly formed Consortium for Interior Design. Concurrently, there was a similar discussion of Canadian legislative updates.

A panel on deregulatory efforts was held, where participants discussed the potential influence of regulatory boards to educate opposition, as well as the pros and cons of multi-disciplinary regulatory boards. Panel participants were Executive Director of the Arkansas State Board of Architects, Landscape Architects, and Interior Designers, Shana Bryant; Chair of the Interior Designer Section of the State of Wisconsin Examining Board of Architects, Landscape Architects, Professional Engineers, Designers, Professional Land Surveyors, and Registered Interior Designers, Robin Stroebel, ASID; and Representative on the Virginia Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers, and Landscape Architects, Caroline Alexander.

The 2023 Tregre Award, honoring volunteer service to CIDQ, was presented to Kim Ciesynski, Interior Design at the Sparks, Nevada-based Spaces Design and Planning. An NCIDQ Certificate holder for 28 years, Ciesynski has served on multiple CIDQ committees and task forces, and served 12 years served with the Nevada State Board of Architecture.

Other CIDQ board business included board recruitment, CIDQ governance, finance and strategic planning.

The 2024 Annual Meeting will take place November 7-9, 2024, in Chicago, where it will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the organization.