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Professional development programming has been an important need to our chapters as they look toward the future of IIDA and the design community at large. IIDA’s 2025 Winter Chapter Leadership Council (CLC) brought together IIDA Chapter Presidents, Presidents-elect and VPs of Professional Development for an exciting discussion around professional development, how to expand your network and how to enhance your programming strategies. The weekend event featured three days of panel discussions, presentations, breakout sessions, and engagement and networking with fun activities like chapter speed dating!
Kicking off this action-packed weekend IIDA’s EVP and CEO Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA, welcomed chapter leaders by encouraging them to remember what IIDA stands for and how each chapter contributes to what we do for IIDA and the profession as a whole. “Our greatest responsibility is to stay connected to each other, our community, and the work we do for IIDA. We are shaping the future of design. Design speaks, unites and listens. Design is everywhere and we are design,” said Durst.
This Winter CLC was packed with incredible insights from chapter leaders, CEU opportunities for everyone who attended and important discussions leading to actionable steps.
Chapter leaders gathered for a cross generational panel discussion led by Najett Beltaifa, IIDA, Florida Central Chapter President and Ursula Finley, IIDA, Mid-Atlantic Chapter President — representing senior and emerging design professionals — discussing ways to examine professional development and how it evolves throughout an interior designer's career. As an emerging design professional with 10 years of IIDA experience under her belt, Beltaifa talked to the importance of taking leadership roles in your chapters and using events as a tool to expand your network. “IIDA connected me with people who helped change my career. I learned how to advocate for myself and through in-person events I was able to collaborate and mentor emerging professionals,” said Beltaifa.
Being a part of the industry for over 20 years, Finley shared many sentiments that Beltaifa spoke about, specifically around the role of professional development at their firms, and agreed that there is an opportunity for chapters to be better in supporting designers throughout their career journey. In this industry, you have to know how to network and maintain relationships.
