Get to know our IIDA Chapter presidents on a more personal level with "Member Picks." We talked to a few of our chapter presidents to give us their recommendations for books, music, art and more—even guilty pleasures. Take a look at some of their recommendations below and see which recommendation might be a fit for you.
Dani Sheley, IIDA
Gateway Chapter President
Interior Designer, CannonDesign
Art: Designer Leanne Ford
Books: Everybody Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People by Bob Goff
Music: Maren Morris and Kacey Musgraves
TV: ”The Morning Show” (Apple TV+)
Podcasts: “How I Built This” with Guy Raz
Film: ”Athlete A,” and “My Octopus Teacher”
Guilty Pleasure: Reality TV
Inspiring Project: Every project is unique and a personal investment in their own way. I love seeing the "light bulb moment" when a client understands the impact of the built environment. It is the clients and colleagues that inspire me daily.
Ivette Lemons, IIDA
Florida Central Chapter President
VP of Key Accounts, Corporate Interiors
Art: “The Van Gogh Alive Exhibit” is amazing—being immersed in art transports you into another world!
Books: Dare to Lead by Brene Brown
Music: Chris Stapleton's "Starting Over"
TV: “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV+) Hilarious and heartwarming
Podcasts: “Smartless” with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett
Film: “Coda”
Guilty Pleasure: Hallmark Christmas Movies
Inspiring Project: Mother and Baby Unit for local hospital. The project had a limited budget and tight timeline but by refinishing existing millwork and choosing cost effective materials we were able to create a welcoming beautiful environment within budget and on time.
Jenny Manansala, IIDA
Hawaii Pacific Chapter President
Senior Interior Designer, Stantec
Art: Visual artist Bisa Butler
Books: Becoming by Michelle Obama
Music: H.E.R.
TV: “Emily in Paris”
Film: “Exterminate All the Brutes”
Guilty Pleasure: Coffee
Inspiring Project: Kaiser Permanente Market Street MOB , a past project that inspires me because it was one of the best projects I've ever designed with the best team I've ever worked with.
Jennifer Mitchell, IIDA
Delta Regional Chapter President
Account Executive, Tarkett
Art: New Orleans artist Becky Fos
Books: Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren
Music: Lauren Daigle
TV: “Friends”
Film: “Encanto” is my current favorite movie—I have young kids, so I don't watch many other movies. This Disney movie is completely different, the characters are very relatable.
Guilty Pleasure: Online Shopping
Inspiring Project: Practicing mostly healthcare design, I am inspired by design that can truly change someone's life and contribute to healing and health. St. Bernard Parish Hospital is my most cherished project being that it brought healthcare back to St. Bernard after Hurricane Katrina.
Kristin Kreppner, IIDA
Georgia Chapter President
Designer and Senior Project Manager, CBRE
Art: Jeremy Brown
Books: Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn
Music: Adele
TV: “YellowStone”
Podcasts: “Business Wars” by Wondery (on Apple Podcasts)
Film: “How it’s Made”
Guilty Pleasure: Crawfish, I can’t shake my southern roots!
Inspiring Project: Confidential Technology Company—the level of DEI, sustainability, and accessibility is moving.
Laura Franzluebbers, IIDA
Great Plains Chapter President
Senior Interior Designer, HDR
Art: Overview (@dailyoverview on Instagram)
Books: My favorite read so far this year is Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier.
Music: Kacey Musgraves or Adele are always good background listens when working or cooking.
TV: “The Dropout” (on Hulu)
Podcasts: “Smartless” with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett
Film: “Explained by Vox” (on Netflix)
Guilty Pleasure: True crime podcasts and Bravo reality TV.
Laura Harris, IIDA
Alabama Chapter President
Director of Design & Development, Will & Pierce Agency
Art: Artist Dale Chihuly's blown glass sculptures are incredible.
Books: The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss
Music: Electro swing
TV: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Podcasts: “We Can Do Hard Things” with Glennon Doyle
Film: “We Bought a Zoo”
Guilty Pleasure: A big bowl of pasta!