Sustainable design is a complex topic. In an ever-changing world we need ever-changing design solutions, and designers are at the forefront of exploring critical design solutions and sustainable design practice. IIDA and Interface initiated the Converge Sustainability Council which consists of design leaders working to bring sustainable design solutions to the industry and their clients. The council convenes monthly to discuss how to incorporate the conversations and methods of sustainable design into the work of commercial interior designers. Below we feature a few of our council members who are bringing sustainability to their own firms.

Ivy Lane, Assoc. IIDA
Interior Designer
Inventure
IIDA Texas-Oklahoma Chapter

Ivy Lane, Assoc. IIDA graduated from Texas Tech University (TTU) with a Bachelor’s degree in interior design and a minor in architecture. With her involvement in school, Lane has been and continues to be active at IIDA. She has served as the IIDA TTU Campus Center president, the philanthropy chair at the university, and was the previous IIDA Texas Oklahoma Chapter Board student representative from 2018 to2019. After graduation, Lane pursued her passion for healthcare design. She thrives on fostering growth in the industry and exploring new possibilities, and is now a member of the IIDA Equity Council and the IIDA Sustainability council. At Inventure, she works on projects ranging from healthcare to workplace design, allowing her to further her love for healthcare and sustainability. Her commitment to sustainability in her design work is rooted in her belief that design can significantly impact people and communities. Through her projects, Lane aims to enhance the connection between individuals and their environment. She appreciates the opportunities her clients provide to use their projects as platforms for innovation and learning, always with a focus on the greater good. Lane's dedication to sustainability extends beyond financial considerations, as she acknowledges the importance of measuring success by its positive effects on humanity and communities.

Kristen Petersen-Motan, Assoc. IIDA
Interior Designer
NAC Architecture
IIDA Northern Pacific Chapter

Kristen Petersen-Motan, Assoc. IIDA, is an experienced interior designer with a proven track record of creating innovative and functional PK-12 spaces. With more than five years of experience, she excels at space planning, storytelling, and integrating sustainability. Petersen-Motan is a leader in NAC’s sustainability community of practice and is passionate about the role interior designers have in specifying finishes and furniture that are healthy for both humans and the planet. Petersen-Motan holds a bachelor's degree in Interior Design from Bellevue College and a B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Eastern Illinois University, and has been a member of IIDA since 2016. She currently serves on the Washington state legislative committee with the IIDA Northern Pacific Chapter, and is also a member of the Mindful Materials A&D Engagement Group.

Emily Pittenger, Assoc. IIDA
Interior Designer
Apogee Consulting Group
IIDA Indiana Chapter

Emily Pittenger, Assoc. IIDA, first began her career as an elementary education teacher, teaching first grade. After discovering she enjoyed making the spaces more calming and useful for the students, she went on to pursue her master’s degree in interior design at Ball State University. Since her time at school, she has had the opportunity to work on various design projects within the healthcare, higher education, life sciences, and government sectors. With WELL AP certification, Pittenger believes environments should be designed around the health, wellness, and safety of those occupying the space and she is always willing to learn and discover new ideas that can be implemented into her designer. She is a firm believer that growing your career is not only done in the office, but in the design community as well. A member of the IIDA Indiana Chapter, Pittenger was given the opportunity to be part of the inaugural BOLD (Building Our Leaders in Design) group. The BOLD program seeks to guide emerging leaders in the design profession to understand their strengths in leadership and develop skills to advance their careers. She is happy to have the opportunity to be on the committee for the next group of emerging leaders.

Travis Prekop, Assoc. IIDA
Interior Design Coordinator
HDR
PA/NJ/DE Chapter

Travis Prekop is a graduate from New Jersey Institute of Technology, in Newark, New Jersey, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in interior design. While studying at NJIT, Prekop became involved in IIDA by serving on the campus center as the board’s outreach coordinator. Taking his degree and life experience into the workforce, Prekop is currently an Interior Design Coordinator at HDR located in Princeton, New Jersey. His career at HDR began as an intern in the Princeton office which led to his current position. Prekop’s role at HDR allows him to work on a variety of projects of varied sizes, design phases, and industries including Science and Technology Workplace, Federal Workplace and Healthcare. In addition to his project work, Prekop plays a key role in the firms’ commitment to moving towards a more sustainable material library. Leading this commitment by coordinating with industry partners and his colleagues he is developing a thorough and streamlined grading system for all materials stored in the library, which he hopes will be used by all HDR offices in the future. Next steps for Prekop are to use his experience and passion for this industry to become a NCIDQ-certified interior designer along with exploring other certifications such as WELL AP as he continues his personal goal of creating cleaner environments and ensuring that he is bringing the most comprehensive knowledge to his projects.

Joey Shea
Manager, Mission Activation
Interface

Joey Shea joined Interface in 2018. As manager of mission activation and key account director, he relies on his background in the environmental nonprofit sector to share how Interface pursues business success and deep sustainability impact at the same time. Collaboration and collective impact are at the heart of our approach to Climate Take Back, the business plan to reverse global warming, and Joey’s job is to get as many people excited to take on the challenge as possible.

Kristin Stubbs, Assoc. IIDA
Associate Interior Designer
Moody Nolan
IIDA OH/KY Chapter, Advocacy Chair

Kristin Stubbs, Assoc. IIDA, is a graduate from Ohio University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in interior architecture. Upon graduation, Stubbs accepted a position with Moody Nolan in Columbus, OH as an interior designer. She has spent four years at Moody Nolan where she has gained multidisciplinary experience in project types such as education, sports, corporate, healthcare, aviation, multi-family, and high-end residential. Her experience in these various project types has encouraged her to develop a passion for challenging how each of those project types are “supposed” to typically look and feel. As a current member of the IIDA Ohio/Kentucky Chapter, Stubbs has spent 2 years as the Advocacy Co-Chair and has transitioned to the Advocacy chair for her third year on the Columbus City Center board. She is excited to help bring interior design legislation to Ohio, hopefully, within the next few years. Stubbs attended her first IIDA Converge Summit last fall in Atlanta, and has been a member of the IIDA Converge Council since. The Converge Summit helped inspire Stubbs to envelop sustainability into client conversations regardless of their project participating in any sustainable design certifications. She is currently working with her studio leaders and firm director of high-performance design to develop new sustainable design standards for the interior’s studio to implement in their projects across the country.

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