The future of work is ever-changing and designers define where this industry is headed. Designers create spaces to enhance the experience of the user, this includes designing for a hybrid workforce, flexibility, privacy, collaboration, and much more. Emerging designers in the industry continue to stay open to new and innovative possibilities when designing for the new work life. Below we highlight designers who are helping create new work environments and are emerging leaders in their firms, nominated by IIDA’s 2023 College of Fellows, Member of the Year, and Student of the Year.
Camryn Burgess, Assoc. IIDA
Senior Designer
Professional Office Environments
IIDA Gateway Chapter VP of Student Affairs
Camryn Burgess is a St. Louis based designer in the contract furniture industry. With over two years of experience since graduating from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale’s Interior Design Program, she has honed skills in creative problem-solving and innovative design solutions. Her work reflects a strong emphasis on assisting companies with navigating the ever-changing dynamics of the workplace. She believes that furniture is an impactful way to create spaces that inspire collaboration, productivity, and well-being. Establishing a balance between functionality and aesthetics, Burgess is able to cater to the unique needs of each client she works with, to ensure that their space empowers individuals and elevates businesses. As an active member of the Gateway Chapter of IIDA – once while a student at SIUC, and now as a professional – Burgess has stepped into the role of VP of Student Affairs. While channeling her passion for mentorship and growth, she is excited to be engaged with cultivating the potential for students to shape the future of design.
Senior Designer
Professional Office Environments
Astrid Garcia Luna
Design Manager
IA Interior Architects
With a passion for impacting people through the design of the built environment, Astrid Garcia Luna is a designer who has worked across various project types including workplace and retail. With over a decade of experience, Luna brings this passion and her willingness to take initiative to the clients and teams that she collaborates with. As a design manager, she supports teams in the production of design and technical presentations and drawings throughout the course of the project. Being focused on every aspect of a project affords Astrid the ability to see each project as a whole and not as separate pieces. Luna is also involved with the PNW chapter of the Retail Design Institute as their events chair.
Design Manager
Morgan Groth, Assoc. IIDA
Interior Designer
Jacobs
IIDA Gateway Chapter Co-Vice President of Communications
Morgan Groth is an NCIDQ-certified and WELL AP-accredited interior designer. These professional accomplishments reinforce her belief that all interior spaces should be designed with the health and safety of their inhabitants as the number one priority. She practices this philosophy across several market sectors, including aviation, financial, workplace, life sciences, and federal projects, and enjoys the variety of challenges these projects provide to her professional experience. At Jacobs, she is currently facilitating virtual calls for the global interiors community of practice, where she is able to grow leadership skills and participate in knowledge-sharing from a broader community of designers. Her passion for design-thinking, community, and well-being extends far beyond the workplace and interior spaces alone. Groth believes the design of exterior spaces is equally as important. She volunteers her time as a core team member for a local nonprofit called PocketParks, converting vacant lots in the city of St. Louis into vibrant and inclusive green spaces for the community. Groth has been active in IIDA since she was a member of her student chapter. As a current member of the IIDA Gateway Chapter, she has served on the special events committee. This year, she is serving as co-vice president of communications, overseeing social media, graphics, e-blasts, newsletters, and the chapter website.
Interior Designer
Jacobs
Jeffrey Lawrence, Assoc. IIDA
Associate | Senior Interior Designer
Gensler
IIDA Illinois Chapter
Jeffrey Lawrence is a graduate from Harrington College of Design in Chicago, where he received a bachelor's degree in interior design. He is a third-generation interior designer in his family and has been fortunate to be surrounded by design his entire life. His journey in design spans more than 15 years working across various disciplines. He first gained experience working for his family’s residential design firm, before and while attending college. He then took his expertise to the retail sector, working for Ralph Lauren as a store designer/salesperson and ultimately transitioned to a role at Gensler. Lawrence’s nearly ten-year journey with the firm began in 2014 in the Washington, DC office; he now resides in his hometown city of Chicago as a senior interior designer.
Lawrence has significant experience designing high-end amenity commercial & hospitality, residential, and mixed-use interiors, focusing the design process to meet client schedules and budget needs. He is responsible for developing design concepts and leading teams through each stage of a project. Lawrence is always ready to take on a challenge and looks forward to experiencing new places, different cultures, and using that inspiration to drive innovative approaches to design. When Lawrence isn’t designing or is out of the office, you can find him cruising the Chicago lakefront on his various bicycles. He loves to be outside exercising and participating in various activities.
Associate | Senior Designer
Gensler
Jamie Martin
Senior Design Manager | Senior Associate
IA Interior Architects
Jamie Martin is an over 15-year experienced designer for IA Seattle with career projects ranging from healthcare to workplace to high level building asset advisory. Martin brings to everything she does a passion for how built space influences the human condition and works at all scales and phases of projects to question, innovate and ultimately advance the human experience. She's an empathetic and inclusive leader, finding joy in mentoring and guiding individuals and teams to their fullest potential. Martin is also acknowledged as a founding member of the Puget Sound and Inland Northwest Campus Centers for IIDA’s Northern Pacific Chapter (NPC), being only the second to hold the VP of Campus Centers position for the NPC and serving for a total of five years.
Senior Design Manager | Senior Associate
IA Interior Architects
Marianne Starke
Senior Designer and Architect | Associate
Gensler
Starke is a licensed architect with BA in Architecture from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City and an MFA in Interior Design from Parsons The New School in NYC. She has worked on high-end residential, healthcare, commercial, and workplaces, and works cross-functionally in architecture, interior and product design. She joined Gensler in 2015, where she has been part of three offices and regions for over eight years. Starting as a founding member of the Mexico City office, she then transferred to Chicago in 2017, bringing a global perspective and approach to design. Her cross-cultural education and professional experience enhance and expand her work with clients. She has a passion for developing unique design solutions, leading projects, and building strong client and team relationships. She recently led the technology practice area for the Seattle office, and has returned to the Chicago office. Returning recently to the firm’s Chicago office, she brings a new perspective after being exposed to a different region and team; this allows her to stay curious and creative as she starts a new chapter in her career.
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Senior Designer and Architect | Associate
Gensler