Ronnie Belizaire’s IIDA Journey

Oct 23, 2023 By Jessica Jones

Ronnie Belizaire shares her member journey and her ambitions for her IIDA Board presidency

By Jessica Jones Oct 23, 2023

Published in Articles

Ronnie Belizaire, FIIDA is an independent design consultant and currently serves as president of IIDA’s 2023-2024 Board of Directors. Belizaire decided 20 years ago that her career path would be interior design. Not knowing what exactly she wanted to do, she took a series of aptitude tests that led her to seeing interior design as the perfect career for her. Her passion for creating places and making space only grew as she continued on this journey. Belizaire joined IIDA in 2005 as a student member, and couldn’t have predicted the impact that IIDA would have on her career both personally and professionally. Belizaire attended NeoCon during her last year of design school at Florida State University where she met Cheryl S. Durst Hon. FIIDA, for the first time. Seeing a black woman in a leadership position in the design industry solidified Belizaire’s conviction that she was where she needed to be and there was space for her.

“Despite the good vibes felt in that initial meeting, there’s no part of me that could foresee the level of engagement and involvement I would have with IIDA over the course of my 17-year career. IIDA has literally and figuratively taken me to places that have opened doors for me to meet so many in the industry, and take advantage of various leadership opportunities such as this one,” said Belizaire during her 2023 annual meeting speech.

As Belizaire enters her presidency at IIDA she hopes we can address and support sustainability measures towards decarbonization in the industry, start discussions around how AI can complement the profession, and to continue to make design a more diverse, inclusive and equitable industry through programs like Design Your World and the Talent Collective. She is really passionate about creating space for previously underrepresented groups, offering them exposure and giving opportunities to thrive in the design profession and industry just as IIDA did for her when she first joined.

What aspects of your membership have been of most value?

RB: The community and friendships I’ve built through this membership, but also the professional development skills that have been invaluable throughout my career journey.

What creative methods are you using to strengthen the IIDA community networks to help us work towards future goals?

RB: If I’m being honest, I can’t say that I’m being creative, but rather being accessible to all who want to make connections with me and of IIDA and a lot of that engagement happens through my social media these days.

What goals do you have for yourself personally and for IIDA in terms of supporting equity, inclusion, and sustainability in the design industry?

RB: My personal goal continues to be an advocate that champions equitable and inclusive practices in the built environment. For IIDA as a whole, I’d love to see us become fiscally strong enough to hire a headquarters staff person whose role and responsibility is to manage EDI and sustainability initiatives because I believe the two go hand-in-hand in making IIDA a hub for programming that educates and supports our a more resilient design future.

Why would you encourage emerging as well as established designers to join IIDA?

RB: I’d encourage design professionals to join IIDA to create a community along with a professional network that will undeniably have a positive impact on your growth with the profession and industry.