An exceptional communicator, innovator, and visionary leader, Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA, has spurred progress, driven change, and encouraged the expansion of the interior design industry. As the Executive Vice President and CEO of IIDA, she is committed to achieving broad recognition for the value of design and its significant role in society. With 15,000 members across 58 countries, Durst oversees the strategic direction of IIDA, heading its International Board and setting an agenda that leads the industry in creating community, advancing advocacy and continuing decades of work toward equity. She is a member of the International WELL Building Institute Governance Council; as well as a Trustee for Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art and the NYSID. She has been referred to by Interior Design magazine as “an ambassador for innovation and expansion, and a visionary strategist.” Durst was inducted into the prestigious Interior Design Hall of Fame in 2016 as the recipient of its first-ever Leadership Award. She is the first African American woman to be inducted into the industry’s Hall of Fame. A lifelong knowledge enthusiast and voracious reader who has considered librarian, astronaut and journalist as potential careers, Durst never walks away from meeting someone without gleaning a bit of their story—a talent she currently employs on her monthly podcast, The Skill Set, which focuses on the intangible skills that make us good at what we do.