IIDA Announces Recipients of the 2025 Educator of the Year, Member of the Year and Student of the Year Awards

CHICAGO — IIDA is pleased to announce the winners of its annual Of the Year Awards, which recognize members demonstrating outstanding commitment, passion, professionalism, and dedication to IIDA and the design community. This year’s Educator of the Year is Oklahoma State University Professor of Interior Design in the Department of Design and Merchandising Tilanka Chandrasekera, IIDA. The 2025 Member of the Year is CHASM Architecture Director of Interiors Courtnei Maxwell, IIDA. The 2025 Student of the Year, sponsored by OFS, is California College of the Arts Interior Design Student, Nitya Sanjana Reddy Cheruku, Student IIDA.

“An IIDA Of the Year recipient reflects a profound commitment to interior design through advancing education, elevating the profession, and making a lasting impact on those around them,” said IIDA Executive Vice President and CEO, Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA. “This year’s award honorees have strengthened our industry and it's communities by championing initiatives that encourage growth and collaboration, propelling the future of interior design.”

The IIDA Educator of the Year Award recognizes and celebrates a full-time design educator for outstanding accomplishments and commitment to interior design education. This award includes a $7,500 cash prize and complimentary one-year IIDA membership.

Tilanka Chandrasekera, IIDA (Texas/Oklahoma Chapter), is a professor in the Department of Design and Merchandising at Oklahoma State University (OSU) and Associate Department Head. He is also Director of the Mixed Reality Lab and holds the Christine Salmon Endowed Professorship. In his 11 years at OSU, he has received multiple awards, including three from the Council for Interior Design Accreditation. His research explores the nexus between digital media and design and has been featured in 27 peer-reviewed journal articles, among other publications. Chandrasekera has secured more than $2 million in funding to fuel technology-driven approaches to design education. He developed courses on using VR and AR for social good and the ethics of AI. In 2015, he established the Mixed Reality Lab, which has helped OSU rank among the top 10 AR/VR schools in the Southwest since 2021. He also launched the Peer Teaching Mentorship Program and the Partnership for Excellence in Technology and Environmental Design. He speaks about VR and AI internationally and serves on the editorial boards of Frontiers in Virtual Reality and the Journal of Interior Design.

The IIDA Member of the Year Award recognizes and honors an IIDA Associate or Professional member of five or more years who has demonstrated volunteer service and dedication to assisting IIDA as it advances the commercial interior design profession and advocates for interior design excellence. The award includes a $8,500 cash prize and a complimentary one-year IIDA membership.

Courtnei Maxwell, IIDA (Georgia Chapter), is the Director of Interiors at CHASM Architecture in Atlanta. Maxwell received a Bachelor of Architecture from Hampton University. She has been actively involved in the IIDA Georgia chapter since 2012. Maxwell is the current President-Elect and has served as the Vice President of Sponsorship since 2022. She has also led the Best of the Best and Leaders Breakfast Committee since 2012. Her dedication earned her the chapter’s Annual Presidents award this past year. In her professional work she has contributed to complex, large-scale projects, including the 1.25 million-square-foot Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport project. Her expertise spans higher education, K-12, corporate, civic, healthcare, multi-family, and aviation design. Beyond her professional work she has dedicated her time to organizations that support the success of African American youth, including 100 Black Men, the Black Achievers Program, and Jack and Jill.

The IIDA Student of the Year Award recognizes an IIDA Student Member who has significantly impacted their school’s interior design program through outstanding leadership, insight, and involvement. The award includes a $5,000 cash prize, sponsored by OFS, and a complimentary one-year IIDA membership.

Nitya Sanjana Reddy Cheruku, Student IIDA (Northern California Chapter), is completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in interior design with a minor in ecological practice at California College of the Arts. She also holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Sri Venkateshwara College of Architecture in Hyderabad, India. Cheruku serves as an interior design program assistant and material studio monitor at her college, where she is dedicated to fostering a collaborative learning environment. She is also the Vice President of her IIDA Campus Center, assisting with event coordination, mentorship, and industry engagement. Her academic accomplishments include a Gensler summer internship and being awarded the 2024 Angelo Donghia Foundation Senior Student National Scholarship.

Each IIDA Of the Year will be honored during IIDA’s 2025 Annual Meeting on June 8 at the WorkLife Meetings at The Mart, also available to view via live-stream on IIDA’s YouTube channel (@IIDA_hq). For further details about these member awards, please contact IIDA membership team at memberservices@IIDA.org.