IIDA Leaders Breakfast (Leaders) is an annual event series hosted by local IIDA chapters with the support of IIDA Headquarters, international benefactor MillerKnoll, and media partner Interior Design.

Leaders events celebrate design’s importance in the global marketplace by honoring the people who are both the legacy and future of design. Each event features a renowned keynote speaker who enlightens, provokes, and encourages new ideas, and a celebration recognizing one local Leadership Award of Excellence Honoree who has made significant contributions to the design industry.

About the Leaders Breakfast Award of Excellence

A Leaders Breakfast History

2025 Leaders Breakfast Series

New York

Keynote Speaker

Lindsay Shookus
Co-Founder, Women Work F#cking Hard | Legendary Saturday Night Live Producer

A legendary presence behind one of America’s most beloved television shows, Lindsay Shookus worked as a veteran producer for Saturday Night Live. During her tenure, as both producer and head of the talent department, Shookus helped engineer the show’s success from booking and managing celebrity hosts and musical guests, to scouting rising stars to join the show’s ranks cementing her reputation for having a sharp eye for talent. Shookus speaks to her own experiences to lead an on-stage masterclass on personal transformation, building connections, and embracing life’s obstacles on the road to overcome them. She is the co-founder of Women Work F#cking Hard, a women’s community focused on empowering female founders and helping businesswomen develop their careers. Shookus brings a unique blend of inspirational insight and authenticity to share relatable stories with messages that will spark action and remain with audience members for the long term.

Leadership Award of Excellence Honoree

Amy Mays, IIDA
Vice President, East Region Director, Interiors, HDR

Much of Amy's career has been focused on the health sector and her contributions truly demonstrate a deep commitment to shaping spaces that positively impact lives, particularly in moments of vulnerability. Amy's collaborative style and strong leadership skills, cultivated during a 25-year career, help her guide teams to deliver thoughtful results to clients, many of whom are leading healthcare organizations. She appreciates the chance to get to know clients and truly uncover their needs to then deliver innovative, inspiring solutions. Her active involvement in professional organizations and committees further emphasizes her dedication to advancing the field of interior design. She has served as past-president of the IIDA New York Chapter, Co-chair IIDA NY Healthcare Forum, Co-chair IIDA NY DEX. Her work has been recognized with numerous awards, and she is a frequent speaker on many healthcare design topics. The recognition she's earned and her frequent engagement as a speaker highlights her influence and thought leadership.

The Leadership Award of Excellence

Presentation of the Leadership Award of Excellence is the signature activity at every Leaders event. This award recognizes an honoree, typically a member of the local design community, for their exemplary leadership within the profession of commercial interior design and architecture or a non-practitioner for outstanding contributions to the profession. Honorees are presented with an iconic, limited-edition Herman Miller or Knoll gift to commemorate their achievement.

Honorees are selected for their achievements recognized by IIDA that have advanced the interior design profession, have a history of conscientious and ethical behavior with colleagues, clients, and others in business interactions, and have been recognized within their local professional design community. Honorees have a strong connection to IIDA and reinforce the Association’s significance in the design community.

History

Launched in New York in 1989 by Jeannie Bochette of Steelcase, the IIDA Leaders Breakfast series began as a single event. The goal was to introduce IIDA to the business world as a leading association of commercial interior design and to inform IIDA members about the major issues affecting them and the industry. The event established a forum where members and their clients could participate and network with their peers.

Since expanded in 2001 by IIDA Headquarters and through the support of international benefactor MillerKnoll and media partner Interior Design, Leaders Breakfast has become an annual event series that celebrates design’s importance in the global marketplace.