Hello member,

 

How quickly a year goes by! It is bittersweet to write that today marks the close of my term as Chair of ASID. This past year has been at times a crazy and wild ride, but as I reflect on all we’ve accomplished, I’m so proud and pleased to say the health and resilience of this organization has never been more luminescent.

 

Thank you for trusting me as Chair of ASID this past year. It has been a deeply enriching experience for me personally—an honor, a privilege, and a point of pride I will carry for the rest of my career.

 

Under extraordinary circumstances, this incredible community has realized a more vibrant and dynamic ASID than ever before. We stepped up during this moment of reckoning and tackled head-on, the existential and unprecedented challenges facing our industry. While there is still lots of work to be done, we established a foundation that is more sustainable and equitable. We provided traction to positively impact lives in the spaces we live, learn, play, work, and heal. We held our first large conference in years and the energy in being together, learning and exchanging, was electric. We’ve been nimble and tenacious, and here we are, ready and primed for a big and bold future at ASID. In the year ahead, we look to new leadership, the ASID staff, board of directors, our committees, chapters, members, and industry partners to continue our momentum into our emboldened and evolving future.

 

As I close out this rewarding and fulfilling term, I wish to extend my sincere gratitude to those who have supported and guided me along the way.

 

Thank you firstly to our members, our chapter leaders, student members, and volunteers. You are the heart of ASID, and the reason design impacts lives for our clients and community every day. Our legislative wins in North Carolina, Wisconsin and Illinois were a testament to your superpowers! Thank you for stepping into leadership roles and staying connected through Zoom meetings and virtual celebrations, and then for coming together in person at the GATHER conference last week.

 

Thank you to our committees and committee chairs. You executed excellent work and helped us to establish a voice of authority across Adaptive Living; Climate, Health, & Equity; Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion; Impact at Work; Small Business Solutions; and more.

 

Thank you to our industry partners for recognizing the value of ASID. We cannot do the work we do without your enduring support. As we emerge on the other side of this pandemic, the opportunities to collaborate will be more outstanding than ever before.

 

Thank you to the ASID Staff for your exceptional work: Jeremy Adam, Robin Anderson, Shawn Basker, James Black, Quinn Bruster, Trina Calloway, Evonne Crocker, Matthew De Geeter, Lauren Earley, Dawn Haynie, Caroline Herbert, Jessica Irizarry, Maya Khudari, Lindsey Koren, Erick Lowe, Julie Lowe, Dinorah Martinez, Joyce O'Brien, Valerie O’Keefe, Victoria Satterfield, Margo Scheinhaus, Jon Strassner, Kari Stringfellow and Jarmila Zapata. It was remarkable to witness what such a lean team accomplished at GATHER — and the resounding applause was a testament to your dedication and camaraderie.

 

Thank you to Gary Wheeler and Charles Jewett. In May 2020, when you were appointed CEO and COO, respectively, you were complete strangers. Today, you call each other the best of friends (this, even after undertaking the update to the Society’s bylaws– a task so laborious it would test even the strongest of relationships!) Your efforts have made ASID more robust than ever, as we increased membership, established the Design Summit, and executed GATHER—our first national conference in nearly 15 years. Gary, I wish you the very best in retirement and know that your next chapter with the organization is just around the corner. To Charles: your strength of spirit has touched me personally, and I am forever inspired by your courage in the face of true adversity.

 

With cheers, I welcome Khoi Vo, our inspiring new chief executive officer at ASID. Khoi, I know I speak for all when I say I am thrilled to have you join us. We look forward to your leadership as you draw upon your global experience in interior design, education, and business development as CEO.

 

To Kerrie Kelly, Past Chair, Toni Gocke Wyre, Incoming Chair, and John Cialone, Incoming Chair-Elect: I am grateful for your extraordinary partnership and leadership. Thank you to the Board of Directors: Patty Dominguez, David Euscher, Margi Kaminski, Greg McDonough, Denise Rush, Lisa Tucker, Elizabeth Von Lehe, and Ken Wilson for your incredible work, camaraderie, and friendship. The pandemic presented unique challenges that required us to become strategic and operational. We did it together, and we did it with tenacity, grace, and humor.

 

I would also like to extend my sincerest gratitude for my family, especially my husband, Paul, son, Benjamin, mother Barbara and sisters, Kathy and Becky, for all of your love and enduring support.

 

In closing, I offer heartfelt welcomes to Toni Gocke Wyre, who will lead the Society as chair, and Sarah Colandro and Teresa Humphrey who join the board of directors. I wish you all the best for success in FY2023!

 

Together we lit the torch, and I can’t wait to see the fireworks that lie ahead for us! The renaissance endures. ASID, Forward.

 

All my best,

Carolyn

 

 

Carolyn Ames Noble 
ASID, WELL AP, WELL Faculty, USGBC Member

Principal, Interior & Product Design, Ames Design Collective