(December 5, 2024 –– Washington, D.C.) –– The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) has announced recipients of its 2024 Lifetime Membership Awards. Spanning diverse sectors of interior design, including commercial, residential, hospitality, accessibility and sustainability, this year’s recipients have demonstrated exceptional leadership, commitment, and expertise over decades of service, shaping the future of interior design and advancing the profession in meaningful ways.
The program recognizes longstanding members for their exceptional contributions to ASID and the interior design profession, celebrating their impact and honoring their service.
The ASID National Board Directors nominated and recommended former National Board chairs and professional members of at least 25 years; from these nominations, six honorees were selected for the 2024 Lifetime Membership Award.
This year’s recipients are Juliana Catlin, FASID, Susan Morgan, FASID, Calvin Hefner, FASID, CAPS, John T. Robinson, FASID, RID, Jean Pinto, FASID and Fernando Diaz, FASID.
“ASID owes its success to dedicated members like the ones we are honoring with the Lifetime Membership Awards,” said Khoi Vo, chief executive officer, ASID. “With decades of experience, from leadership positions to legislation and designer advocacy, their commitment to the profession and organization have been imperative in shaping its future. We are honored to celebrate their dedication and remarkable careers and commemorate the influence each honoree has had on ASID, furthering our mission to impact lives through design.”
The 2024 Lifetime Membership Award Recipients:
Juliana M. Catlin, received her Bachelor of Design degree from the University of Florida, College of Architecture and is NCIDQ Certified. As principal of Catlin Design, Inc., she has won numerous design and service awards. She was honored with the Alumni of Distinction Award from the University of Florida, College of Design, Construction, and Planning in 1999 and is a past chair of their Advisory Board. She has been an active member of ASID since the start of her career and was elevated to Fellow member in 1998. Catlin served as national president of ASID, representing, at the time, over 38,000 interior designers around the nation. Catlin is also a past chairman of the ASID Foundation Board. Catlin Design has guided many clients through the design process in both commercial and residential design, with projects throughout the United States as well as abroad. Catlin Design has been published in Interior Design Magazine, Southern Living, and Florida Design and has been featured on the HGTV Channel. Catlin was honored with the Bud Merle Foundation Award and the Warren G. Arnett Achievement Award, both awards recognizing leadership and Design Excellence in the State of Florida.
Susan Morgan has endless dedication to ASID and the advancement of the interior design industry. Morgan has been advocating for legislation to practice to the full extent of the profession for decades. She has been practicing and learning accessible, universal, and sustainable principles for over 30 years to enlighten all occupants’ daily lives. She is a passionate advocate for safe, accessible, universal, sustainable, healthy and functional design practices. She is a past Florida South Chapter President, past Aging in Place Council member, past member-at-large on the National Board (2014-2016), was on the Advocate by Design Council (AxD) as chair, vice chair, chair of the Accessible sub-committee, on the O&E sub-committee as an AST (Advocacy Support Team) and newsletter chair and on the Sustainability & Wellness sub-committee. Other roles she has done on behalf of ASID include her participation on the board and as president-elect of the Interior Design Associations Foundation, (IDAF) the Florida Coalition. She currently volunteers on the Healthy Workplace Coalition and the Alliance of Design & Construction Professionals. She is also a member of the International Code Council (ICC) on the A117.1 committee, with the goal of updating the Accessible and Usable Buildings Standard, and is a CIDQ Ambassador. Morgan was also a recipient of the Medalist and Fellow awards and was recognized as a Janet Gable Mentor to the Interior Design Industry Award from her chapter.
Calvin Hefner has been a member of ASID for 45 years; the knowledge he gained and the friendships he has made across the United States with fellow ASID interior designers has been invaluable. As an Allied Member, Hefner enrolled in as many CEU programs as possible to enhance his abilities, often traveling across the United States to participate. He received the Honors Award from the ASID National Board for his efforts with the organization. While on the ASID National Board of Directors, 1989-1992, he was privileged to serve on the Chapter Services Advisory Committee with the direction of Odette Lueck, FASID. The committee created the first strategic plan for ASID’s National Board. He was appointed by President Robert John Dean, FASID, to the NCIDQ Board of Directors, 1989-1992. Each summer, he would engage students from local interior design education programs to assist them in receiving on-the-job training. He found practical knowledge lacking in some of these programs, so he provided additional guidance for proposals and contracts. He served on the Interior Design Advisory Committee at the University of Western North Carolina and Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, North Carolina. As ASID Carolinas Chapter President, 1988-1990, he developed the first Chapter Design Communities, bringing the two-state resources of our Chapter closer to our designers, from the coast to the mountains.
In 1973, John T. Robinson graduated with a BFA in interior design from the University of Houston. He started his professional career working for a firm specializing in hospitality design and joined ASID a few years later. In 1975, Robinson passed the NCIDQ Exam and joined ASID as a professional member. He started working on the ASID Program Committee in 1976 and was elected to the board In 1977. Within the same year, he joined, as head of design, an office furniture dealership. That firm supported all his professional endeavors and he served on several committees as well as serving on the board becoming Chapter President in 1983. He opened his own firm in 1984 dealing in both residential and hospitality design. From his exposure on the national level, he recognized the importance of licensing to the profession and became a founding member and president of the Texas Association of Interior Design, a political organization focused on passing a legislative act for the profession of interior design. He was honored by ASID with a Medalist Award in 1988 and recognized as a Fellow in 2000. During his 49 years as an ASID member, he has made great friends across the country and at home. He has run a successful design firm winning numerous design awards and a loyal list of clients.
Jean Pinto has been actively working in the design community since 1961. In 1962, she graduated from Woodbury University in Los Angeles, with a BPA in interior design. Following that, she attended Pepperdine University and received a bachelor’s degree in art education with a minor in business. For a decade, she worked for Mel Brown Furniture Store, starting in 1961, and created their design studio, before starting her own design business in 1971. She became a professional member of ASID in 1966 and then a professional member of ASID in 1975. Pinto has served as president of the ASID California Los Angeles Chapter twice, once in 2001-2002 and again in 2010-2011. She has been awarded numerous chapter awards as well as local business awards and recognition. Pinto also served on the ASID Foundation’s Board of Trustees for five years and became an ASID Fellow in 2015. Pinto has worked on numerous residential and commercial design projects throughout California and other states across the United States. She has worked with a variety of clients, including members of the entertainment industry and the US political sector.
Cuban-born interior designer Fernando Diaz strives for the best possible expression and solution for his clients’ lifestyles and needs, with projects ranging from small homes and offices to grand-scale residences and office suites. Diaz has received numerous awards from his peers and served on the board of directors for the ASID Los Angeles chapter, the Homeless Youth Foundation, and the Los Angeles chapter of DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS). In 1999, he was president of the ASID Los Angeles chapter and in 2006 received the ASID Chapter Medalist Award. He received the “Recognition of Excellence” award from NEWH, The Hospitality Industry Network, on the chapter level in 2007 and on the international level in 2013. In 2016, Diaz was named a Fellow of ASID. His work has graced the pages of Metropolitan Home, California Homes, Art & Living, The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Home & Décor and more.