Thank you so much to all who attended, ‘A Gold Affair’ a Celebration and Fundraiser for the IIDA Oregon Chapter. It was truly an incredible evening full of celebration, dancing, food and drink, raffle prizes, sunsets and some really creative dazzling gold attire! I had the opportunity to talk to many of you throughout the evening and I just want to let you know how much the IIDA Oregon Chapter appreciates your kind words of encouragement, thanks, praise, sponsorship, volunteer hours, attendance and dedication to the profession. I am so proud and honored to be a part of a community of Designers and Industry partners that is so supportive of one another.
For those who were not able to attend the event and you don’t know me yet, my name is Carissa Mylin and I am the 2015-2016 IIDA Oregon Chapter President. I also want to share with you some of the initiatives that the IIDA Oregon Chapter will be pursuing over the next year to reinforce our mission, to be the face of professional Interior Design in the state of Oregon.
- Our primary focus will be on continued public outreach on the impact and importance of legislation for our profession. More than ever we need legal recognition to support and advance the talented, educated and highly qualified women and men who work in Oregon’s design firms and especially for those who work as sole practitioners. It is time for qualified design professionals to come to the collaborative tables we sit at every day with other regulated professionals, engineers, contractors, architects and code officials and be recognized as equal contributing partners. And most importantly, it is time for the public to be educated and aware of the importance of hiring qualified interior designers to work in code impacted environments. This year we will be working hard to inform, educate and engage the community on issues related to legislation through our chapter blog and legislative forums. We will also be seeking greater engagement from the design community to support a more impactful presence in Salem.
- As the design industry grows exponentially in the State of Oregon, it is becoming increasingly important to connect our firms to emerging design professionals. This year our Student Affairs team will be hosting a new event format to increase the exposure of our student members to professional presentation, as well as increasing the exposure of Design leadership to emerging professionals. We will also be working on the second annual West Coast Student Design Charette which will be held in Seattle this year, which means an even greater exposure of Student Members to the Pacific Northwest Design community.
- Finally we will be focusing on providing educational content that will continue to enhance the knowledge and skills of our members at all levels. We are looking forward to your attendance and engagement in some of the important Forums and discussions that will be taking place over the next year. Our board works tirelessly to provide opportunities and content to engage you and to enrich your experience as an IIDA Oregon Chapter member, so we look forward to seeing each of you at our events as a guest or a volunteer. If you are not an IIDA Oregon Chapter member, we look forward discussing the value of membership with you and hope that you will join our vibrant, talented community of professionals.
For the second year in a row, all of the IIDA Oregon Chapter board positions have been filled at the beginning of the board year. The IIDA Oregon Chapter board looks forward to working together to carry out the IIDA Oregon Chapter mission, “To be the face of professional interior design in the State of Oregon.â€
Thank you all so much for being members of the IIDA Oregon Chapter, we are so proud of this community.
Sincerely,
Carissa Mylin, IIDA
Oregon Chapter President