Hello! My name is Clare Goddard and July 1st marked my official IIDA Oregon Chapter Presidential inauguration for the 2022-2023 board year! I am so excited to have had the opportunity to celebrate with many of you at Summer Camp a couple weeks ago, enjoying campfire cocktails, gourmet s’mores and field games! I am really looking forward to an exciting year ahead, full of forward progress, accomplishments and connection!

As your 2022-2023 IIDA Oregon Chapter President, my theme for this year is momentum. The past two years, Kate Stuart and Amber Turner were able to start some very important work during their terms as President, committing to some big initiatives that simply cannot be accomplished in a single year. My goal as Chapter President is to keep the momentum of these initiatives going, making progress towards our goals as a Chapter. The first of these initiatives is to continue to fulfill the chapter mission statement and honor our organization’s manifesto through all we do this year. Here is a brief summary of the other initiatives and goals we have for our Chapter in the coming year. 

Commitment to Social Justice
We will continue our commitment to Social Justice in making sure that diversity, equity and inclusion are in the DNA of all that we do as a Chapter. This year, for the first time, we will have a Director of Social Justice. Understanding that the pursuit of social justice is ongoing, this position will help us to continue these efforts and implement this mission within our Chapter operations. In working with our new Director of Social Justice, we will create 1-year, 3-year, 5-year and 10-year goals, so that diversity, equity and inclusion efforts do not stop after my term as President.

We will continue to take actions to create more programming outside of Portland, expanding our reach to other parts of Oregon to create a more inclusive design community state-wide. We are also planning to offer more philanthropic partnerships to this year’s programming as well, continuing to give back and serve our local communities.

We plan to offer membership grants again this year removing financial barriers and prioritizing BIPOC professionals in our community who would otherwise not be members of IIDA. 

Lastly, we will also continue our work to revise our Chapter policies and procedures, adding more inclusive language and setting policies for more equitable meetings, purchasing guidelines, nominations, and awards.

Student Engagement
We as a chapter believe that diversity, equity and inclusion in our chapter and in the State of Oregon is directly tied to student engagement. By engaging with students at an earlier age, we can educate today’s youth on the importance of design, what opportunities and career paths are available, as well as the legitimacy of Commercial Interior Design as a profession. 

We are committed to apply for another Catalyst Grant in 2023 to build a ‘More Diverse Future’ by creating new programming for K-12 students, targeting BIPOC and underserved communities in an effort to spark more interest and bring awareness to interior design as a profession and career path. 

Advocacy
Last year we refocused our advocacy efforts and started taking steps towards establishing Commercial Interior Design legislation in the State of Oregon. And, we plan to continue those efforts through fundraising, strategic planning and advocating for legislation in all that we do as a chapter.

We will continue fundraising by bringing back bowling to our Annual Advocacy Fundraiser & Raffle taking place September 8th, 2022. All proceeds from this event will be earmarked for current and future Advocacy efforts.

We will begin to build our advocacy alliance leveraging the passion, connection and insights from our design community as a whole. We will also be researching and hiring a lobbyist, engaging with our legislators, and connecting with our stakeholders and opposition as we begin to draft our bill. As you can tell, it is a HUGE year for legislation, but with recent legislative wins in North Carolina, Wisconsin and Illinois and the change in AIA’s response, we feel optimistic for the future.

Upcoming Events
We have a full calendar of programming and we can’t wait to see you there! Looking ahead into August, we will be hosting our first SOCIAL for the board year; a tour of SERA’s new office in downtown Portland

Also in August, we will begin our call for submissions for the 2022  Design Excellence Awards, as well as nominations for the 2022 Emerging Professional Award. We will be back at Castaway to celebrate the amazing and inspiring interior design from our Oregon design firms, so mark your calendars for August 22nd when the call for submissions will be open for this signature event.

You can find our full calendar of events by visiting our website and I  look forward to seeing you all at our upcoming events this year!

Lastly, I’d like to thank my firm, Ankrom Moisan, for their support in my new role with IIDA. Ankrom Moisan is a tremendous advocate for Commercial Interior Design and the IIDA Oregon Chapter by supporting not just me, but a group of us serving on the board. Thank you Ankrom Moisan for your support this past year and for your continued support in the upcoming year.

In addition to Ankrom, many firms and companies commit time and resources to the Chapter by supporting Board members. Our 33 member board is a diverse group of individuals who come from different design backgrounds, but who are all passionate about community engagement and Commercial Interior Design.

Board members and IIDA Oregon Chapter members, I look forward to collaborating with you this year, and I am honored to serve as your 2022-2023 IIDA Oregon Chapter President.

Sincerely,

 

 

Clare Goddard, NCIDQ, IIDA
IIDA Oregon Chapter President