March 27th, 2023
McKenna Hall, IIDA, NCIDQ
Director of Social Justice | IIDA Oregon Chapter
Client Business Manager | Steelcase

A special thank you, for a special event! 

On March 2nd, the IIDA Oregon Chapter hosted the 2023 Next Breakfast. We were honored to have Tejara Brown, Dr. Steven Nakana & Rebecca Alexander as the panelist speakers; hosted and moderated by Cheryl Durst (CEO of IIDA & Hon. FIIDA Executive VP). This group of four intelligent, strong and unique individuals shared in open conversations around the topics of diversity, equity and inclusion within design. To say they were inspiring and thought provoking would be an understatement. 

Cheryl started by saying, “Inclusivity is the bedrock of design — that is why we call this universal design”. During the conversation the group spoke about “working with people closest to the problem.” They shared how we shouldn’t assume different needs and experiences of others. Instead, we should work directly with people to truly understand the problems so we can then design solutions to solve them. Don’t forget, when we work with people, we should pay them as consultants because they are sharing their expertise and their experiences, which are incredibly valuable. 

Diversity is imperative to our world, which means we must create spaces that are diverse, size inclusive, gender inclusive and universal for all.

The planning committee did an excellent job taking into respect and working with women-owned, minority-owned and/or BIPOC-owned businesses to bring this event to life. From the delicious catering by KitchenKilla, hosting at EcoTrust and the beautiful photography by Kai Hayashi, it was all so thoughtfully and intentionally done.

Thank you to all who attended; we hope you left learning something new and inspired to make an impact in your life, in your work and in our community. 

A big thank you to our sponsors who helped make this happen. Last, but certainly not least, a very special thank you to our 4 amazing speakers — you are making the world a better place. As Cheryl said to wrap it all up– “Change places, change minds and change hearts.”

Sincerely,
McKenna