JANUARY 2025 NEWSLETTER

ASSOCIATION

HIGHLIGHTS & NEWS

NEW YORK CHAPTER

IFDA NY Cybersecurity Event at Häfele Showroom

Serendipity plays a role in everyone’s life. The IFDA NY Chapter was lucky enough to host a CCC (Cocktails, Conversations & Connections) event, soon to be rechristened the IFDA NY Social Club, where Rose Hittmeyer, the indispensable Chapter Administrator, met Jacqy Dougherty of XG Cyber, specialists in cybersecurity.

They arranged to have Jaime Boyaca, XG Cyber’s cybersecurity expert, present practical tips for safeguarding your digital environment at home and at work at an elegant event on Wednesday, January 8 at the Häfele Showroom in NYC.

Jaime, who has 29 years’ experience in the field, gave a compelling presentation that included the importance of strong passwords, enabling two-factor authentication, using credit cards for online payments rather than debit cards, and most of all, resisting the all-too-human emotion of fight or flight.

If you see a strange link or get an odd request, he urged the audience not to click or respond immediately – don’t panic. Look at the email address, often it will not relate to the sender, and take time to examine the email. There are countless phishing schemes out there now. PayPal is one company out of thousands where there are scammers sending out fake emails pretending to be them. Jaime said he gets a fake PayPal email once a day.

Special thanks go to John Risch, NY Showroom Marketing Manager of IFDA NY Industry Partner Häfele. The furniture fittings and architectural hardware in the sleek space made for the perfect ambiance, not to mention the delicious food and drink!

There is a handout that Jaime provided for IFDA members. If you would like it, email sarah@sarahpfletcher.com.

Presenter Jaime Boyaca of XG Cyber explains how evolution has impacted our response to cyber threats both large and small.

The brain trust behind the event, from left to right, John Risch, Häfele; Rose Hittmeyer, IFDA NY; and Jacqy Dougherty and Jaime Boyaca of XG Cyber.

NEW ENGLAND CHAPTER

The fabulous event raised $10,000 for St.Jude Children's Research Hospital

L to R: Affy Jafari & Tricia Matta

L to R: Vineet Malik, Yolanda Cellucci & Guest

Yolanda Celluci celebrates her 90th and her newest children's book

Toby Cohen,Berklee School of Music & Coleen Van Houten, M. Steinert & Sons

L to R: Larissa Cook, John Trifone, IFDA NE President, Natasha Clark & Santa

Hosted by Wilson Weaves and sponsored by Minotti Boston, offered an enriching evening focused on the cultural influence of color and the balance of design. This engaging event allowed design professionals to connect and explore how culture shapes the way we use color and balance in our design choices.

The expert panel included Dane Austin, Vivian Robbin and Vani Sayeed, who shared their perspectives on how different cultural influences inform color choices and the spacial balance in design. Moderated by Eunice Weekesser from Crown the Cool, the conversation provided valuable insight on creating designs that resonate with diverse cultures while maintaining harmony and balance.

The evening was marked by fantastic engagement, with a lively exchange between the panelists and the audience. Attendees actively contributed to the discussion, sharing their thoughts and asking insightful questions, making for a dynamic and thought provoking experience.

PHILADELPHIA CHAPTER

L to R: Katy Retzenbach, IFDA International President & Janet Stevenson, FIFDA, IFDA International Immediate Past President, and both past IFDA Philadelphia Chapter Presidents

L to R: Ida McCausland Past President of IFDA International and IFDA Philadelphia Chapter & Paul D'Orazio

L to R; Heather Hill, IFDA Philadelphia Chapter President &

Janet Stevenson, FIFDA, Past President of IFDA International and the Philadelphia Chapter

RICHMOND CHAPTER

IFDA RVA community gathered for an unforgettable event at the Crossroads Art Center! The night was filled with inspiring conversations, stunning artwork, and the joy of meeting and getting to know the talented artists who make Richmond art scene so vibrant.

L to R: Bettina Pamplona, Mitzi van der Veer, Viviane Rockenbach

Eryn Hammond

L to R: Jenni Kirby & Diane Williams

L to R: artist Netto and Vivi Rockenbach

Coming up on February 27th - not to be missed!

VIRTUAL CHAPTER

By Judith Clark Janofsky, FIFDA

Wow, the Virtual Chapter has started 2025 with a bang. Kyra Winsky of our Philadelphia Chapter presented Designed to Disappear for us. She represents Hill Residential Systems as a specification leader serving the greater Philadelphia region. Her passion is dynamic environments and high performance residential spaces. She Is a natural educator for architects, interior designers and builders. She is the designer’s specification assistant working with home automation. In this presentation showed us all how lighting and AV systems are installed without a trace.

I would personally like to thank Kyra for this wonderful topic and CEU that intrigued and educated all who attended. Kyra will be with us later on in the year with another inspiring topic.

I am excited by the amount of turn out for these Zoom meetings so far. Our next topic will be Cyber Security. You will be notified about the date soon. All IFDA members and nonmembers are welcome to attend these valuable Zoom meetings so I can’t wait to see many of your faces in the coming events.

Kyra’s CEU and December’s Zoom meeting can be viewed on our web site ifda.com. I look forward to seeing you all soon!

EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

2025 IFDA EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS

IFDAEF Student Scholarships require a major in Interior Design or a related design/furnishings program, unless otherwise noted. Applicants need not be US citizens, but must attend School in the US. Scholarships are for undergraduate and graduate students attending U.S. institutions. Membership is not required (with the exception of the IFDA Student Member Scholarship)

All scholarships are listed below. The scholarship application forms may be found on the website at www.ifdaef.org.

SCHOLARSHIPS:

Applications accepted each year between March 1 and emailed no later than March 31st.

FBN Leaders Commemorative Scholarship — $3,000 Open To Currently Enrolled Interior Design or Related Program, Full-Time Undergraduate Students, Extra Credit For Volunteer Work/Leadership

Part-Time Student Scholarship —$1,500 Open To Currently Enrolled Interior Design or Related Program, Part-Time Students.

IFDA Student Member Scholarship —$2,000 Open To Currently Enrolled Interior Design or Related Program, Full-Time Undergraduate, IFDA Student Members

Vercille Voss IFDA Graduate Student Scholarship — $2,000 Open To Currently Enrolled Interior Design or Related Program, Full- or Part-Time Graduate Students

Ruth Clark Furniture Design Scholarship —$4,000 Open To Currently Enrolled, Full- or Part-Time Undergraduate or Graduate Students With a Course Emphasis on Furniture Design.

Tricia LeVangie Green/Sustainable Design Scholarship —$1,500 Open To Currently Enrolled Interior Design or Related Program, Full- or Part-Time Undergraduate Students

Barbara Beckmann Textile Design Scholarship — $3,000 Open To Currently Enrolled Interior Design or Related Program, Full- or Part-Time Undergraduate and Graduate Students With a Course Emphasis on Textile Design.

IFDA Philadelphia Scholarship —$2,500 Open To Currently Enrolled, Two, Three or Four Year Interior Design or Related Program Students With Course Emphasis on Furniture Design.

Window Fashion Certified Professionals Fast Track Scholarship -One Full Registration ($1,000)

Open To Currently Enrolled, Two, Three or Four Year Interior Design or Related Program Students