Power in Numbers: Building Your Chapter Advocacy Program (Ohio South Kentucky)

Katherine Setser teaches in the ARC+ID Department at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Her award-winning career spans nearly four decades and includes specialized concentrations in design research and forensic evaluation. Her teaching and research explore and inform the interior design profession in areas of professional recognition, statutory regulation, education and practice standards, and ethics. Ms. Setser actively engages nationally and internationally in the development of codes, standards, assessments, and accreditation for the design profession, and has been instrumental in the development of interior design legislation. She is a frequent consultant to design organizations and an extensive lecturer. Ms. Setser was awarded the 2022 Design Luminary Award (ASID) and the 2018 Louis S. Tregre Award (CIDQ) for her significant contributions to the interior design profession. In addition to her position at Miami University, Ms. Setser has held faculty appointments at University of Cincinnati, Western Kentucky University, and University of Tennessee – Knoxville.

Douglas Feldman, ASID, AIA, Green AP, CAPS, RID is the creative director and principal for Feldman Design Studio, an award-winning firm with clients throughout the United States. The firm offers interior design services for residential, commercial, corporate, K-12 educational, and municipal clientele. Douglas received an MFA in scenic design and art direction from NYU. In addition to sitting on numerous boards, Douglas served as president of IDAF (Interior Design Associations Foundation) and twice as president of the Florida South Chapter of ASID. He also served as a leader on the ASID Chapter Support Team Committee working with the Midwest ASID Chapters. Currently, Douglas is the chairperson of the ASID AxD Council's Outreach & Engagement committee and serves on the AxD Council ExCom committee. 

Creating spaces that celebrate heritage and tradition is a professional passion Dana has pursued for the past 17 years as an interior designer and project manager for community-centered healthcare, education, and public projects in over 93 cities and villages throughout Alaska. In her work, Dana ensures that the cultural identity of the people and place is honored in integrated design solutions. Her designs focus on creating optimal user experiences, considering function, sustainability, wellness, and appropriateness in Alaska’s harsh climates and remote locales. Dana’s ASID involvement began as a student. She has since served as Alaska chapter president, twice, and nationally on the Chapter Support Team. She currently serves on ASID’s standing Construction Codes and Standards Committee, is involved in the Alaska chapter’s advocacy efforts for interior design registration, fulfills administrative needs for the Alaska chapter, and volunteers as a CIDA Site Visitor.

As Vice President of Government and Public Affairs for ASID, Bryan J. Soukup, Esq., leads the Society's strategic efforts to advocate for the interior design profession from a legislative, regulatory, and policy perspective before the federal and state governments. He is the Society's sole registered federal lobbyist and chief advocate at the state and local levels. Prior to joining ASID in summer 2018, Bryan served as Director of Resilience Initiatives and as a registered federal and state lobbyist for the International Code Council (ICC).  He is a licensed attorney in the District of Columbia and in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Robin Stroebel is the CEO and Owner of InteriorLOGIC, Inc., which she founded in 1989 and is a certified Woman-Owned Business Enterprise in the state of Wisconsin. Robin has more than 35 years of experience in the planning and design of workplace environments.  Robin provides expertise in the evaluation and integration of workplace change including strategic facility planning, interior design concepts and branding, budget development, project planning, and quality assurance. The proprietary Strategic Facility Planning method developed by Robin, SFP360©, is unique to InteriorLOGIC core services and the framework of the planning process. For 11 years prior to founding InteriorLOGIC, Inc., Robin built the design, sales, and marketing brand of an office furniture dealership, representing a major office systems manufacturer. She is a proud Recipient of the 2014 Governor’s Trailblazer Award.

Emmy Knott Williams, ASID, owns Interior Solutions, a commercial interior design firm in Winston-Salem, NC, specializing in design of car dealerships, law firms, and senior living communities. In 2006, the State of North Carolina, a no-sales-tax-on-service state, began to audit interior design firms and held them accountable for sales tax on services. Emmy and fellow ASID leader Susan Carson advocated for interior designers and built the Legislature's awareness of the issue. This resulted in the passing of a favorable North Carolina law that states that “interior design services are not sales taxable”. After that experience with advocacy, Emmy has continued to serve as part of the North Carolina advocacy team pursuing another law supporting interior designers, one that offers voluntary registration for eligible interior designers and gives them stamp and seal authority on their construction drawings for the interior design portion of projects. That team is pleased to announce that the governor signed their bill into law on July 8, 2021.

Saima Seyar is the president and principal designer for Elima Designs. She holds a Bachelors of Art in Interior Design and a minor in Architecture from the University of Houston. She has been practicing in Houston since 1998, fulfilling her passion for unique and tasteful design.