It is my privilege to become the new leader of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) as we enter into our third year. We have grown immeasurably during this period. It is important to acknowledge IIDA's brief history and the remarkable efforts of the first two executive teams and boards of directors. They have built an outstanding foundation and infrastructure, giving countless hours away from their homes, families and businesses to bring the association to the stable and successful position of today. Membership has increased 46 percent since our inception and revenue is up a remarkable 76 percent!

Our job now is to look to the future -- the future of our association and its role in creating the future of our profession. Interior designers have unique skills that position us as leaders of the building design professions. We must have the self-confidence to envision ourselves as integrators and facilitators of teams of traditional design professionals joined by nontraditional experts from anthropologists to behavioral psychologists to business strategists. Interior designers have the interpersonal, technical and problem-solving expertise to bring these resources together to redefine the very nature of design. We are all stake holders in this future. IIDA is there to both lead and support us in realizing this vision.

We must find our own path both as a profession and an association, shaping the very nature of our profession's future. IIDA's plan for the future revolves around leadership, development of resources to support the professional interior designer, and development of a strategic plan for growth.

• Planning for Leadership
  Our future depends on effective leadership. We realize that it is essential to establish a succession plan to assure that we bring our best leaders forward as leaders of IIDA. We have established a strong partnership between volunteer members and professional staff, understanding the value of professional management and leadership in IIDA.

   

• Planning for Growth
  We will continue to build alliances with peer associations and industry looking for opportunities to partner on issues of mutual interest. These alliances effectively utilize industry resources in support of the profession. We are looking for opportunities to partner where we have common causes such as licensing, continuing education and research. Programs initiated to date are the Design Coalition for Professional Development and Interior Design Archives. These are important programs developed in partnership with industry and allied associations.

  We are currently developing a special program with Steelcase preliminarily titled Congress on Design Futures. The congress will bring together leaders from various industries to identify key issues facing the future of the building design professions. You will see more about this important program as it is developed through the fall. The first congress is scheduled in the spring of 1997.

   

• Planning for Action
  The future of our association and profession is very promising. To realize our potential we must demonstrate confidence in the value of interior design, commit to an agile association structure that embraces change and responds to the needs of the profession. Interior design is a relatively new building design discipline and IIDA is a new organization. We have the opportunity to blend the best of our past while creating a new future. It is the act of creation and the opportunity to lead that makes IIDA a vital organization. We welcome your involvement, to help IIDA create a future for the profession of interior design.

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