The Educational Foundation of IFDA Announces 2025 Grant Winners

August 18, 2025  by Karen Parrish in Business Strategy, Industry   

“We are honored to present the grants for a diverse array of projects,” said Karen Dzendolet, Chairman of the Board of the Educational Foundation of IFDA.  “The grant winners’ skills and initiative in undertaking new challenges are impressive and each exemplified the goals of the award they were granted, whether universal design, historic preservation, the advancement of interior design programs or professional development through research initiatives and expanding horizons.”  Earline Feldman, FIFDA, Director of Scholarships and Grants, echoed the sentiment. “Though the judges were challenged in selecting winners, each one was very deserving of the award.”

IFDA Educational Foundation Grants are offered to all professionals working in the interior design or furnishings related fields, but not to undergraduate students. Winners were notified earlier in the month. For more information, visit: ifdaef.org.

Irma Dobkin Universal Design Grant ($2,000) 

Hessam Ghamari, Ph.D., Associate Professor, California State University Northridge currently serves as a U.S. Fulbright Research and Educator Scholar, a role that has allowed him to further integrate Universal Design (UD) principles into teaching, research and applied learning environments.  Dr. Ghamari has conducted research and published scholarly work on Universal Design, with a focus on how it influences user experience, environmental psychology and health outcomes.

The Irma Dobkin Universal Design Grant will support the development of an immersive educational tool that allows students and professionals to experience everyday spaces through the lens of people with different physical, cognitive and sensory needs. This virtual reality (VR) simulation will highlight common spatial barriers and offer contrasting environments that implement Universal Design strategies.  “This grant represents an opportunity to translate years of research, teaching and advocacy into a meaningful resource that elevates Universal Design as a standard of excellence,” said Dr. Ghamari.

Ina Mae Kaplan Historic Preservation Grant ($2,000) 

Cyndi Parker, Interior Designer and Assistant Professor at Mississippi State University, has more than 20 years of professional experience in Interior Design and a master’s degree in Historic Preservation.  As an educator, she teaches Interior Design Studio courses and will lead the university’s Intro to Historic Preservation course. With the support of the Ina Mae Kaplan Grant, she will travel to George Washington’s Mount Vernon to study preservation work during a major restoration effort.  This experience will enhance her teaching and research, allowing her to bring firsthand knowledge of historic materials and methods into the classroom and the field of preservation.

Elizabeth Brown Grant to Interior Design Programs — $2,500

Rosa Otero, Ph.D., and trained as well as an architect is Professor of Design and current Director of the Design and Visual and Performing Arts programs at Salem College in Winston-Salem, N.C.  She is also the designer and curator of the Salem College SIDE Chair Library, a one-of-a-kind facility that provides access to 20th-century furniture icons. Before Salem, she helped establish the interior design program at Forsyth Technical Community College, also in Winston-Salem, and became the first coordinator of the program. Additionally, she has taught interior design, as an adjunct, at High Point University.

Prior to her teaching and professional experience in North Carolina, Dr. Otero was the program coordinator for the Architectural Technology Program at Essex County College in Newark, N.J.  She also worked at the architectural firm, Hillier, in Princeton and Newark. Dr. Otero believes that architecture and design possess a major social role by having the potential to enrich people’s lives; and, that it is the architect’s responsibility to perform that role.

Tony Torrice Professional Development Grant ($1,500) 

Hugo Nakashima-Brown, a furniture maker and educator based at RISD in Providence, R.I., received the Tony Torrice Grant to research Ming dynasty joinery and its applications in sustainable contemporary design. His project adapts centuries-old, glue-free joints for digital fabrication and flat-pack workflows, emphasizing repairability, durability and cultural legacy.  Nakashima-Brown is developing a teaching archive – including CNC toolpaths, physical samples and instructional materials – to share this construction logic with students designing for fast-paced industries like packaging and modular interiors, expanding the canon of design education while re-centering longevity as a core tenet of sustainability.

Valerie Moran Memorial Grant — up to $3,000 
Heather Hill of Hill Drapery & Design in Phoenixville, Pa., and member of the IFDA Philadelphia Chapter, won this grant for those IFDA professional members interested in expanding their horizons through travel, trade shows and professional development studies.  Hill is using the funds to attend the Custom Workroom Conference in Kingsport, Tenn.  She has more than 25 years’ experience in the world of interior design and obtained an Interior Design Certificate from Philadelphia Textiles and Sciences, subsequently dedicating herself to becoming an expert in window fashions, with several awards to her name.  Her approach to design is collaborative, drawing on the unique talents of those she works with, and bringing a deep understanding of fabric behavior and window treatment styling to every project.

Each year, the Educational Foundation encourages IFDA chapters to apply for five $1000 grants available for IFDA chapters to support their marketing and event programming.  For the fourth year in a row, EF is a sponsor of the Future Designers Summit at Bienenstock Furniture Library in High Point, N.C. from September 24 to 26, 2025, providing tuition for five students to attend the summit.