Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Names Three as Home Furnishings Fellows
March 23,
2026 by Karen Parrish in Business Strategy, Industry 
Three participants in the fifth annual Home Furnishings Leadership Institute were named a Home Furnishings Fellow by High Point University at the conclusion of its Executive Education program held in collaboration with the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame.
Participating in this year’s Institute were 23 emerging leaders, selected from a nominated pool of candidates nationwide and across a wide range of roles within the home furnishings industry. A total of 13 Fellows have completed 120 hours of work focused on leadership through in-depth keynote interviews with industry leaders, faculty lectures and a team presentation before a panel of judges.
The 2026 Fellows are Josh Fenner, director of Sealy Brand, Tempur Sealy International, Inc.; David Lee, vice president of business development, Crestview Collection; and Scott Kahan, director of product, Regal Fabrics. Each was honored at the conclusion of the Institute with a crystal brick, a framed Fellows certificate, and a digital badge displayed on their LinkedIn profile.
Launched in 2022, the mission of the Leadership Institute is to accelerate the growth of leadership in the home furnishings industry. “The peer learning approach is based on shared information and insights that create a lifelong network of hard-charging emerging leaders as they move forward in their careers,” says Daniel Hall, Ph.D., and Dean of the Earl N. Phillips School of Business at High Point University. “This year’s class explored the elements of execution and the challenges involved in executing the plans of a leader.”
“One of the Hall of Fame’s key goals is to inspire the next generation of innovative leaders and to create lifelong relationships,” said Karen McNeill, CEO of the Hall of Fame. “In five years, 75 emerging leaders have represented 47 companies. Of those, 38% are women. In addition, we also are attracting new talent to the industry through Executive Career Fair sessions with students who are expressing increasing interest in pursuing careers in our industry. It’s a win-win for students, participants and the industry.”
Home Furnishings Institute participants were: Jonathan Adkins, vice president of operations, Johnson City Bedding; Jacob Bagley, sales director, Leggett & Platt; Branden Barrett, retail, La-Z-Boy, Incorporated; Ali Bowen, marketing, Tempur Sealy International, Inc.; David Cartlidge, vice president of innovation, Mattress Firm; Amy Gillam, design director, Glen Raven; Maggie Henning, marketing, Liberty Furniture Industries, Inc.; Aliena Klaus-Squire, vice president of merchandising and brand operations, Sunset West; Patrick Lanier, vice president of sales and marketing, Liberty Furniture Industries, Inc.; Kevin Malkewicz, senior vice president of leasing – home furnishings, ANDMORE; Anna McGaha, vice president of marketing, American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame; Julie Messner, senior vice president of furniture leasing and home décor, ANDMORE; Christina Morrison, director of marketing, KUKA; David Niedzielski, director of furniture and outdoor, Nationwide Marketing; Iman Shrock, president, GigaCloud Technology; John Schultz, director of e-commerce, Levin Furniture; Jordan Smith, sales manager/design, Paragon; Catherine Xiang, chief executive officer, Catherine Home; Steven Yang, co-founder and CEO, Solvea; and Meredith Wylie, senior designer, Crestview Collection.
Each year the subject matter of the Institute is fresh and relevant to the times. Extensive keynote interviews with four distinguished industry leaders generate interactive discussions as participants discuss viable solutions to challenge questions. This year’s interviews were with Mohamed Amini, president of Lacquer Craft and executive director of Samson Holding Limited; John Bray, 2016 Hall of Fame Inductee and chairman of Vanguard Furniture; Jeff Child, 2025 Hall of Fame Inductee and Chairman of RC Willey Home Furnishings; and Suzie Roberts, vice president, global Sunbrella business at Sunbrella, a business of the Glen Raven Material Solutions Group.
Fashioned after the prestigious Harvard Business School Seminar for the Young President’s Organization and Chief Executives Organization – attended by many leaders in the home furnishings industry – the Home Furnishings Leadership Institute is founded on the power and impact of peer learning gained through focused tutorials. The class is composed of proven leaders, innovators and achievers who aspire to greater achievement and impact within their companies, their industry and their communities.