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IIDA NY Announces Robin Reigi as Chapter President

July 5, 2026  by Karen Parrish in Business Strategy, Industry   

Reigi, who serves as Principal at Robin Reigi Inc.—a New York-based materials consultancy—makes history as the first design materials specialist to lead the New York Chapter. She succeeds Elisabeth Mejia, who served as Chapter President for the 2025–2026 term, and will be joined by incoming President-Elect Rachel Robinson, Creative Director, Design Principal at Ted Moudis Associates.

Reigi delivers more than two decades of experience in the architecture and design industry to the role. A trusted voice in the A&D community, she has built her career on bridging the worlds of product, practice, and people. An adjunct professor of sustainable materials at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Reigi brings that same spirit of education and mentorship to her leadership.

The official appointment will take place during the Chapter’s Annual Members Meeting on Monday, July 21st, at 5:30 PM at the Gibson Showroom (1239 Broadway, 2nd Floor, New York, NY). The meeting will celebrate the transition of leadership with Mejia reflecting on the Chapter’s accomplishments over the past year, while Reigi will share her vision for the year ahead.

Before becoming President, Reigi served on the IIDA NY board for several years, most prominently as Co-Vice President of Student Development alongside Mejia. This dual commitment helped shape the steady pipeline of emerging talent the chapter is known for fostering. Her collaborative relationship with both Mejia and incoming President-Elect Robinson was, by design, an effort to ensure continuity, consistency, and momentum across multiple presidential terms.

Reigi's presidency is guided by the theme "All In", a motto she has chosen for both its personal and collective resonance. At the individual level, “All In” reflects her commitment to an engaged, hands-on approach to leadership. More broadly, it articulates a vision of meaningful inclusion: a chapter in which every member, sponsor, design firm advocate, and committee volunteer is not only represented but fully active in the life of the organization. Reigi's vision extends that sense of investment across the chapter's full constituency of nearly 700 members—one of the largest chapters in the U.S.

“Being the first industry-side person to lead this chapter is something I hold with great responsibility and genuine excitement,” said Reigi. “I’ve spent my career serving the design community, advocating for the materials and solutions that make great spaces possible. Now I have the opportunity to advocate for the community itself. ‘All In’ is a promise to every member, sponsor, student, and partner that you belong here, and that this chapter is better because of you.”

Central to Reigi’s inaugural year is the launch of a new initiative, titled “The Loupe”, which provides IIDA NY’s interconnected community direct access to the design firms that form its foundation. Named for the magnifying tool used to examine detail with precision, The Loupe is a curated, firm-based conversation series that pairs chapter sponsors with design advocacy firms around a common theme. With each event, a relevant IIDA NY committee representative engages as a featured voice, ensuring that longtime chapter contributors share the spotlight alongside major sponsors.

To distinguish The Loupe from a traditional vendor event, Reigi implemented an intentional vision. Each gathering invites emerging designers at the host firm to present a timely topic that resonates with their design work to help foster thoughtful conversation and cross-pollination between the sponsor community and the next generation of design talent. The initiative was inspired by ‘SUP, the student-development program Reigi developed four years ago that recently earned a National IIDA Chapter award.

The Loupe events are already scheduled across the 2026–2027 program year, with confirmed stops at leading New York City-based firms including Corgan, Mancini Duffy, Perkins&Will, Ted Moudis Associates, The Swiitzer Group, and TPG Architecture.

To register for the Chapter’s Annual Members Meeting, visit the event page here. Admission is free.