The Time For Change Is Now. This powerful panel examines the role design plays in solving social justice issues as well as the lack of diversity and representation in the profession. Novità Senior Vice President Joseph Cephas hosts the panel alongside black design industry leaders: Angelita Scott, Ph.D., Maya Bird-Murphy, and Ronnie Belizaire, IIDA. The discussion examines the problems facing African Americans both in society and in the design industry, including institutional racism and discrimination, reviews changes made in recent years, and focuses on a path toward equity.
Panelists:
Angie Scott is Director and Community Concept Lead for the WELL Building Standard and WELL Equity Lead at the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). She previously served as an Assistant Professor of Interior Design believing that the built environment should be equitable for everyone regardless of race, gender, age, or ability. Her research takes a preventative approach to the interior environment focusing on the intersection of residential design, housing, and well-being; and cultural well-being and workplace environments. Scott has worked in the interior design profession as a practitioner, educator, and researcher for over 20 years.
She earned a Ph.D. in interior design with a concentration on evidence-based design from the University of Minnesota, holds a DEI Workplace Certificate from the University of South Florida, and was named an inaugural ASID Ones To Watch Award Winner and Scholar.
Ronnie Belizaire was named Vice President of JLL in September 2021. In her role as corporate real estate manager for Daimler her business acumen and design expertise helped her to guide the company’s organizational goals for its various business entities through the strategic positioning of corporate real estate assets in the Americas. Belizaire is an experienced project manager and designer with over five million square feet of architectural, interiors, and industrial projects managed and delivered during her 13-year career. She is a dedicated IIDA volunteer whose previous service includes IIDA Georgia Chapter President from 2013-2014 and IIDA Foundation Chair from 2017-2019. Professionally, Belizaire has completed projects for numerous clients including well-known Fortune 500 companies, helping them transform their organizations through the built environment.
Maya Bird-Murphy is the founder and Executive Director of Mobile Makers, an award-winning nonprofit organization bringing design and skill-building workshops to underrepresented communities. Maya believes that the design field must expand to include more people and perspectives through teaching and community engagement. She loves Chicago and hopes to make her mark by making it a more equitable place to live. Maya was recently featured in the Chicago Tribune, Dwell Magazine and was selected as an Experimental Design Lab awardee, an initiative led by Theaster Gates, Rebuild Foundation, and the Prada Group.
(Moderator) Joseph Cephas is a public relations, communications, and branding leader who has spent the better part of two decades shepherding companies to new heights. An experienced and sought-after public speaker, Cephas specializes in developing, implementing, and integrating strategic communications plans that advance brand identity while adhering to values essential to each business.
As Senior Vice President of Novita Communications, a position he began in early 2020, Cephas has been instrumental in establishing high-level growth strategies, overall firm management, securing new business, increasing access to diverse candidates, instituting and ensuring the overall structure of the company positions employees for success. Cephas previously served as the Vice President, Communications & Brand Experience for the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), where he was integral to the association’s evolution. His accomplishments include creating a digital strategy that resulted in a significant increase in membership in one year and forming advantageous relationships with various organizations and associations, such as Emerald, crucial to increasing ASID’s presence and its access to members at industry conferences.
A key figure and advocate for diversity, Cephas’ thoughtful, research and knowledge-based approach to disseminating information and advocating for change has rendered him invaluable to the industry and raised the firm’s profile.
Cephas has won two ASAE Gold Circle awards for an ASID National campaign and was a finalist in PR News’ Black Pioneer Award in 2021. As a thought leader in the design and PR industries, he currently serves on the health equity advisory board for International Well Building Institute (IWBI) and was an advisor in the creation of PR Net’s BIPOC Mentorship program, where he also served as a career development mentor to BIPOC students.
29 авг 2024
