EVENT OVERVIEW:
IIDA Leaders Breakfast (Leaders) is an annual international event series hosted by eight local IIDA chapters with the support of IIDA Headquarters, international benefactor MillerKnoll, and media partner Interior Design.
Leaders events celebrate design’s importance in the global marketplace by honoring the people who are both the legacy and future of design. Each event features a renowned keynote speaker who enlightens, provokes, and encourages new ideas, and a celebration recognizing one local honoree who has made significant contributions to the design industry.
Keynote Speaker:
LaToya Ruby Frazier
Award-Winning Photographer | Associate Professor of Photography - The School of The Art Institute of Chicago | MacArthur Genius
LaToya Ruby Frazier is a MacArthur “Genius” Fellow and award-winning photographer. Her work includes Flint is Family, a photo essay and book that chronicles the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, and The Notion of Family, her award-winning first book on environmental racism in her hometown. Her work is displayed in many museums globally, including The Museum of Modern Art and the Library of Congress in Washington.
Award of Excellence Honoree:
Jennifer Sobecki, Ind. IIDA
Chief Executive Officer, Designs For Dignity
Founded in 2000, Designs for Dignity provides pro bono design services to nonprofit organizations and leverages the design industry to provide preferred pricing and donated furnishings, fixtures and materials which are redeployed through impact grants. During her 23-year tenure Jennifer has overseen the growth trajectory of the organization – with the expansion of project capacity and warehousing of in-kind donations to nearly quadrupling the operating budget since its founding. Designs for Dignity has completed over 265 projects totaling 1.5 million SF of space, and deployed more than $18 million dollars in donated materials, furnishings and finishes to a variety of nonprofit organizations serving greater Chicago’s most vulnerable. The Harbour Project received a 2023 RED Award for the Philanthropy category.
Jennifer has participated in panel discussions and programs focused on Trauma Informed Design alongside project grantees. Jennifer was nominated as a notable LGBTQ executive by Crain’s Chicago in both 2019 and 2020. She was named Designer of the Year by Interiors + Sources Magazine in 2020 which also marked the organization’s 20th anniversary.
Emerging Leader Honoree:
Jill Dexter, IIDA
Associate | Interior Designer, Stantec
Jill Dexter is a Registered Interior Designer at Stantec with over 13 years of experience in corporate interiors, retail, mixed-use, and civic design. She is passionate about creating experiential spaces that connect users to their environment. Acting as a conduit for bringing the client’s vision to life, Jill appreciates a holistic approach to a project and enjoys participating in projects from concept through construction administration.
Jill knows that design is compelling, so she has spent many years volunteering with the IIDA Illinois Board, most recently serving as 2022-2023 Board President and currently sits as the Immediate Past President to the board. She is an advocate for introducing design to students at a young age and recently participated as a reviewer for the 2023 class of IIDA’s Design Your World in Chicago. In addition, she has been tapped by IIDA HQ to join the Advocacy Advisory Council and is excited about serving in this role over the next two years. At work, Jill was invited to participate in Stantec’s Healthy Materials Council and gladly accepted the opportunity, most recently writing a grant for internal R&D that was awarded financing, continuing advocacy for healthier practices for clients, end-users, practitioners, and the planet.
For Questions, please contact Emilee Lyons, Leaders Breakfast Manager at elyons@iida.org.
WHEN
Friday, December 8
7-10 a.m.
WHERE
Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel
221 N Columbus Dr
Chicago, IL 60601
TICKETS
RISE AND SHINE | $6,500 (1) AVAILABLE
Full Table for 10 at Event
Opportunity to welcome guests with a mimosa toast at the start of the program
Company Logo on Event Materials, Website, and on-Screen Presentation at Event
FULL TABLE | $3,250
Table of 10 at Event
Premium Table Placement at Event
HALF TABLE | $1,500
Seating for 5 at a Table at the Event
Strategic Table Placement with Other Half Table Groups
INDIVIDUAL MEMBER TICKET | $250
Individual Ticket Access to the Event
Seating at Table with Other IIDA Members, Industry Peers, and Colleagues
INDIVIDUAL NON-MEMBER TICKET | $350
Individual Non-member Ticket Access to the Event
Seating at Tables with IIDA Members, Industry Peers, and Colleagues
EVENT PROGRAM:
7:00AM: Coffee Reception and Networking
8:00AM: Sit Down Breakfast, Opening Remarks
8:30AM: Leadership Award of Excellence Presentation and Emerging Leader Presentation
9:00AM: Keynote Presentation
9:45AM: Q&A with IIDA Executive Vice President and CEO, Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA, LEED AP
10:00AM: IIDA Closing Remarks, Event Concludes