Arnold P. Friedmann Educator of Distinction Award

Each year professional members of IDEC have the opportunity to recognize the efforts of their colleagues/peers by nominating them for two of our most distinctive awards. The AFEDA is presented to a current or former IDEC member in recognition of significant, sustained, and distinguished contributions in interior design education. Specifically, the recipient will have shown a demonstrated leadership in interior design education an impact on the profession as well as demonstrated excellence in teaching.

Candidates must be current or former IDEC members. Any IDEC member can nominate a person for the Arnold P. Friedmann Educator of Distinction Award.

Each nomination shall contain the following information:

• The Letter of Nomination (not to exceed 750 words) should address how the candidate has achieved ‘significant, sustained, and distinguished contributions’ in interior design education. The criteria are broad to allow the nominator to craft the case for the nominee.
• Support Letters: 3-5 letters of support (not to exceed 500 words each) are required. The authors of these letters should speak to the criteria and provide evidence to support their claims. Support letters must come from a variety of sources, such as current students, alumni, colleagues, peers, administrators, practitioners, etc.
• Curriculum Vitae: The Nominator is required to submit a CV of the candidate which demonstrates experience and accomplishments that are relevant to the award criteria.
• All submission documents should be uploaded as a single PDF file.

Nominations are due by December 1, 2023. Click here to submit your nomination.

The IDEC Council of Fellows (CoF) manages the review process for the award by appointing a committee with representation from past AFEDA recipients, the CoF, IDEC membership at-large, and the IDEC Board of Directors. The committee will ideally have five members, but no fewer than three. Those who receive the award will be recognized at the Awards Ceremony at the next IDEC Annual Conference.

The chair of the CoF will designate a member of the CoF who is a past winner of the AFEDA to oversee the following process. This individual will receive the nominations prior to selecting a chair for the Evaluation Committee (EC) to ensure no conflicts of interest. Ideally, the chair will also be a past AFEDA recipient. The remaining committee members will be chosen by the chair of the EC based on their qualifications to evaluate the criteria and ideally consist of the following:

• one other past recipient of the AFEDA
• a member of the Council of Fellows
• a member of IDEC
• a representative of the IDEC Board of Directors

Note: Anyone who writes a letter of support for a nominee is ineligible to serve on the Selection Committee

The past AFEDA winner supervising the process will receive applications directly from the IDEC National Office. The chair of the evaluation committee will communicate the committee’s decision to the supervisor, who will then pass it on to the Director of the Service Collaborative, the IDEC Executive Director, and the nominator with the understanding that the award decision is confidential.

• 2023 – Lisa M. Tucker, Ph.D., FIDEC, FASID, Professor and Department Head, Virginia Tech
• 2020 – Marjorie Kriebel, FIDEC, FIIDA, Professor Emerita, College of Media Arts & Design, Drexel University
• 2019 – Lisa Waxman, Ph.D., FIDEC, ASID, LEED-AP ID+C, Professor & Chair, Department of Interior Architecture & Design, Florida State University
• 2018- Allison Carll-White, Ph.D., FIIDA, FIDEC, Professor, School of the Interiors and Adjunct Professor, Department of Historic Preservation, University of Kentucky
• 2017- Anna Marshall-Baker, Ph.D., FIDEC, Professor Department Chair, Department of Interior Architecture, University of North Carolina, Greensboro
• 2015 – Denise Guerin, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, College of Design, University of Minnesota
• 2014 – Joy Dohr, Ph.D., FIDEC, Professor Emeritus, Design Studies, School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• 2013 – Dorothy Fowles, Ph.D., FIDEC, FASID, FIIDA, CID/IA, Professor Emeritus, College of Design, Department of Art and Design, Iowa State University
• 2012 – Buie Harwood, MFA, FIDEC, Hon. FASID, CID/VA, Professor Emeritus, Department of Interior Design, School of the Arts, Virginia Commonwealth University
• 2011 – Arnold Friedmann, Ph.D., FIDEC, Hon. ASID, Hon. FIIDA, and Professor Emeritus, Art Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst