2023 LOUISVILLE LEXINGTON INTERIOR DESIGN AWARDS

Sheila Flener

Sheila has been an active IIDA member, outstanding educator, and supportive faculty member at WKU for nearly two decades. Despite the distance from BG to most IIDA Lou/Lex events, she makes it more often than not, and more importantly she also manages to get her students involved, making their networking opportunities a priority in her curriculum. She is a great representation of what an IIDA membership should be about, not only for herself, but for future designers as well.   

Mary Lee O’Bryan

Mary Lee has been a member of IIDA since 1997 and has been dedicated to various committees and events. She has had many titles while serving the LouLex City Center, is admired by many within our community, and has contributed significantly to the success IIDA. Some of those titles have included VP of Membership, VP of Professional Development, VP of Public Relations, and, in recent years, has served on the Zero Landfill and Product Runway, and Holiday committees and has served as the CEU coordinator. Outside of her involvement with IIDA, she has served the representative for the Cabbage Patch Settlement, which showcases a commitment to community involvement and social responsibility.

Lastly, she continues to be a part of our Thrive Leadership Round Table which is a valuable experience for personal and professional growth.  It is evident that her involvement in various committees and events has been extensive and diverse. Her dedication to the organization and the people she has met along the way is commendable. When I think of IIDA and a Senior leader in our community, I cannot think of anyone else but Mary Lee O’Bryan, who might just be one of the sweetest human beings alive.

Ann Swope

This award is granted for efforts to embrace the power of community, belonging, of design, and to be a part of something larger with IIDA.

As a City Center, we feel that we have a changemaker among us. A voice that has impacted the design world around us, the power of place, and our design community at large.

Joseph Cox

Joseph Cox exemplifies passionate involvement, leadership, and advocacy as it relates to design education and the profession. Joseph began the Interior Design program in the School of Interiors at the University of Kentucky during the pandemic, which was not without challenges, but Joseph frames this experience and situation as a reason to capitalize on every opportunity and experience possible. During his tenure he has exhibited strong design skills and an aptitude for creative problem solving. For his accomplishments in these endeavors, he was selected as a Gaine’s Scholar, which is a significant academic honor at the University of Kentucky. As one form of leadership and mentorship, he has shared these collective experiences while serving as a counselor for the UK College of Design summer camp and also as an ambassador for the College of Design.

As a future interior design professional, Joseph has been involved in the Interior Design Student Organization (IDSA) throughout his four years in the program, first as a member, then as Vice President, and currently as the President. In these roles he has planned and implemented programming to help UK Interiors students network with various professionals, but he also uses these platforms to expand the perception of interior design and what interior designers can do. Beyond external engagement, Joseph values inclusivity and community amongst students in the School of Interiors. 

These scholastic and professional accomplishments provide ample reason for awarding Joseph as Outstanding IIDA Member, however, it is his personality and demeanor which set him even further apart. Joseph is kind, gracious, helpful, and humble and he treats all people with respect. He approaches everything with a smile, and he has an infectious positive persona. Simply put, he is an amazing human and to say that these collective traits and talents will make him a positive force in the -industry is an understatement.