The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) has announced the 2020 inductees to its College of Fellows. The Society’s ultimate accolades, Fellowship and Honorary Fellowship are granted to ASID members who have made distinguished contributions to their profession, engaged with the local and national ASID communities and made notable impact on the design industry at large. This year’s Fellows are set to be honored Sunday, March 29 at a luncheon together with ASID’s Ones to Watch at The WELL Conference. The 2020 College of Fellows inductees are: Dr. Rose Mary Botti-Salitsky, Ph.D., ASID, NCIDQ (program coordinator and faculty, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth), Benjamin Huntington, ASID, NCIDQ, NYS CID, (owner, Veritate Design LLC) and AJ Paron-Wildes, Allied ASID, WELL AP, LEED AP ID+C (national director, Design Public Group).
“Fellowship is the highest achievement by ASID awarded to those in the design community who’ve shown consistent and selfless contributions to the profession,” explains Patrick Schmidt, FASID, chair, ASID College of Fellows. “Education, wellness design and legislation are hallmarks of the Society, and these designers and educators excel in each category. We look forward to their contributions in the future, especially becoming mentors to our aspiring designers.”
Fellowship or Honorary Fellowship is granted to less than one percent of all ASID members, acknowledging those who have demonstrated distinction by fulfilling the criteria established by the College of Fellows, including achievements in: excellence and leadership through an exemplary body of interior design work; advancing the profession of interior design as an educator, trainer, and/or design business knowledge leader; or improving living, working, and environmental standards through advocacy of interior design or work in interior design. Nominees must have been ASID members for at least 10 consecutive years, embody the highest level of ethical conduct and professionalism and exhibit consistent and demonstrative leadership. Honorary Fellowship may be granted to individuals who are not interior designers by profession but have shown distinction in fulfilling the criteria established by the ASID College of Fellows.
The 2020 Fellowship recipients are:
Dr. Rose Mary Botti-Salitsky, Ph.D., ASID, NCIDQ | Fellow
Program Coordinator and Faculty: University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Dr. Rose Mary Botti-Salitsky has worked in the interior design field for more than 30 years as an academic, design professional, author and advocate. She was at the forefront of the effort to recognize interior design as a profession in Massachusetts and across the country advocating that interior designers should be registered alongside their architectural and engineering brethren. Rose Mary served as the president of the Massachusetts Interior Design Coalition (MIDC) from 2005-2010, its director of legislative affairs from 2011-2015 and currently the director of government affairs ASID NE. In 2018, she was one of eight subject matter experts representing the U.S. and Canada that updated the definition of Interior Design for NCIDQ. She is the author of Programming & Research: Skills and Techniques for Interior
Design. Rose Mary was a tenured professor and department chair for the Interior Architecture + Design programs at Mount Ida College from 1991 to its closure in 2018. After the college’s abrupt closure, she worked to relocate the students and faculty to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Launching the only CIDA and ANSAD accredited public program in New England. Rose Mary has spent her career expanding opportunities to underrepresented individuals by promoting an affordable and accessible education that will contribute to expanding the diversity in the design profession.
Benjamin Huntington, ASID, NCIDQ, NYS CID | Fellow
Owner, Veritate Design LLC
For 40 years, Benjamin Huntington has worked on a wide variety of design projects, including Hamptons houses, ski chateaus, brownstones, Manhattan apartments, offices, an art gallery and several U.S. and international spaces. After nine years with a London-based architectural firm, Benjamin moved to New York, founded his design studio and joined ASID. In 2002, Benjamin passed the NCIDQ and became a New York State Certified interior designer, as well as a professional member of ASID. Benjamin has also trained with some of the great Western Feng Shui masters and has achieved Feng Shui Master status. Benjamin has served as an ASID NY Metro Chapter board member and president and is currently the ASID NY Metro Chapter president-elect.
In addition to his dedication and service to his local and national ASID community, Benjamin has long sought to advocate for the design profession at large. He served as President for the Interior Designers for Legislation in New York (IDLNY), where he oversaw the development of legislative initiatives allied with the ASID NY Metro Chapter and attended advocacy meetings with state legislators and other government bodies. Benjamin currently serves as IDLNY’s Education Director, ensuring collaboration among all local design organizations and associations. He also worked on the CIDQ Ambassadors Task Force as a co-chair to work locally and in the state capital to support design students’ legislative efforts. In 2018, Benjamin received the ASID National Medalist Award.
AJ Paron-Wildes, Allied ASID, WELL AP, LEED AP ID+C | Honorary Fellow
National Director, Design Public Group
AJ Paron-Wildes has acquired significant experience working in the design/build industry. She has created and led a multi-million dollar award-winning design/build firm, developed national programs for ASID, developed and funded design research programs for the University of Minnesota and pioneered various charitable programs. She, and her work, are featured in many television segments on HGTV, PBS and Bob Vila. AJ helps clients look to the future when designing their spaces and facilities. She specializes in design implementation and collaboration, environmental initiatives/LEED, WELL certification and change management. AJ has also been a design consultant for interiors in healthcare and education, specifically dealing with autism. From school settings and therapy environments to her most noted work on the building for the MIND Institute in Sacramento, California, AJ has used her skills as a designer and blended them with her experience of raising a son with autism. More than 30 publications have published her projects or articles, including Forbes and Harvard Business Review. She has served as a design judge for several design professional organizations. These efforts have not gone overlooked, as AJ has been honored with accolades from numerous organizations like NKBA, NARI, Chrysalis Awards, Professional Remodeler Magazine, Remodeling Magazine, USGBC and ASID. Professionally, AJ is serving the design industry as the national director for Design Public Group, a technology contract furnishings platform.
About ASID
The American Society of Interior Designers believes that design transforms lives. ASID serves the full range of the interior design profession and practice through the Society’s programs, networks, and advocacy. We thrive on the strength of cross-functional and interdisciplinary relationships among designers of all specialties, including workplace, healthcare, retail and hospitality, education, institutional, and residential. We lead interior designers in shared conversations around topics that matter: from evidence-based and human-centric design to social responsibility, well-being, and sustainability. We showcase the impact of design on the human experience and the value interior designers provide.
ASID was founded over 40 years ago when two organizations became one, but its legacy dates back to the early 1930s. As we celebrate nearly 85 years of industry leadership, we are leading the future of interior design, continuing to integrate the advantages of local connections with national reach, of small firms with big, and of the places we live with the places we work, play, and heal. Learn more at asid.org.
See ASID’s 2019 College of Fellows inductees
