Letter from the President - January 2021

Hello to all of our members and the design community in Michigan –

Happy New Year! Cheers to happiness and health in 2021!

I hope this letter finds you well, that you are all happy, healthy, and staying safe. I also hope you are all able to continue being creative while working from home!

I have spent some time reflecting on this past year, as I am sure all of us have been, and while the last year was challenging to say the least, I whole heartedly believe we all were able to persevere, continue to be driven and find inspiration in new ways, and accomplish a great deal during such an unprecedented time. We have all been reminded of the small and large things in life that deserve our attention more than ever and that have revealed new priorities to how we approach everything we do, both personally, and professionally.

2021 provides new hope, inspiration, positive horizons, and a fresh start. I am extremely grateful to be part of a design community that continues to support each other, inspire in new ways, and continually pivot to overcome all that we are challenged with. Our design community continues to be creative in finding new solutions in these challenging times by utilizing our ingrained problem-solving skills and driven passion for our field. I am extremely excited to see what 2021 has in store for all of us!

Kicking off the beginning of the year, we just released our 2021 Patron Package. In response to last year’s challenges with being able to hold events in person, and to show our gratitude to all of our Patrons, we are proud to announce that we are rolling over all of our 2020 Patrons into 2021 at no added cost. The Patron Package is still open to any new potential patrons, and there is also the option for existing patrons to upgrade their level by only paying the difference between the current and new level.

We would not be able to service our IIDA members and the design community without your support, contributions, and dedication to the IIDA Michigan Chapter. THANK YOU to all our IIDA Patrons!

A huge accomplishment for our chapter over the past year was releasing the reformatted and improved NCIDQ study group. The roll out of the new study group was well received and exceeded our expectations with the number of designers interested in participating in the group. The spring NCIDQ study session will be kicking off again next month.

CONGRATULATIONS to all of the new NCIDQ certification holders! An outstanding and rewarding accomplishment!

We are also continuing to work behind the scenes on our Advocacy efforts initiatives, Student Affairs efforts and COVID Task Force. Please check out our newsletter and website for current updates from our VPs.

Our 2021 event planning is also in process. We have some exciting upcoming events planned for this year and we are optimistic that we will be able to have a combination of virtual and in person CONNECT and Signature events. Our 2021 Signature events include the IIDA Annual Meeting & Golf Outing, the Scavenger Hunt, and Insight Conference. Please stayed tuned for additional information on the status of our upcoming events, task force initiatives and all of the amazing activities IIDA will be offering.

As we continue to move into the new year, I am optimistic that we will all be able to all see each other in person hopefully this summer and fall. We will continue to adapt and create new ways to bring the best value and benefits to our IIDA Members and Patrons. We are continuing to track the development of the pandemic to help inform how we move forward through the remainder of the year. We will also be reaching out periodically to our Members and Patrons to gauge comfort levels for in person events and activities with our member’s health and safety at the forefront of our minds. Please feel free to reach out to myself or any board members with any questions or concerns you may have at any point throughout the year.

We are continuing to work hard on bringing the best content, opportunities, inspirational activities, and professional development to all of our members. And hopefully we have also been able to spread a little joy along the way.

Thank you to all of our Members and Patrons! Cheers to a bright future ahead!

Take care and please be safe!

I hope to see you all soon!

All the best,

Carla Cacilhas

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