Stephanie Fanger, Workplace Strategist, Goodmans Interior Structures
President Elect: IIDA Southwest Chapter
Years in interior design: 4
Years in IIDA Southwest: 8 (4 as student; 4 as professional member)
Q: Why did you get involved with IIDA?
A: I got involved with IIDA during my freshman year of college at Arizona State University because I wanted to understand my major more, and meet interior design students who were upperclassmen. I have stayed an IIDA member because I enjoy the people in the organization.
Q: How important to the success of your business is your involvement with IIDA?
A: My company supports involvement with IIDA, as Goodmans Interior Structures is a very community-focused business. Being an IIDA member allows me to meet other Workplace Strategists in Phoenix, creating opportunities to share lessons learned and real life experiences.
Q: What activities do you enjoy most as an IIDA member?
A: I, like most our membership, thoroughly enjoy Couture. It is fun to see the teams create costumes which get more and more outrageous every year. One of my favorite previous events was Petutopia, which focused on creating animal shelters/ habitats which were auctioned off. The money went to a pet charity and animals were able to be adopted directly from our event.
Q: Was there an “aha moment” when you realized being in IIDA was invaluable?
A: I realized how invaluable being an IIDA member was last summer when I went with Casey (Potash) to our CLC (Chapter Leadership Council) conference in Chicago. At the two-day conference, I learned best practices from chapter representatives from all over the world. This influx of information allowed Casey and I to promote change within our own chapter.
