Who will be honored in the class of ’22? Submit your picks for the industry luminaries who’ve made an extraordinary difference in the K&B universe by Sept. 30.

By Dianne M. Pogoda

The  Kitchen & Bath Hall of Fame recognizes individuals whose outstanding accomplishments and contributions have impacted the kitchen and bath industry, through design, invention, innovation, education or service, and across all specialties and disciplines. Nominations are open for remarkable individuals to be considered for induction into the Class of 2022.

Honorees will be recognized and celebrated for their significant and enduring contributions to the industry at KBIS 2022, Feb. 7 in Orlando, at the Design Competition + Industry Awards. The deadline to enter is 5:00 pm ET, Sept. 30, 2021.

The NKBA created the Hall of Fame in 1989, and over the last three decades has inducted more than 90 individuals. In 2020, Kathleen Parrott, Ph.D., CKE, became the most recent Hall of Fame inductee. A longtime educator at Virginia Tech, Parrott is a founding faculty member of VT’s Center for Real Life Design. She was also instrumental in creating the NKBA Professional Resource Library.

Read more about Parrott’s induction here.

A number of Hall of Famers have been honored for their contributions to educating the industry. Among them are:

  • Ann Morris, CMKBD, CAPS, CfYH, was a longtime instructor and supporter of the NKBA. Her design career began in the 1970s in New York and, like that era, was punctuated by a passion for color. She appeared on HGTV and her work was featured in national publications including House Beautiful, The New York Times, Better Homes and Gardens and Inspired House. At Parsons School of Design in Manhattan, she taught an advanced-level interior design class from 1988 through 1992. She earned her Certified Master Kitchen & Bath Designer accreditation from the NKBA, as well as Certified Aging in Place Specialist and Color for Your Home designations. Morris presented NKBA webinars and courses from 2007 to 2017, was a chapter officer for both the NKBA Manhattan and South Florida Chapters and was inducted to the NKBA Ambassador’s Club in 2007. Inducted in 2019.
  • David H. Newton, CMKBD, started his K&B career in 1970, managing a building products distributor. In 1986, he became the director of training for NKBA, teaching the three-day Kitchen Specialist Training School and teaching the Bath Design course. He left the NKBA in 1989 to begin David Newton and Associates, but continued to teach and develop NKBA training programs. Newton was one of the first trainers in the kitchen and bath industry to incorporate PowerPoint-style presentations and also introduced Kitchen and Bath CAD training into his design courses. He was instrumental in developing many of NKBA’s programs and webinars and co-authored Kitchen and Bath Drawing, part of the NKBA Professional Resource Library. Inducted in 2008.
  • Dr. Phyllis Markussen, CKD, CKE, CBE, became the first Certified Kitchen & Bath Educator (CKE, CBE) in 1995. She was a key player in the growth and success of the NKBA Endorsed College Program at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Her passion for the industry, enthusiasm for teaching and involvement with the NKBA exposed countless students to K&B opportunities nationwide. A number of her graduating students achieved local or national leadership positions with the NKBA. Inducted in 2004.
  • Joseph Boarman, CKD, started his own kitchen business in 1952 and in 1976, he began The Boarman School of Kitchen & Bath Specialists, conducting design and sales seminars throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. He later developed video programs on sales motivation and perspective drawing. Boarman served as an adjunct professor of kitchen design at Indiana University and Purdue University in Indianapolis. Inducted in 2001.
  • Ellen M. Cheever, CKD, CBD, ASID. In addition to her successful design career, Cheever authored textbooks and courses used by the NKBA to train industry professionals. Under her leadership, important research into kitchen/bathroom planning was conducted, and the industry’s technical manuals were created and/or revised. Cheever has shared her many successes and broad-based knowledge with designers the world over. In 2018, she donated her life’s work — “The Ellen Cheever Kitchen and Bath Design Collection, 1971-2018” — to Virginia Tech’s Apparel, Housing and Resource Management Department, where it is housed in the school’s Center for Real life Design. Inducted in 1992

Look for more featured Hall of Famers all month, visit the Hall online, and nominate an outstanding individual for this honor by Sept. 30. For guidelines, click here.