Knowledge is power — and sharing knowledge is the way to strengthen the industry.
Each year, the NKBA taps design and remodeling pros to be its industry ambassadors through its Insiders program. For 2018, the program has more than doubled to seven individuals representing six companies.
The Insiders serve as industry ambassadors for the association, traveling around the country and around the world to events and spreading the word on good design, and promoting the association’s thought leadership and design savvy across the industry.
Here’s a snapshot of this year’s Insiders.
2019 NKBA Insiders
Richard Anuszkiewcz
Richard Anuszkiewcz is the founder of Richard A2Z and is the executive director of the Kitchen and Bath Division for Alt Breeding Schwarz Architects. Passion for design and appreciation of style are two driving forces behind this Pittsburgh native’s accomplishments. A graduate of Virginia Tech’s NKBA-accredited Residential Design program, Richard was honored to be part of the inaugural NKBA Thirty Under 30 class in 2013. His work has been featured in prestigious publications such as Interior Design Homes, Capitol File, Virginia Living and Home & Design.
Rebekah Zaveloff, CKD
Zaveloff is co-founder of KitchenLab and Rebekah Zaveloff Interiors. Rebekah’s passion for food, wine, art and design, combined with her collaborative style and her natural inclination for taking care of people create a synergy that influences her work at KitchenLab. She works closely with clients to create spaces tailored to their needs, tastes and budget, offering unique and unexpected ideas. Rebekah’s studies include University of California at Los Angeles, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Harrington Institute of Interior Design. Her design projects are frequently published in Modern Luxury, Beautiful Kitchens & Bathsand House Beautiful.
Ryan Herd
Herd has 28 years of experience in the smart-home industry which has earned him the moniker “The Smart Guy.” This renowned and award-winning author and integrator offers insight into smart home technology, the Internet of Things (IOT) and the significance of technology in the home today. Ryan is also the author of Join the Smart Home Revolution, Amazon’s #1 best-selling title on the smart-home environment.
Grace Jeffers
Artist, designer, writer and historian Grace Jeffers is a thought leader in American art, architecture and design. She challenges long-held presumptions about materials and advocates looking at things differently. Reevaluating concepts like “natural” and “artificial” or “real” and “fake,” in her lecture on “Global Forestry,” she reveals the complexity and importance of understanding timber sourcing, laws, and responsibilities to forests around the world.
Among her most important achievements is the restoration of The Ralph Sr. & Sonny Wilson House in Temple, Texas. On the National Register of Historic Places as a significant architectural structure, it was awarded National Landmark status by the Texas Historical Commission and earned the National Merit Award for Historic Preservation. She subsequently restored the USS Growler nuclear submarine at The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York.
For the past 14 years, Jeffers has been the creative force behind the award-winning Wilsonart Student Chair Competition, the longest-running sponsored student design competition in the country. A writer and commentator on design and materials, her articles have appeared in journals such as O at Home and Interiors & Sources. Metropolis Magazine awarded the competition a “Metropolis Like” at ICFF 2017.
Beth Dotolo and Carolina Gentry
Beth Dotolo and Carolina Gentry founded Pulp Design Studios in 2007, growing the company into a major brand beyond interior design. They maintain offices in Dallas and Seattle. With a forward-thinking approach to commerce and design, the duo has established a unique viewpoint that combines luxury design and a flair for the unexpected.
Today, Pulp Design Studios brings a sense of adventure to the business of design, with expertise in the realms of retail, interiors and product design.
Dotolo and Gentry are known as influencers with a keen ability to understand brands and influence consumers, and are followed by tens of thousands of people around the globe.
Elle H-Millard, CKD
Interior design expert Elle H-Millard, CKD, is a certified kitchen designer and trend forecasting consultant. She started her career pursing a Master of Fine Art degree in sculpture at the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, where understanding the relationship between positive and negative space became more than a passion. She was quickly discovered by the kitchen and bath industry, working as a restaurant designer for national brands, where her creations increased sales of design services by $5 million in a single year.
Millard was one of 11 cast to be on HGTV’s Design Star series, where she competed to host her own show, and was featured in Philadelphia MagazineElegant Wedding for her innovative use of mundane materials to create wearable art at her own wedding. Today, she presents and participates in think-tank group discussions, creates kitchen and bath concepts for product development, and manages a team of industry professionals as Industry Relations Manager at the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA).
