The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) proudly announces Amy Campos, IIDA, as the recipient of its 2nd Annual IIDA Educator of the Year Award. The award was created to honor a full-time educator’s exceptional accomplishments and commitment to Interior Design. Campos will receive a $10,000 cash prize, sponsored by Milliken, as well as a complimentary 2014 IIDA Membership, and be celebrated at the Annual Meeting to be held June 9, 2013, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.
“Amy Campos, through her dedication to Interior Design and her commitment to its most current and relevant instruction, defines what it means to be a design professor,” IIDA Executive Vice President and CEO Cheryl Durst, Hon. FIIDA, LEED AP, said. “The scope of her activities on behalf of Design and on behalf of her community illustrate that she not only teaches, but at every level lives her role as a design professional with the best interests of her community very much at heart. The passion with which she pursues her goals, sharing her knowledge and experience with her students and everyone around her make us exceptionally proud to recognize her as Educator of the Year for 2013.”
Last year’s Educator of the Year, Liset Robinson, IIDA, of SCAD-Atlanta, and one of the judges for this year’s award, agreed. “The first thing that came to mind when I reviewed Amy Campos' submittal was ‘rock star,’” she said. “She exemplifies the forward thinking that we look for among Interior Design educators today, and her mentorship of students has served as a pivotal point in their lives. Her approach is relevant, mixing social stewardship with sustainability, in lecture and studio courses, to provide an interdisciplinary and global viewpoint that we can all learn from.”
Other judges for the award were likewise impressed with Amy’s contribution. “As sponsor of the 2013 IIDA Educator of the Year award, Milliken congratulates Amy Campos of California College of the Arts,” Barbara Haaksma, Industry IIDA, of Milliken, said. “We applaud her service to the students and the profession, evidenced by her strong leadership and progressive approach to Interior Design education.” Cary Johnson, FIIDA, of Gensler, added: “It is reassuring that there are such knowledgeable, dedicated and passionate educators dedicated to preparing our Interior Design students for our rigorous, creative practice.”
Amy has maintained a thoroughly active career, seamlessly intertwining her design accomplishments with her role as an educator and supporter of the community. Her body of work displays a rigorous focus on evolving environmental and sustainable concerns, in her field of instruction, her research and in her exhibitions. In addition to her position as owner and principal of her ACA firm in San Francisco, Amy serves as Assistant Professor at California College of the Arts, where she teaches and develops new courses in the Undergraduate Interior Design Program. Her abundant achievements in Design include a number of exhibitions, numerous grant awards from CCA and elsewhere, as well as publication in various prestigious journals, including The International Journal of Interior Architecture + Space Design; Forward; and Architecture Australia. She has been a regular Architecture Division Faculty Mentor for ENGAGE, a community outreach/service-learning initiative, and a consistent and reliable Educational Leader to aspiring design students.
