SPEAKERS

An exceptional communicator, innovator, and visionary leader, Cheryl S. Durst has spurred progress, driven change, and encouraged the expansion of the interior design industry.  With 15,000 members across 58 countries, Cheryl oversees the strategic direction of IIDA, setting an agenda that leads the industry in creating community, advancing advocacy, and continuing decades of work toward equity. Cheryl is a member of the International WELL Building Institute Governance Council; as well as a Trustee for Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art and the NYSID.

Dr. Abraham investigates the psychological and neurophysiological mechanisms underlying creativity and other aspects of the human imagination, including the reality-fiction distinction, mental time travel, social and self-referential cognition, aesthetic experience, and mental state reasoning. Her educational and professional training has been within the disciplines of psychology and neuroscience, and she has worked across a diverse range of academic departments and institutions the world over, all of which have informed her cross-cultural and multidisciplinary focus.

Dr. Chapin is an expert on the inter-relationship between the built environment and its occupants. This relationship is deeply based on environmental psychology, neural/sensory processing, and societal or cultural influences, the three pillars of neuroarchitecture. Dr. Chapin’s research on generating wellness through supportive design for aging and bariatric clients has been featured in magazines, academic journals, and numerous conferences. Dr. Chapin is known for her ability to simplify the complex and explain systems thinking, or as she likes to say, connecting the dots.

Georges Fares is an award-winning scholar and an Assistant Professor of Interior Design in the Department of Consumer and Design Sciences at Auburn University. With a career spanning over nine years designing and implementing private and public design projects in various countries across the Levant, Europe, the Gulf region, and North America along with four years as an instructor at Kansas State University. Throughout his journey, Professor Fares has been driven by a profound purpose: to use design as a means of aiding individuals with physical and mental challenges. 

Erin Greer is a Principal, Strategy & Workplace Leader in Gensler’s Atlanta office. With more than 20 years of experience as a designer and strategist, she has shaped transformative environments for organizations across the workplace, media, master planning, and innovation sectors. Erin specializes in guiding creative and technology-focused clients through complex challenges—helping teams reimagine how space, culture, and business goals intersect.. Known for her ability to translate purpose into place, she partners closely with leaders to unlock new ways of working and build experiences that drive clarity, connection, and performance.

Roby Isaac, Ind. IIDA, Design Insights Leader at Mannington Commercial, has been a leader in setting the standards for commercial flooring design for over 20 years. He leads a team of talented product designers with a singular call to action: “to explore and experience,” as they create product designs that span six different flooring categories. His collaborative partnerships with renowned creatives, such as Larry Bell and Gabriel Dawe, have led to unique carpet collections that showcase artistic vision. In addition to his design achievements, Roby is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of designers and actively contributes to IIDA’s Design Your World program, promoting diversity and educational opportunities in the design industry.

Shane Totten, Vice President of Sustainability at Mannington Commercial, is a leader in the field of regenerative systems. He has more than 30 years of experience in architecture, sustainable design, urban planning, interior design, and historic preservation. By adhering to regenerative principles, he believes every problem can be solved with the best interests of people and planet as the foundation. A former professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Shane is also a licensed architect and member of the American Institute of Architects.

Devin is a product-focused business and creative strategy leader with more than 20 years of experience designing for human-centered experiences across architecture, real estate, and technology. A Midwest native and graduate of the University of Kansas School of Architecture, he began his career in New York working in retail and residential architecture before moving in-house at Brooklyn Industries. In 2010, he became the fifth employee at WeWork and its first in-house architect. After relocating to Atlanta in 2020, Devin served as VP and Head of Design at Getaway, overseeing development standards and the production of more than 450 tiny cabins annually. He now serves as Design & Development Director at the MicroLife Institute.

As a leader and project manager in the Education Studio in Atlanta, Carissa brings vast experience in international and domestic architectural design and leadership with a focus on higher education. She is passionate about transforming underserved communities through the built environment and prioritizes Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (JEDI) at the core of her approach to design and planning. She leads projects of all types with complex programs, schedules, and delivery methods for academic, civic, mixed-use, and master plan projects.