New years are for new beginnings, and these design professionals are ringing in 2024 with career changes. Read on for BOH’s monthly roundup of arrivals and departures in design, manufacturing and media.

To the Trade
Thibaut welcomes Eileen Elliott as the new director of visual display and strategy. Elliott, who most recently served as director of visual merchandising for Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, will be in charge of developing Thibaut’s display strategies across the 75 nationwide stand-alone and multiline showrooms that carry the legacy wallcovering brand.

Italian lighting brand Lodes hired Rick Leeds as the new vice president of sales for its expanding U.S. and Canadian operations. Based in New York, Leeds brings almost 40 years of lighting industry experience at companies like Flos and Bover.

Kravet has announced leadership changes at the regional and national levels. Geyer Morford is the new vice president of regional sales for the Midwest following director and sales roles at F. Schumacher & Co. and Holly Hunt; and Kelly Von Pond joins as regional vice president of sales in the Southwest after holding the same position at Rowley Company. On the national team, Nicole Swansen joins as PR and events manager after four years at The Consultancy PR.

New Jersey–based Jamie Stern Furniture, Carpet, Leather & Fabric appointed two new representatives: Arielle Fissmer and Lindsey Godfrey. Fissmer, who joins from Holland & Sherry Interiors, is based in Seattle and will be the sales representative for the Pacific Northwest; Godfrey, previously at NexGen Lighting Solutions, is based in Fort Worth and will be the sales representative for Texas.

Retail & Manufacturing
Arteriors welcomes John Hart as its new CEO. Hart, who was most recently the CEO of Miami-based European furniture retailer Luminaire, joined the company on January 2 and will relocate to Dallas for the role. Over his 28-year career in the design industry, he was previously co-CEO of custom rug manufacturer Scott Group Studio and spent nearly two decades at Kohler, leaving as chief creative officer of the Kohler Interiors Group.

Roger Turnbow has been named president at A.R.T. Furniture, the Los Angeles company founded by two artists in 2003. Previously executive vice president at sister company Caracole Home, Turnbow has held executive industry roles at Bernhardt and Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. He replaces Doug Rozenboom, who is the new CEO and equity partner at Virginia-based Worthen Furniture, where he will lead the company amid its recent rebrand from Brass Beds of Virginia. Rozeboom brings 25 years of experience in leadership positions, most recently as president at Jonathan Charles.

North Carolina–based furniture company Tomlinson/Directional has hired Reyna Dockus as the vice president of operations. Dockus has spent her career in merchandising and product development, with roles at Norwalk Furniture, Heritage Home Group, Williams-Sonoma and Flexsteel. In this new position, she will oversee and direct operations in Tomlinson’s North Carolina manufacturing plant.

Nicole Bailey joins the North Carolina–based custom upholstered furniture company Taylor King Furniture as vice president of sales. Bailey brings experience in management roles with upholstery companies like Olivia + Quinn, Highland House, and Cabot Wrenn.

Pirch, the California-based retailer of kitchen, bathroom and outdoor appliances, welcomes Steven Crutchfield as the director for the company’s Santa Monica showroom, its eighth location. Crutchfield has a background in luxury fashion—he recently opened the new men’s store for Louis Vuitton on Rodeo Drive, and held a senior leadership position at the Saks Fifth Avenue Beverly Hills flagship.

Mantra Inspired Furniture, a commercial furniture manufacturing and design company based in Norfolk, Virginia, has hired two new sales representatives. Emily Shafer will represent northern Alabama, and Susan Trau, who joins the company from Leftbank Art, will represent Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Media & PR
Today, Galerie magazine announced the appointment of William Pittel as its new publisher and chief operating officer. Pittel previously held roles as the vice president of sales for The Hearst Design Collection, publisher of Elle Decor, and advertising director at Architectural Digest. He also represented media brands like Cabana and Palmer through his own New York consulting firm. He replaces Janice Browne, who had been with Galerie since 2016.

Sandow Design Group has appointed Caroline Murphy as the new design engagement strategist. Murphy brings five years of experience in interior design and architecture, including a stint as job captain of interior architecture at commercial real estate design firm Ware Malcomb. In her new role, she will foster professional development with the company’s early-career designers and brand partners.

Francesco Tribuzio has been promoted to vice president and head of business development at The Consultancy PR in New York. Tribuzio has been with the company for more than three years, most recently as managing director.

Design and Architecture
Oklahoma-based interior design and architecture firm Bockus Payne has promoted three team members. Chris Cleburn and Mathew Siebert, both with nearly two decades as architects at the firm, are now managing principals and will manage the company’s daily operations. Collin Fleck is the new director of design after 15 years as a project architect at the firm.

SH Residential Holdings, the U.S.-based residential home operation of Sekisui House Ltd., one of Japan’s largest homebuilders, announced the appointment of Toru Tsuji as chief executive officer in charge of the company’s U.S. portfolio. Tsuji has been with SH for four years, first as deputy head and then head of the business strategy office of its international business department. He succeeds Rick Robideau, who will be moving to the role of chief financial officer.

Amy Hau, the managing partner of New York–based architecture and design firm WXY, has been named the director of the Noguchi Museum and sculpture garden in Long Island City, New York. Hau began her career at the museum in 1986 as the assistant to sculptor Isamu Noguchi and helped lead the museum after his death in 1988. She is also on the board of the Asian American Arts Alliance and has been the vice chair of Queens Community Board 1 since 2014.

Tim Kelly has been named principal at New York– and Miami-based Peter Pennoyer Architects. Kelly has been with the firm since 2005 and established its Miami office; he will continue to run that studio as well as oversee the firm’s commercial development projects.

Chicago-based Gettys Group Companies has appointed two new CEOs: Ron Swidler as CEO and Jerry Zeitner as CEO of Ridgeline Development Partners, the firm’s hotel development branch. Swidler has been with the company for 35 years and most recently held the position of chief innovation officer; Zeitner joined the company nearly three decades ago and was most recently chief development officer of Ridgeline Development Partners.

Kate Jiranek has been named partner at New York–based residential architecture firm Daniel Frisch Architecture, and Devon Mott is now director of special projects. Both have worked for the firm as architects for about a decade.

Chappell Loudermilk and Zeke Jordan, who previously worked together as designers at New York–based design firm S.R. Gambrel, have launched their own design firm, Loudermilk Jordan. The pair bring a combined 20 years of experience working on U.S. and international residential projects.

Abigail Sierra has been hired as the new director of public relations by Interior Marketing Group, a full-service property marketing and luxury design firm in New York led by Cheryl Eisen. Sierra has more than 15 years of PR experience, most recently at Nylon Consulting and Velocitas Interactive Marketing + Public Relations.

Industry Organizations
The National Kitchen and Bath Association announced changes in its board. The Pennsylvania-based association elected Ken Williams, president and CEO of Caesarstone North America, as 2024 chairman. He has served on the board for the past year, and will be joined by new NKBA board members John Barkhouse, CEO of Cabinetworks Group, and Nicola Bertazzoni, COO of Bertazzoni in Italy and North America and the first-ever NKBA board member to be based outside of North America.

The New York Community Trust, a 100-year-old charitable foundation that facilitates fundraising for local nonprofits, elected designer Jamie Drake as the chair of its 12-member Distribution Committee. The renowned designer has served as the mayoral nominee to The Trust’s governing board since 2007.

The Interior Design Society, an industry organization based in High Point, North Carolina, has announced its 2024 board of directors: Beth Clark of B. Clark Interior Design as president, Sarah Daniele of Mydoma Studio as vice president, Joe Calise of Sights-N-Sounds as secretary/treasurer, and Ivan Pineiro of Pimell Interiors as member at large. Mikala Moller of Rowley Company remains on the board as its past president. In addition, three newly elected board members include Brad Clinard of High Point Financial Design, Kayla Martin of Blackbird Interior Design, and Gloria Staats of Peace of Mind Design.