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Comings & Goings | Aug 13, 2014 |
Comings & Goings: Design professionals on the move
By Staff

The design industry is ever-evolving with new and changing faces in manufacturing and retail, marketing and publishing, interior design and architecture, industry organizations and museums and galleries. Editor at Large is keeping tabs on who’s coming and going in this monthly column.

Marketing/Media

Arlyn Hernandez, former Managing Editor for Luxe Interiors + Design, has been promoted to Executive Editor of the magazine. In her new role, she will be working closely with Editor-in-Chief Pamela Jaccarino as well as working on editorial team hiring, training and management, helping to shape editorial content and representing the brand at events. Prior to joining the Luxe team three years ago, she was an Associate Editor and Managing Editor of two niche lifestyle publications in Winter Park, FL, for Bonnier Corporation.

Jennifer Mehditash has been named Editor-at-Large for Orange County California Home + Design and will be capturing great Southern California design and lifestyle for both online and print issues of CH+D, as she manages her bi-coastal interior design business.

Interior designer Geoffrey De Sousa has taken on another day job, now the Chief Curator at the e-commerce site PreviouslyOwnedByAGayMan.com. 

Lindsey Morris will join Christina Juarez & Company as Director of Product Editorial and Brand Relations. Morris will oversee product editorial for both print and digital partnerships for CJ&CO clients. Morris was previously Manager of Marketing, Public Relations and Social Media at Donghia where she developed and executed branding and communications initiatives.

The D&D Building's Marketing Administrator Stephanie Zullo has stepped down after a year in the position. Her replacement has not been announced.

Manufacturing/Retail

Following the recent resignation of Crate & Barrel CEO Sascha Bopp, Adrian Mitchell, the current COO and CFO, has assumed interim leadership of the company. A search is underway to fill the role vacated by Bopp. This position will concentrate on supporting the company’s evolving business strategy and include a deepened focus on the customer experience and growth in the digital space.

Williams-Sonoma has named Ronald Young Senior VP, Global, with the primary responsibility to grow the retailer’s portfolio of brands outside of the United States. Young is succeeding Craig Nomura, who left Williams-Sonoma to become Executive VP and President of Global Retail at Levi Strauss. Before joining Williams-Sonoma, Young held executive positions in global markets for Children’s Place, Pepsi-Cola, and Gap Inc.

In addition, Williams-Sonoma made four other key executive changes. Pat Connolly, Chief Marketing Officer, has been named Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer; John Strain, Chief Information Officer, has been named Chief Digital and Technology Officer; Felix Carbullido has been named Chief Marketing Officer and succeeds Connolly in the post; and Dean Miller has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer.

Wayfair has named Romero Rodrigues, a veteran e-commerce entrepreneur and an executive at a South African media company, to its board of directors. Rodrigues is the global CEO for comparison shopping at Naspers in South Africa and is co-founder of the Buscape Co., a digital commerce group.

After five years as Marketing Communications Manager at Four Hands, Cameron Cook has accepted a position with Natuzzi as Director of Marketing, and will be relocating to Greensboro, NC, from Austin, TX, for the job.

Surya has appointed Jim Levine to the newly created role of VP of Surya Outdoor. Levine is a veteran of the casual furniture industry, where he has spent the past 32 years overseeing business operations, sales and marketing, supply chain management and product design for a variety of outdoor product lines.

Duravit USA continued its sales expansion with the addition of Kerry Rudd as the Vice President Sales, Business Development. Rudd joins the team with over 10 years of experience in the decorative bathroom fixtures industry, managing accounts of the largest plumbing distributors throughout the US.

FLOS has named Jim Toole VP and General Manager. Toole’s expertise includes more than 25 years serving the high-end decorative and architectural lighting markets. An industrial designer by training, his career has spanned leadership roles in product and lighting design, company management and more.

Ward Smith has joined Unisource Solutions, Inc. as Principal and Executive VP, Sales and Design. Previously, Smith was a Principal of Pacific Office Interiors. Prior to that, he was a Global Accounts Manager for Haworth in the San Francisco area, working with Haworth dealers both domestically and internationally.

Interior Designers/Architects

Perkins+Will has announced its newest promotions and the addition of key human resources team members. The promotions and new hires include Michael Reinhart, LEED AP ID+C, Interior Design Principal; Aimee Eckmann, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Senior Project Architect; Christopher Hamric, Financial Controller; Michael McPhail, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Senior Project Architect; Kristin Rosebrough, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Senior Project Architect; Elizabeth Chappelear, Director of Benefits; and Hannah Brown, Human Resources Manager.

Interior designer Ann Hoffman has been named Director of Interior Design Services, Corporate Interiors at Francis Cauffman. Most recently, Hoffman was President and owner of her own interior design firm. She also serves as an adjunct professor, mentoring graduates and undergraduates in the business of interior design, career directives and workings of the design studio.

Paul Cooper has joined HOK as the Interiors Practice Leader for the Tampa office. He brings 20 years of diverse experience in healthcare, hospitality, retail and corporate design. His work, including the Sarasota Memorial Hospital Emergency Care Center triage area, has won numerous awards.

FXFOWLE has named award-winning architect Nicholas Garrison as Partner. He has more than 30 years of experience leading signature projects for colleges, universities and private secondary schools around the world.

In addition, FXFOWLE has promoted seven architects, including Brian Fanning, Irina Rice, Jack Robbins, Kevin Cannon, Gustavo Rodriguez and Michael Syracuse to Principals.

Perkins Eastman has announced that Mark Searls has joined the firm as an Associate Principal. Searls joins with more than 29 years of design and project leadership of healthcare projects worldwide, in addition to science and technology, academic, and commercial projects.

IA Interior Architects has announced that Janet Walther has joined IA's Dallas office as Senior Project Manager. With more than 25 years of experience in design and project management, Walther joins IA from the lauckgroup's Dallas office.

In addition, John Parks joins IA as a designer and brings 18 years of experience in corporate workplace, healthcare, education and hospitality design. Myosha Maston joins IA as a designer with more than 15 years of interior design experience with an emphasis in corporate workplace and higher education. IA also welcomes Junior Designer Zach Weihrich from Harris Design in Dallas.

TPG Architecture has promoted Nicole Varadi from Senior Designer to Design Director, Retail Studio. Varadi, who joined TPG in 2011, will now take on a greater degree of leadership within the Retail Studio while continuing to work actively on projects.

Blue Leaf Hospitality has appointed John Taber to their executive team as Hospitality Market Manager. Taber brings more than 20 years of experience in the furniture industry, and will oversee market development and client relations.

Industry organizations

Jane Duncan has been elected the next President of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Duncan will become President Elect on September 1, 2014 and will take over the two-year elected presidency from Stephen Hodder on September 1, 2015. She will be the 75th RIBA President, and is the director of Jane Duncan Architects.

After five years, John P. Margolis has announced he will be stepping down as the Institute of Classical Art & Architecture (ICAA) New England Chapter President. He will be joining the architecture firm Evens Architects, a KAA Design Company, headed by former Southern California Chapter President Erik Evens. The Board of the New England Chapter has also announced the election of Chapter Co-founder & Executive Vice President of Education Sheldon Richard Kostelecky to Interim President through January, 2015.

Museums/Galleries

The Cranbrook Educational Community Board of Trustees announced that after a comprehensive one-year search, Christopher Scoates has been named Director of Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum. Scoates is a graduate of Cranbrook Academy of Art, having received his Master of Fine Arts degree in Photography in 1986. Most recently he served as Director of the University Art Museum at California State University Long Beach, a position he has held since 2005.

Comings and goings we missed? Drop us a line at ssnowden@editoratlarge.com and let us know!

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