The New York Chapter of International Furnishings and Design Association continues to honor the legacy of the late Valerie Moran—innovator, interior designer, home furnishings developer, product designer, merchandiser and business leader—with a special grant. The Valerie Moran Memorial Grant was designed to help “innovative IFDA professional members interested in expanding their horizons through travel, trade shows and professional development studies.” This year’s winner is Dawn Brinson, an IFDA Fellow and vice president of strategic marketing at The Media Matters. She plans to use the $3,000 grant to attend the 2017 IMM Cologne and Maison & Objet trade shows and research product trends.

Moran died in June 2014 after a battle with breast cancer. She was originally from Warsaw, New York, and worked as a residential and commercial interior designer, becoming an executive with Grange Furniture in 1985, where she rose to the role of CEO. She also briefly served as chairman of B&B Italia North and South America, and consulted across categories including product development, business strategy, marketing and merchandising for several brands.

For eight years, Moran was chairman of the advisory board for Furnish-a-Future, a Partnership for the Homeless program that helped provide at-risk families with furnishings and household goods. She was a member of The Fashion Group International, French-American Chamber of Commerce, Color Marketing Group, American Society of Interior Designers, WithIt, and National Kitchen & Bath Association. She served as president of IFDA–New York and chairman of the organization’s Past President Council. 

During her career, Moran received numerous industry honors, including the IFDA Circle of Excellence award for Marketing, Sales and Research and Metropolitan Home’s Design 100. She was well respected in the design community, who recently shared memories of their friend and colleague on IFDA–New York’s blog.