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Volunteering with CIDQ

CIDQ could not develop or enhance the NCIDQ exams without the support and expertise of countless volunteers. View the various Committees and Task Forces for which we recruit volunteers on an annual basis, along with a list of expectations and time commitments. Individuals are appointed to a committee for a two year term, which may be terminated by either CIDQ or the individual at any time for any reason. On the other hand, Task Force appointments are typically less than one year in length. If you are interested in serving on one of our Exam Development Committees, please complete a Volunteer Interest Form for service in 2025.  

CIDQ values the work of our volunteers tremendously and appreciates the support and service they provide to CIDQ. Our volunteers provide the industry insights, diverse experience and new perspectives CIDQ needs to stay up to date and in touch with the latest developments in the field. CIDQ has volunteer opportunities working on either long-term standing committees or on time-limited task forces that address specific topics. 

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If you have a passion for maintaining the standards of the profession, a desire to evolve and elevate the stature of interior design, and the commitment and skill to work diligently with a group of dedicated colleagues – CIDQ wants you! 

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IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING CIDQ COMMITTEES:

CIDQ places great importance on reserving positions every year for new volunteers to serve on each committee. That said, sometimes there are more volunteers available than there are slots. Please don’t be discouraged if you are not immediately appointed to serve in a volunteer role. Positions arise throughout the year, and new positions are available annually. Even if you do not get called to participate immediately, CIDQ will keep your contact information so CIDQ can call on you as opportunities arise.

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​​Ambassadors Program

If you don’t have enough time to serve as an appointed member on a committee or task force but you still want to give back to CIDQ, consider becoming an NCIDQ Ambassador. Ambassadors are NCIDQ Certified designers, practitioners and educators, who are committed to informing students, emerging professionals and colleagues about the importance and value of the NCIDQ Exam and Certification. For more details, visit the Ambassadors web page.

Award Winning Volunteers

The Louis S. Tregre Award was created in 1991, to honor the memory of Louis S. Tregre, the founding director of the Council for Interior Design Qualification. The Tregre Award salutes volunteers who have worked diligently and consistently to further the goals of the NCIDQ Certification.

Louis S. Tregre Award

Louis S. Tregre

Beginning in the late 1960s, Louis worked tirelessly to form an independent, autonomous organization with a mission to develop standards and guidelines for determining competency in the practice of interior design. When CIDQ (then NCIDQ) was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in 1974, Louis served as its first president, a role he held until the mid-1980s.  CIDQ would not exist today without Louis’ vision, commitment and dedication. His volunteer efforts and spirit – which he shared with the organization for more than 30 years -- are reminders of the critical role of volunteers in the organization’s success.

 

The Tregre Award recognizes outstanding volunteer service to CIDQ at the grassroots level and honors those volunteers who have worked diligently and consistently for a minimum of 10 years collective service to further the goals of CIDQ, the NCIDQ Examination, and to advance the profession of interior design. Candidates for this award may be nominated by another person or be self-nominated. 

2024 Louis S. Tregre Award Winner Vincent Carter

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Vincent Carter has been an NCIDQ Certificate holder for 35 years and has served as a volunteer for NCIDQ/CIDQ in numerous capacities, including as a Juror, Jury Team Leader, Jury Chair, Master Juror, Exam Committee, Restructuring Task Force, Vice President of Exam Production, National Legislative Council for Interior Design (NLCID) Representative, CIDQ Board Member, as well as the CIDQ President in 1996.

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In an unprecedented nomination period, Vincent received a total of seven (7) nominations, all of whom spoke highly of Vincent’s volunteer initiatives. In one nomination statement, Sooz Klinkhamer stated Vincent is “like-minded in terms of what the future might hold for professional interior designers. He is interested in teaching design in various capacities and willing to devote significant time to grassroots work to further the recognition of the interior design profession in North America.”​

Vincent had this to say about the acknowledgment, “I met Louis Tregre around 1987 in Washington, DC when he spoke to the Washington, D.C. Board of Interior Designers to encourage us to consider adoption of the NCIDQ Exam as the measure of professionalism for interior design. I was one of the initial five members of the board, which was one of the early practice acts. I believe in volunteerism and have done so my entire career. When I speak or serve as a mentor, I stress how to prepare for the NCIDQ Exam and the importance of representing the interior design profession.”

Tregre Award Recipients

  • 2023 Kim Ciesynski  

  • 2022 Dr. Abimbola Asojo

  • 2021 Kari Frontera

  • 2020 David Hanson

  • 2019 Michael Wirtz

  • 2018 Katherine Setser

  • 2017 Lisa Whited

  • 2016 David Stone

  • 2015 J. Derrell Parker

  • 2014 Emory Johnson

  • 2013 Paula Lutz

  • 2012 Caren Martin

  • 2011 Janice Roberts Young

  • 2010 David Butler

  • 2009 Laura McDonald Stewart

  • 2008 Shirley Hammond

  • 2007 Robin Wagner

  • 2006 Donna Vining

  • 2005 Sherry Bilenduke

  • 2004 Leszek Muniak

  • 2003 Denise Guerin

  • 2002 Sooz Klinkhamer

  • 2001 Sandy Friend

  • 2000 Victoria Horobin

  • 1999 Barbara Pallat

  • 1998 Lucille Taylor

  • 1997 Jan Bast

  • 1996 Jan Parker

  • 1995 Arlene Dougall

  • 1994 Glenda Wilcox

  • 1993 E. Camille Puckett

  • 1992 Irving Schwartz

  • 1991 Will Ching

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