August 2025 Chapter Officer Update – NKBA
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August 2025

Chapter Officer Update

Thank you to our Partners:

“Thanks to your inspiring leadership, NKBA National has seen an impressive number of self-nominations this year! Over half of our 70 Chapters will be holding elections this month.“

View Full Message from National →

Important Dates

August 1-31 – Chapter Officer Elections deadline

August 7 – NKBA K&B Mid-Year Economic Update Webinar

August 12 – Presidents monthly call – 4 PM EST

August 17 – NKBA | KBIS Design Industry Awards competition deadline

August 19 – Programs Chair monthly call – 3 PM EST

August 19 – Communications Chair monthly call – 4 PM EST

August 20 – Membership Chair monthly call – 3 PM EST

August 20 – Secretary/Treasurer monthly call – 4 PM EST

September 2 – NKBA Thirty Under 30 nominations due

September 2 – NKBA Chapter Election Results form due

Chapters

NKBA’s Chapters Team is here for you – reach out to us via email or call 610-988-6035.

Kelly Buchsbaum, Director, Chapters & Learning

kbuchsbaum@nkba.org 

Kristin Shechter, Chapter Engagement Manager

kshechter@nkba.org 

Melissa Flynn, Chapters & Skilled Trades Manager

mflynn@nkba.org

Elizabeth Mace, Chapters & Learning Specialist

emace@nkba.org

General info, meeting notices, and roster requests:

chapters@nkba.org

Research

Stay in the know with the latest Kitchen & Bath industry trends and upcoming research releases from NKBA.

Key dates to watch:

Through Aug 6: Release of the Q2 2025 KBMI Report and 2025 Market Outlook.

Aug 7: Mid-Year Update – Get the latest read on current market conditions and what’s ahead for the rest of the year though NKBA’s K&B Mid-Year Economic Update Webinar. Register today and join us for expert insights on the revised 2025 economic forecast and in-depth Q2 KBMI takeaways.

Aug 19: Bath Trends Survey Launch – keep an eye out for the invitation email and encourage participation to help shape the next wave of industry research.

Reminder: Join the Kitchen & Bath Pro Hub! If you are not yet a member of NKBA’s Kitchen & Bath Hub, you should be! Connect with peers, access exclusive research, and earn rewards – all for free!

Marketing

Share your expertise with industry professionals and submit to present an NKBA | KBIS webinar! Webinar submissions are due Monday, September 29: https://nkba.org/webinar-submissions/

NKBA presents the following six Design & Business Webinars in August with registration links below, plus a special mid-year Economic Updates webinar. Webinars begin at 12 PM ET with 0.1 CEU per webinar.

August 6 | Differentiate to Dominate
August 7 | K&B Mid-Year Economic Updates Webinar
August 12 | Convertible Spaces
August 13 | Design & Deliver
August 20 | How to Budget on a Budget
August 26 | 5 Game-Changing AI Strategies
August 27 | Intimate Design Conversations

Students & Educators

NKBA is proud to recognize the incredible contributions of the kitchen and bath education community during our annual Education Appreciation Week, happening Sept 21–26. All week long, we’ll be highlighting impactful programs, sharing stories that inspire, and featuring resources that help build the future of our industry.

This is a great opportunity for NKBA chapters to engage with local schools and educators who are shaping the next generation of K&B professionals. To support this effort, NKBA will be providing outreach letter templates for chapters to use when connecting with student and school members, making it easy to extend your chapter’s reach and impact.

Let’s show our appreciation and strengthen the connection between industry and education, together.

We’re closing out Education Appreciation Week with the NKBA Student Design Symposium—a high-energy virtual event designed to inform and inspire. This year’s keynote speaker is Alena Capra, CMKBD, celebrated designer and KBB Person of the Year.

Registration details coming soon—stay tuned!

Government Relations

NKBA actively monitors legislation and public policy developments impacting the kitchen and bath industry, sharing key updates each month through our Government Relations Newsletter.

Hot topics this month include:

U.S. One Big Beautiful Bill Act: President Trump signed House Resolution 1, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, into law which has a wide range of impacts including delivering historic tax relief to the U.S. construction industry.

U.S. Housing: Despite construction surge, U.S. housing deficit grew to 4.7 million units as tariffs are predicted to raise the cost of new housing by 3% by year end.

U.S. Energy: Congress introduced House Resolution 3699, also known as the Energy Choice Act, which would prohibit States or local governments from prohibiting or limiting the connection, reconnection, modification, installation, transportation, distribution, or expansion of an energy service based on the type or source of energy to be delivered.

U.S. Workforce Development: The Department of Labor and the Small Business Administration sign a new agreement to support domestic manufacturing by bolstering apprenticeships in an attempt to address the skilled labor shortage.  

We hope you benefit from the value these resources bring to you, your profession, and the kitchen & bath industry. Please reach out directly to Steven Campeau, NKBA’s Senior Manager, Global & Government Relations at scampeau@nkba.org, for any specific questions.

Professional Development

Gain CEU credits in August via Design & Business Webinars on nkba.org.

CONGRATULATIONS to our newest NKBA Certified and Specialty Badge earners and your Chapters! 

CKBD / CMKBD

Ashley Rodenkirch NKBA CKBD Member. Ashley is a member of the Mid Atlantic Chapter. Congratulations, Ashley!

Alyssa Gomes NKBA CKBD Member. Alyssa is a member of the Mid Atlantic Chapter. Congratulations, Alyssa!

Jessica Christian NKBA CKBD Member. Jessica is a member of the Piedmont Blue Ridge Carolina Chapter. Congratulations, Jessica! 

SPECIALTY BADGES

Brianna Ibanez, Remodeling, Sales & Marketing Remodeling, Baltimore/Washington, Student

Radka Nayeri, Porcelanosa/San Jose, Cabinetry, Northern California

Mary O’Connell, MBO Kitchen + Bath Design Studios LLC, Lighting, Baltimore/Washington

Mandy Khaffaji, Narrative Interiors LLC, Remodeling, Rocky Mountain

Samantha Gilman, Floor Plans & Specifications, Baltimore/Washington, Student

Joe Cozzolino, Cabinet Joint, Cabinetry, Chicago Mid-West

Kelsey Route, Cabinet Joint, Cabinetry, Chicago Mid-West

Gina Reddin, Cabinet Joint, Cabinetry, Chicago Mid-West

Jeffrey Weller, Cabinet Joint, Cabinetry, Chicago Mid-West

Kaitlin White, Cabinet Joint, Cabinetry, Chicago Mid-West

Danielle Ray, Cabinet Joint, Cabinetry, Chicago Mid-West

Taylor Coleman, Cabinet Joint, Cabinetry, Chicago Mid-West

Jack Klein, Airoom, Remodeling, Chicago Mid-West

Valencia Poore, Cabinet IQ of Cary, Universal Design, Eastern Carolina

Priscilla Junod, Priscilla Maria Design, Floor Plans& Specifications, Central Coast and Valleys, Chapter Officer

Deborah Lockett, Interiors Reimagined, LLC, Floor Plans & Specifications, Northern New England

Mariia Ross, Reico Kitchen & Bath, Cabinetry, Baltimore/Washington

Kim West, Willbanks Kitchen Design Group, Cabinetry, Southwest Desert

Gabby Koontz, Rendered Homes, LLC, Lighting, Virginia State

Lindsay Rathbun, Briggson Building Co., Color, Susquehanna Valley

Brenda Johnson, Accessibility Design, Inc, Universal Design, Minnesota State

Ingrid Rivers, IR Design Group, Remodeling, North Florida

Tristan Brandon, Airoom, LLC, Remodeling, Chicago Mid-West

Reed Kemp, Airoom, LLC, Remodeling, Chicago Mid-West

Brian Weathers, Airoom, LLC, Remodeling, Chicago Mid-West

Melissa Cameron, Airoom, LLC, Remodeling, Chicago Mid-West

Erica Illions, Kitchen Design Concepts, Color, Texas North Plains

Melissa Coon, Susan Thiel Design Build LLC, Color, Southern California

Member
Relations

Frequently Asked Questions and Member Videos for those most asked questions.

New Members are vital to the success of NKBA and our Chapters. Please send prospective members to membership@nkba.org and we will send detailed information on member benefits, membership cost, certification, badges and more.

Please reach out to Gerri Klein (gklein@nkba.org) with any NKBA membership structure questions.

NKBA Membership Signup. Please share this link. If anyone needs a hard copy of the application, please email info@nkba.org. There is an updated 2025 membership application with new rates.

Please encourage your members to communicate any changes directly to info@nkba.org and the team will be happy to help!

NKBA’s Member Relations team is always available to assist our Members and Chapters. Contact Gerri Klein, Sr Manager, Member Relations at 610-988-6030 or email info@nkba.org. Also part of the Member Relations team is Aislinn Galvin-Keil who looks forward to working with our Chapters!