NKBA | KBIS
NKBA | KBIS Fall 2025 Student Design Symposium
Friday, Sept. 26 | 12:00 – 2:30 PM ET
About

NKBA | KBIS Fall 2025 Student Design Symposium
Uncharted: Students. Designers. Trailblazers
The Fall 2025 NKBA Student Design Symposium is a virtual career development event designed to complement students’ academic experience in interior design programs. Under the theme “Uncharted: Students. Designers. Trailblazers.”, the symposium explores the many paths available in the kitchen and bath industry. Through a compelling keynote and targeted breakout sessions, students will gain insight into real-world strategies for career growth, creative communication, and the power of mentorship, collaboration, and professional involvement.
The event is hosted by Sharon J. Washington, CKBD, founder of Eclexis Design and long-time champion of the Student Design Symposium.
It is FREE to attend this event. Register today!
Agenda
12:10 PMfeaturing:
Alena Capra, CMKBD
TV Host/Spokesperson
Alena Capra Designs
In this keynote, we’ll explore what it means to build a creative path that’s fueled by intuition, resilience, and vision—not job titles or trends. You’ll hear honest stories from the in-between moments: the pivots, the risks, the rejections. Because the truth is, the most meaningful work often happens when you stop chasing someone else’s definition of success and start designing your own. Let your own vision and inspiration guide you into blazing your own trail to a successful career.
12:45 PM – 1:15 PMfeaturing:
Andrew Risinger, CMKBD
Co-Owner, Sales & Design
Kitchen, Bath & Home
Perfect Partners: Building the Best Team to Deliver Remarkable Results
Whether you’re just starting out or are a seasoned professional, success in the kitchen and bath industry depends on the strength of your team. This session explores how to build a trusted team of co-workers, designers, material specialists, project managers, and labor providers—both within your company and through outside partnerships—to consistently deliver outstanding results. This session is designed for any professional in the kitchen and bath industry.
We’ll explore how Sales, Production, and Administrative teams can work with a “for each other” mindset, fostering collaboration rather than internal conflict. You’ll also learn how to identify external partners who align with your vision through clear communication, shared expectations, and a commitment to exceptional service.
By building the right partnerships, you’ll discover how people—not just products or processes—are the key to delivering exceptional results for your clients.
12:45 PM – 1:15 PMfeaturing:
Anneke Huisman
Senior Designer
KSI Kitchen & Bath
Best Practices for Communicating Design Ideas to Clients
You’ve spent years honing your skills and your specialty knowledge, so are your clients and contractors looking at you blankly when you describe the design details of a potential project? Let’s discuss best practices for clear communication with clients and contractor teams, ensuring all details are conveyed with clarity tailored to each audience.
12:45 PM – 1:15 PMfeaturing:
Stacy McCarthy, CMKBD
President
Stacy McCarthy Design
Roadmap to a Career Designed Around You
Think a career in interior design only leads to residential spaces or glossy magazine spreads? Think again. The world of design is wide open and full of uncharted opportunities you may not even know exist yet.
In this eye-opening session, Certified Master Kitchen & Bath Designer Stacy McCarthy shares real-world insights into the many directions a design career can take you, from luxury showrooms and disaster restoration to national brand consulting, nonprofit work, and leadership in industry associations.
With interactive examples and empowering stories, Stacy helps students of all levels envision how to align their unique passions, talents, and values with unexpected roles in the design world. This talk is a roadmap for the trailblazers ready to design a future as original as they are.
1:45 PM – 2:!5 PMfeaturing:
Cerissa LaToi McKinnis
Interior Designer
Industrious Interiors
Underrated Rest: The Trailblazer’s Secret to Creativity and Clarity
In the fast-paced world of design, students are told to hustle, grind, and outwork the competition. But what if the real competitive edge isn’t found in doing more—but in resting well?
In this energizing talk, award-winning designer Cerissa LaToi McKinnis pulls back the curtain on the misunderstood, underrated power of rest. You’ll learn why the most successful designers don’t just survive the uncharted years of their career—they thrive—because they know how to protect their creativity, sharpen their decision-making, and fuel their energy by prioritizing rest.
From real-life design breakthroughs to career-saving mindset shifts, McKinnis shares how rest isn’t a break from success—it’s the engine that powers it. Whether you’re charting your first steps as a designer or blazing new trails in your career, you’ll leave equipped with a mindset shift: rest is not weakness, it’s strategy. Not a reward, but a requirement.
Because trailblazers don’t burn out. They build—with energy, clarity, and sustainability.
1:45 PM – 2:!5 PMfeaturing:
Staci Munic
Lead Designer and Principal
Staci Munic Interiors
Reece Speer
Intern, Staci Munic Interiors
Interior Architecture Student at San Diego State University
From Interns to Impact: Growing Your Design Business Through Mentorship
In today’s design world, success is built on strong teams—and it all starts with connection, mentorship, and opportunity. This dynamic workshop brings together both students and firm owners to explore how internships, local scholarship programs, and hands-on experience can fuel growth on both sides of the equation.
For students, it’s a chance to learn what top design firms are really looking for—and how to stand out as an intern or emerging professional. For firm owners, it’s about discovering how to find, mentor, and retain young talent in ways that strengthen your business and shape the future of the industry.
Whether you’re launching your career or looking to grow your team, this session offers valuable insights, real-world examples, and a chance to build lasting connections. In today’s day and age, how do you find and cultivate a strong team? Being active with local scholarship programs in the field, successful internships, and growing your business.
1:45 PM – 2:!5 PMfeaturing:
Dean Camastro
Northeast Regional Sales Manager
Duravit USA
Designing Success: How Industry Associations Shaped My Career Journey
In this engaging 20-minute talk, Dean Camastro shares his career journey from hands-on contractor to sales leader in the kitchen and bath industry. He highlights the pivotal role industry associations like NKBA and IDS played in expanding his network, opening doors to leadership opportunities, and driving career growth. Students will gain insight into how active involvement in professional communities can accelerate their own careers, build meaningful connections, and provide lifelong learning beyond the classroom.
Speakers

TV Host/Spokesperson
Alena Capra Designs

Co-Owner, Sales & Design
Kitchen, Bath & Home

Senior Designer
KSI Kitchen & Bath

Interior Designer
Industrious Interiors

Northeast Regional Sales Manager
Duravit USA

Learning Programs Manager
NKBA | KBIS

Intern, Staci Munic Interiors
Interior Architecture Student at San Diego State University

Principal Designer
Eclexis Design

Lead Designer and Principal
Staci Munic Interiors

President
Stacy McCarthy Design