Recognizing aspiring kitchen and bath professionals

The Ellen Cheever Award honors the legacy of Ellen Cheever, CMKBD, ASID, CAPS, CLIPP, a highly influential figure in the kitchen and bath industry for nearly 50 years. A dedicated NKBA member, she was celebrated as a designer, author, educator, and researcher. The award ensures that students can access the same valuable resources that Cheever championed throughout her illustrious career.

The comprehensive award package includes a one-year Knowledge Base subscription, a spiral-bound copy of the Kitchen & Bathroom Planning Guidelines (5th Edition) with complimentary shipping within the US and Canada, and free access to earn one NKBA Specialty Badge credential.

To be eligible for the award, applicants must be NKBA student members with at least one semester remaining until graduation. The application process includes an online form, an essay, and a series of required questions. Award winners may also be featured in NKBA marketing materials, providing additional recognition and exposure.

Meet the 2026 Ellen Cheever Award Winners

Megan Breanna Kliethermes, Missouri State University 

What inspired you to choose your career?

My biggest inspiration in both my life and career has been my grandmother. She always encouraged my creativity through painting, crafting, and sewing, and supported me in everything I did. After she passed away from cancer in 2022, I knew I wanted a career that would honor her and everything she taught me. Interior design became the perfect combination of creativity and business, and my grandmother continues to inspire me every day.

What academic and career achievements are you most proud of?

I am most proud of completing my Office of Administration internship with the State of Missouri this past summer, where I had the opportunity to tour state buildings and learn more about the design process. Academically, I am proud to have been nominated by my professors for the Citizen Scholar Award, Missouri State University’s highest student honor. I am also proud to serve as the president of the Interior Design Club and continue growing as a student and future designer.

What’s next for you? What are your plans for the next five years?

Over the next five years, I plan to graduate from Missouri State University and begin a career in the kitchen, bath, or furniture industry. I hope to continue traveling, learning, and growing both personally and professionally. I also want to continue volunteering in my community and use my experiences to guide and encourage other design students to follow their passions.

Anything else you want to share?

I would like to thank my family and friends for always supporting and encouraging me. 

Lisa Le, Saddleback College

What inspired you to choose your career?

Growing up in an immigrant household where utility always came first, I learned early on that the most successful designs support everyday life. Blending that perspective with my background in hospitality and architectural studies, I saw firsthand how intentional environments directly shape human connection and daily well-being. This naturally drew me to interior design, where practical problem-solving, durability, and warm aesthetics must seamlessly coexist. Ultimately, I want to craft spaces that can handle everyday chaos while offering genuine beauty, function, and peace.

What academic and career achievements are you most proud of?

Being named my high school valedictorian and becoming the first in my family to attend college laid the foundational work ethic that drives me today. Early in my career, working with renowned hospitality leaders like The Walt Disney Company and Montage International honed my understanding of guest experience and ignited my passion for thoughtful environments. Recently, earning second place in a national design competition for a bath concept created at Saddleback College was deeply affirming. It validated my transition into interior design and continues to motivate me to push my creative and technical boundaries.

What’s next for you? What are your plans for the next 5 years?

Following graduation from Saddleback College, my goal is to join an innovative hospitality design firm where I can merge guest-centered experiences with residential warmth. Over the next five years, I plan to earn my specialty NKBA credentials and successfully pass the NCIDQ examination to become fully licensed. Long term, I look forward to leading transformative projects that harmonize functional durability with refined aesthetics.

Anything else you want to share?

I am profoundly grateful for this recognition and want to thank my family–especially my husband Nic, whose steady support makes this journey possible–and my mentors at Saddleback College, especially Professor Farida, for consistently challenging me to excel. Outside the studio, you will usually find me tackling hands-on DIY woodworking and home improvement projects. Building with my own hands keeps me grounded in practical construction realities and constantly inspires my design practice.

Sarah Crawford, Portland Community College

What inspired you to choose your career?

I’ve always been fascinated by the way that physical spaces shape how people behave, connect, and feel. I remember when I was a Resident Advisor in college (the first time), watching how dorm layouts influenced where students gathered and who they connected with. My first degree is in human biology, where I studied how humans relate to nature, and my first career has been in event planning and marketing, where I’ve built communities on behalf of brands. Returning to school is really about finally pursuing my interest in design directly. In a busy, lonely, overstimulating world, I want to create spaces that foster community, help people feel like they belong, and reflect who they are. Kitchens are where we gather with the people we love, and bathrooms are where we start and end each day–I love the balance of creativity and constraints in designing both, where art meets requirements and beauty meets function.

What academic and career achievements are you most proud of?

Receiving the Ellen Cheever Award is an honor, and I’m grateful to NKBA for this recognition. I’ve truly loved being a student again and having the chance to be creative every day. It’s been rewarding to see that effort pay off, whether in my grades or in having my work shared as an example for future classes. I serve as president of Portland Community College’s NKBA student chapter, which has connected me with peers and Portland’s professional design community. I was also thrilled to place third in the bath category of the NKBA Student Design Competition, so I’m looking forward to KBIS 2027.

What’s next for you? What are your plans for the next five years?

Over the next five years, I’ll graduate with my associate degree and will have built strong connections in Portland’s thriving design community. I hope to shift into a second career as a designer while also drawing on my marketing background. I’ll stay involved with NKBA and keep earning specialty badges. And as a self-proclaimed nerd, I can’t wait to take the certified designer exams. Along the way, I’m excited to explore sustainable design, especially incorporating secondhand materials and pieces, as well as biophilic design, which brings my ecology background into the home.

Anything else you want to share?

A big thank you to Robin Rigby Fisher and Hannah Hacker, who taught me kitchen and bath design, and to all of my instructors at PCC for their guidance and encouragement. Thank you as well to NKBA for supporting students like me as we enter this industry!

Connect

The NKBA encourages all eligible students to seize this fantastic opportunity to gain valuable resources, enhance their credentials, and connect with the kitchen and bath industry. Click here for more information about NKBA Affiliated Schools and student resources, or contact schools@nkba.org.