NKBA | KBIS
NKBA | KBIS Fall 2026 Student Design Symposium
Friday, Sept. 25 | 12:00 – 2:30 PM ET
About
Agenda
Speakers
About
NKBA | KBIS Fall 2026 Student Design Symposium
Ignite Your Creativity, Sharpen Your Skills
The Fall 2026 NKBA Student Design Symposium is a virtual career development event designed to complement students’ academic experience in interior design programs. Under the theme “Ignite Your Creativity, Sharpen Your Skills”, the symposium explores how students can hone their existing education and skills. 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 Kelly Ann Ryan, Senior Manager of Professional Development
It is FREE to attend this event. Register today!
Agenda
Keynote: AI, Your Design POV & the Wellbeing Mandate for the Next GenerationKeynote
12:10 PMfeaturing:
Sharon Sherman, CKD
Founder of Thyme & Place Design
The best rooms aren’t just aesthetically beautiful, they are functionally beautiful as well. In this keynote for the NKBA Student Design Symposium, she brings that philosophy to three questions shaping the next generation of designers, and yes, one of them involves AI.
AI is already part of your process, whether you dictated a voice memo into it or asked it to search for the best coffee shop. Sharon draws on her own workflow, and a hard-won ethical line about copy and paste, to show students how to use AI as a tool without letting it think for them, or quietly homogenize the whole profession in the process.
Next: what actually makes a designer worth hiring? Sharon argues it isn’t a portfolio of pretty renderings, but a point of view: the signature details, instincts, and passions that become a designer’s professional autograph. She walks students through how to start identifying and developing their own Design POV, no matter what style they gravitate toward.
Third, and closest to her heart: the role kitchen and bath designers play in the physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing of the people who live in the spaces they create. From layered lighting scent, sound, chromotherapy, designing for the life clients want to experience, Sharon makes the case that health, safety, and welfare aren’t optional upgrades. They’re the job.
Equal parts practical and personal, this session gives students a working framework for building careers that are ethical, distinctive, and genuinely useful to the people they’ll design for, the same three things that have kept Sharon in love with this industry for four decades, and counting.
12:10 PMfeaturing:
Sharon Sherman, CKD
Founder of Thyme & Place Design
The best rooms aren’t just aesthetically beautiful, they are functionally beautiful as well. In this keynote for the NKBA Student Design Symposium, she brings that philosophy to three questions shaping the next generation of designers, and yes, one of them involves AI.
AI is already part of your process, whether you dictated a voice memo into it or asked it to search for the best coffee shop. Sharon draws on her own workflow, and a hard-won ethical line about copy and paste, to show students how to use AI as a tool without letting it think for them, or quietly homogenize the whole profession in the process.
Next: what actually makes a designer worth hiring? Sharon argues it isn’t a portfolio of pretty renderings, but a point of view: the signature details, instincts, and passions that become a designer’s professional autograph. She walks students through how to start identifying and developing their own Design POV, no matter what style they gravitate toward.
Third, and closest to her heart: the role kitchen and bath designers play in the physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing of the people who live in the spaces they create. From layered lighting scent, sound, chromotherapy, designing for the life clients want to experience, Sharon makes the case that health, safety, and welfare aren’t optional upgrades. They’re the job.
Equal parts practical and personal, this session gives students a working framework for building careers that are ethical, distinctive, and genuinely useful to the people they’ll design for, the same three things that have kept Sharon in love with this industry for four decades, and counting.
Breakout Session OneTrack 1
12:45 PM – 1:20 PMfeaturing:
Doug Walter, CMKBD
Founder
Doug Walter Architects
Getting to Know the Latest Kitchen & Bath Design Guidelines (5th edition)
Have you been putting off learning the new Kitchen & Bath Design Guidelines just issued? Do the 350 pages intimidate you? Tune into this quick “Cliff’s Notes” version of the Guidelines, by one of it’s authors. Get over that procrastination and make the new Guidelines your friend. They are the standard of professional practice for kitchen & bath designers.
Learn why certain guidelines changed so much, why some sections got dropped, and why there are entirely new sections.
The old Guidelines were not thrown out;rather they were studied, dissected, debated, and eventually a consensus was reached for clarifying, expanding, and illustrating each guideline. You need to know this stuff! If you don’t, you may be opening yourself to legal liability.
Walk away with a game plan to navigate through the Guidelines and apply them to all your projects, as applicable. If you tell a client that the minimum aisleway is 48” and they insist on 36”, it’s on them; you’re off the hook.
Finally, there’s one good reason to learn them; since future NKBA contests will judged based on the 2026 Guidelines, you had best meet all of them if you hope to win. (Or at least have a good explanation of why you couldn’t).
12:45 PM – 1:20 PMfeaturing:
Doug Walter, CMKBD
Founder
Doug Walter Architects
Getting to Know the Latest Kitchen & Bath Design Guidelines (5th edition)
Have you been putting off learning the new Kitchen & Bath Design Guidelines just issued? Do the 350 pages intimidate you? Tune into this quick “Cliff’s Notes” version of the Guidelines, by one of it’s authors. Get over that procrastination and make the new Guidelines your friend. They are the standard of professional practice for kitchen & bath designers.
Learn why certain guidelines changed so much, why some sections got dropped, and why there are entirely new sections.
The old Guidelines were not thrown out;rather they were studied, dissected, debated, and eventually a consensus was reached for clarifying, expanding, and illustrating each guideline. You need to know this stuff! If you don’t, you may be opening yourself to legal liability.
Walk away with a game plan to navigate through the Guidelines and apply them to all your projects, as applicable. If you tell a client that the minimum aisleway is 48” and they insist on 36”, it’s on them; you’re off the hook.
Finally, there’s one good reason to learn them; since future NKBA contests will judged based on the 2026 Guidelines, you had best meet all of them if you hope to win. (Or at least have a good explanation of why you couldn’t).
Breakout Session OneTrack 2
12:45 PM – 1:20 PMfeaturing:
Christine Gee
CEO
G Interiors Studio & Design Center
How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome and Build Your Professional Network
Entering the interior design industry can be intimidating. Whether you are coming directly from a design program or beginning a second or third career, it is easy to look around a room of established professionals and question whether you have enough experience, knowledge, or confidence to belong.
In You Belong in the Room, interior designer and podcast host Christine Gee challenges students and emerging professionals to recognize the value they already bring to the industry. Every class, project, previous career, collaboration, and life experience adds another tool to a professional toolbox and no two designers will enter the profession with exactly the same set of skills.
Drawing from her own career and conversations with accomplished designers, industry leaders, and business experts on The Design Center: Student Edition podcast, Christine explores three important stages of professional growth: recognizing your value, learning from others, and discovering the power of industry relationships.
Through practical networking strategies and real-world examples, including the story of a design student who transformed simply showing up into meaningful relationships, professional opportunities, and industry recognition, attendees will learn how small actions can create lasting impressions.
Students will leave with practical ways to approach industry events with greater confidence, build authentic professional relationships, seek mentorship, and become active members of the design community. Most importantly, they will understand that networking is not about asking, “What can this room do for me?” but recognizing what they can contribute to the industry.
You do not have to earn your place in the room. You have to recognize that you already belong there.
12:45 PM – 1:20 PMfeaturing:
Christine Gee
CEO
G Interiors Studio & Design Center
How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome and Build Your Professional Network
Entering the interior design industry can be intimidating. Whether you are coming directly from a design program or beginning a second or third career, it is easy to look around a room of established professionals and question whether you have enough experience, knowledge, or confidence to belong.
In You Belong in the Room, interior designer and podcast host Christine Gee challenges students and emerging professionals to recognize the value they already bring to the industry. Every class, project, previous career, collaboration, and life experience adds another tool to a professional toolbox and no two designers will enter the profession with exactly the same set of skills.
Drawing from her own career and conversations with accomplished designers, industry leaders, and business experts on The Design Center: Student Edition podcast, Christine explores three important stages of professional growth: recognizing your value, learning from others, and discovering the power of industry relationships.
Through practical networking strategies and real-world examples, including the story of a design student who transformed simply showing up into meaningful relationships, professional opportunities, and industry recognition, attendees will learn how small actions can create lasting impressions.
Students will leave with practical ways to approach industry events with greater confidence, build authentic professional relationships, seek mentorship, and become active members of the design community. Most importantly, they will understand that networking is not about asking, “What can this room do for me?” but recognizing what they can contribute to the industry.
You do not have to earn your place in the room. You have to recognize that you already belong there.
Breakout Session OneTrack 3
12:45 PM – 1:20 PMfeaturing:
Dean Camastro
Vice President of Sales North America
Duravit USA &
Mike Socha
Central Regional Sales Manager
Duravit USA
Beyond the Fixture: Selling the Complete Bathroom Experience – How Great Designers Create More Value, Better Projects, and More Satisfied Clients
Today’s most successful designers do more than specify individual products; they create complete, cohesive environments that enhance the way people live. This presentation explores how to shift from simply responding to a client’s product requests to confidently guiding them through the design of a fully integrated bathroom experience.
Attendees will learn how to think beyond the toilet, vanity, or faucet and instead approach every project as a carefully curated composition of aesthetics, functionality, wellness, accessibility, and long-term value. Through practical design strategies and real-world examples, students will discover how thoughtful product coordination, effective storytelling, and client-focused communication can transform a basic product selection into a complete design solution.
The session will also introduce consultative selling techniques that help build trust, uncover client needs, and inspire confidence throughout the design process. By understanding how each fixture, finish, and accessory contributes to the overall vision, future designers can create spaces that are more beautiful, more functional, and more meaningful for their clients.
Whether designing a compact powder room or a luxurious primary bath, attendees will leave with a framework for presenting complete bathroom solutions that elevate both the client experience and their own professional value. This presentation empowers the next generation of designers to move beyond selling products and begin creating inspiring spaces that reflect thoughtful design, purposeful specification, and lasting impact.
12:45 PM – 1:20 PMfeaturing:
Dean Camastro
Vice President of Sales North America
Duravit USA &
Mike Socha
Central Regional Sales Manager
Duravit USA
Beyond the Fixture: Selling the Complete Bathroom Experience – How Great Designers Create More Value, Better Projects, and More Satisfied Clients
Today’s most successful designers do more than specify individual products; they create complete, cohesive environments that enhance the way people live. This presentation explores how to shift from simply responding to a client’s product requests to confidently guiding them through the design of a fully integrated bathroom experience.
Attendees will learn how to think beyond the toilet, vanity, or faucet and instead approach every project as a carefully curated composition of aesthetics, functionality, wellness, accessibility, and long-term value. Through practical design strategies and real-world examples, students will discover how thoughtful product coordination, effective storytelling, and client-focused communication can transform a basic product selection into a complete design solution.
The session will also introduce consultative selling techniques that help build trust, uncover client needs, and inspire confidence throughout the design process. By understanding how each fixture, finish, and accessory contributes to the overall vision, future designers can create spaces that are more beautiful, more functional, and more meaningful for their clients.
Whether designing a compact powder room or a luxurious primary bath, attendees will leave with a framework for presenting complete bathroom solutions that elevate both the client experience and their own professional value. This presentation empowers the next generation of designers to move beyond selling products and begin creating inspiring spaces that reflect thoughtful design, purposeful specification, and lasting impact.
Breakout Session TwoTrack 1
1:45 PM – 2:20 PMfeaturing:
Sharon Washington, CKBD
Founder
Eclexis Design
Say What?!: Communication Tips for Successful Design Projects
Interior design renovation projects will have change orders, mistakes in material orders, something unexpected inside the walls, install errors, and/or misunderstandings. How you navigate the inevitable and unexpected mishaps can be the difference between a completed project and a successful project.
1:45 PM – 2:20 PMfeaturing:
Sharon Washington, CKBD
Founder
Eclexis Design
Say What?!: Communication Tips for Successful Design Projects
Interior design renovation projects will have change orders, mistakes in material orders, something unexpected inside the walls, install errors, and/or misunderstandings. How you navigate the inevitable and unexpected mishaps can be the difference between a completed project and a successful project.
Breakout Session TwoTrack 2
1:45 PM – 2:20 PMfeaturing:
Paula Kennedy, CMKBD
Designer & Owner
Timeless Kitchen Design
Ignite Creativity
Creativity isn’t something we can just take for granted, be forced to perform on the spot, or be brilliant and perfect every single time. We all can be creative whether you are left or right brained. It’s a skill that takes practice, and it’s a messy fun process once we understand it. It may come more naturally to some but even the most left-brained accountants can be creative.
Most of us have taken this skill and ability for granted; it’s become squashed and nearly stamped out of our lives. We then often feel stuck, unproductive, stale, or worse, burnt out. If our ability to make a living rests on our ability to be creative, we simply can’t afford to take a cavalier attitude toward our biggest asset!
It doesn’t matter whether you are a designer, builder, salesperson, or engineer; we all need to learn how to cultivate a lifestyle that supports a creative flow so that when we do need to perform on the spot, we will have a lot more success tapping into it brilliantly!
We will explore what creativity is, why it’s important in society today, what blocks it and how to cultivate it. You will walk away with tools to start practicing immediately. It is possible to recover from Burn Out!
1:45 PM – 2:20 PMfeaturing:
Paula Kennedy, CMKBD
Designer & Owner
Timeless Kitchen Design
Ignite Creativity
Creativity isn’t something we can just take for granted, be forced to perform on the spot, or be brilliant and perfect every single time. We all can be creative whether you are left or right brained. It’s a skill that takes practice, and it’s a messy fun process once we understand it. It may come more naturally to some but even the most left-brained accountants can be creative.
Most of us have taken this skill and ability for granted; it’s become squashed and nearly stamped out of our lives. We then often feel stuck, unproductive, stale, or worse, burnt out. If our ability to make a living rests on our ability to be creative, we simply can’t afford to take a cavalier attitude toward our biggest asset!
It doesn’t matter whether you are a designer, builder, salesperson, or engineer; we all need to learn how to cultivate a lifestyle that supports a creative flow so that when we do need to perform on the spot, we will have a lot more success tapping into it brilliantly!
We will explore what creativity is, why it’s important in society today, what blocks it and how to cultivate it. You will walk away with tools to start practicing immediately. It is possible to recover from Burn Out!
Breakout Session TwoTrack 3
1:45 PM – 2:20 PMfeaturing:
Megan Jansky McIntyre
Founder and Creative Director
The Marketing Corner
The Invisible Interview: The First Impression You Didn’t Know You Were Making
Today’s homeowners are conducting an invisible interview before they ever pick up the phone, fill out a web form, or schedule a consultation. They are researching your business, evaluating your credibility, and forming opinions before making first contact. In many cases, that first impression determines whether a homeowner reaches out or keeps searching.
This session, led by industry marketing strategist Megan McIntyre, explores the seven trust signals that influence modern purchasing decisions and shape how homeowners evaluate kitchen and bath professionals. Through real-world examples and practical takeaways, attendees will learn what builds trust and what drives homeowner decisions.
From websites and online reviews to project photography and social proof, today’s homeowners have more information than ever before. Participants will explore the factors that shape first impressions and learn how portfolios, content, communication, and responsiveness influence who makes the shortlist and who gets overlooked.
The Invisible Interview framework helps attendees understand what homeowners are really evaluating before they reach out and why some professionals earn the call while others never hear from them. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to strengthen their client experience, build trust earlier in the process, and stand out in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
1:45 PM – 2:20 PMfeaturing:
Megan Jansky McIntyre
Founder and Creative Director
The Marketing Corner
The Invisible Interview: The First Impression You Didn’t Know You Were Making
Today’s homeowners are conducting an invisible interview before they ever pick up the phone, fill out a web form, or schedule a consultation. They are researching your business, evaluating your credibility, and forming opinions before making first contact. In many cases, that first impression determines whether a homeowner reaches out or keeps searching.
This session, led by industry marketing strategist Megan McIntyre, explores the seven trust signals that influence modern purchasing decisions and shape how homeowners evaluate kitchen and bath professionals. Through real-world examples and practical takeaways, attendees will learn what builds trust and what drives homeowner decisions.
From websites and online reviews to project photography and social proof, today’s homeowners have more information than ever before. Participants will explore the factors that shape first impressions and learn how portfolios, content, communication, and responsiveness influence who makes the shortlist and who gets overlooked.
The Invisible Interview framework helps attendees understand what homeowners are really evaluating before they reach out and why some professionals earn the call while others never hear from them. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to strengthen their client experience, build trust earlier in the process, and stand out in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
Speakers
Dean Camastro
Vice President of Sales North America
Duravit USA
Doug Walter, CMKBD
Founder
Doug Walter Architects
Christine Gee
CEO
G Interiors Studio & Design Center
Kelly Ann Ryan
Sr. Manger Professional Development
NKBA | KBIS
Meghan McIntyre
Founder and Creative Director
The Marketing Corner
Mike Socha
Central Regional Sales Manager
Duravit USA
Paula Kennedy, CMKBD
Designer & Owner
Timeless Kitchen Design
Sharon Sherman, CKD
Founder
Thyme & Place Design
Sharon Washington, CKBD
Founder
Eclexis Design
