The Board of Trustees of the New York School of Interior Design
Ellen Kravet CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
David Sprouls PRESIDENT
Chesie Breen, Ingrid Ongaro Edelman, Alexa Hampton, Young Huh, David Kleinberg, Betsey Ruprecht TRUSTEES & GALA CO-CHAIRS
Welcome you to the College’s 2025 Gala
HONORING
Alessandra Branca
Albert Hadley Lifetime Achievement Award
Mara Miller & Jesse Carrier
Larry Kravet Design Industry Leadership Award
Beth Diana Smith ’15 (AAS) Rising Star Award
Alexa Hampton, EMCEE AND NYSID TRUSTEE
The Shade Store, RISING STAR AWARD SPONSOR
Daniel House Club, ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP SPONSOR
Baccarat, AWARDS SPONSOR
Tuesday, March 4, 2025
The University Club One West 54th Street
New York City
MENU
APPETIZER
Chilled Jumbo Asparagus
Sauce gribiche, smoked trout caviar
ENTRÉE
Parmesan Crusted Breast of Chicken
With roasted potatoes, mixed market vegetables, pea tendrils, lemon-caper emulsion
VEGETARIAN OPTION AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
DESSERT
Lemon Meringue Tartlet
With a lemon coulis
Earl Grey Dark Chocolate Marquise
With pistachio sauce, cocoa nib tuile
Coffee/Tea Service
WINE
Bacchus Chardonnay, Central Coast/Sonoma
Castle Rock Reserve Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley
ORDER OF THE EVENING
Welcoming Remarks
David Sprouls, NYSID PRESIDENT
Ellen Kravet, CHAIRMAN OF THE NYSID BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Awards Ceremony
Presentation to Alessandra Branca
Albert Hadley Lifetime Achievement Award
Introduced by Stellene Volandes, EDITOR IN CHIEF, TOWN & COUNTRY / EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, ELLE
Presentation to Swagatika Rath (MFA1)
NYSID Alumni Scholarship Recipient
Introduced by Marie Aiello ’04 (AAS), PRESIDENT, NYSID ALUMNI COUNCIL and Peter Spalding, CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER, DANIEL HOUSE CLUB
Main Course
Presentation to Mara Miller & Jesse Carrier
Larry Kravet Design Industry Leadership Award
Introduced by Jill Cohen, EDITOR IN CHIEF, LUXE INTERIORS + DESIGN
Presentation to Beth Diana Smith ’15 (AAS)
Rising Star Award/Sponsored by The Shade Store
Introduced by Zach Gibbs, CO-FOUNDER, THE SHADE STORE
Concluding Remarks
Alexa Hampton
David Sprouls
Dessert and Coffee/Tea
ALESSANDRA BRANCA
Albert Hadley Lifetime Achievement Award
Roman-born Alessandra Branca’s interiors embody her insatiable curiosity, a taste for adventure, and a dash of rebellion. Honing her craft over three decades, she has cultivated a distinctive use of vibrant layers of color and history and new artful textures all to create iconic, comfortable, chic interiors. From the millennia-old streets of Rome to the modern energy of her offices in Chicago, Palm Beach, and Los Angeles, Alessandra’s influence shapes richly classical yet updated spaces that seduce worldwide—from private residences to hotels, offices, and yachts, spanning California and Colorado to New York, London, Rome, and the Bahamas.
Her early creative life was nurtured by a family that counted art historians, engineers, educators, and creatives. Her eye is as likely to be inspired by sun-soaked beach hues as by the interiors of set designer Renzo Mongiardino or the impact of the Farneses on art, architecture, and culture.
Alessandra’s work has been featured in numerous publications over the years, including Architectural Digest, ELLE Decor, Town & Country, W Magazine, Veranda, The New York Times, and many more. Her acclaimed book, New Classic Interiors, quickly became an industry touchstone. Her best-selling collections have been featured in a fabric line for Schumacher, wallpaper and embroidered fabrics for De Gournay, and an exclusive product launch at Bergdorf Goodman. In 2020, her fabric, wallpaper and furniture collection, Casa Branca, opened with a boutique in Palm Beach, an Atelier and Showroom in West Palm Beach, and showrooms throughout the US and UK.
MARA MILLER & JESSE CARRIER
Jesse Carrier and Mara Miller, the founding principals of Carrier and Company Interiors, are a husband-and-wife interior design duo who create rooms that offer a confident mix of timeless and contemporary design—both familiar and fresh at once. Their guiding philosophy connects clients with their spaces in a manner that reflects the distinct and singular nature of both. From bohemian glamour to country charm, from modern luxe to the timeless and ineffable, the Carriers delight in adapting their impassioned sensibility to the unique elements each project presents.
Their latest monograph, Defining Chic: Carrier and Company Interiors (Rizzoli), showcases homes that express their clients’ personalities and dreams through the practical filters of lifestyle and location while revealing the design principles behind them. The range of projects includes a historic, art-filled New York duplex replete with period vestiges; an updated Mediterranean-style Southern California house with an art deco-era core; and a refreshed Connecticut lakeside retreat with glass expanses designed to capture stunning views.
The Carriers have been sought out by leading furnishing manufacturers to bring their unique vision of home and interiors to a wider audience, including Century Furniture, Visual Comfort, Lee Jofa, Loloi, and Soicher Marin.
Named to the prestigious Architectural Digest AD100 and Elle Decor A-List, the Carriers met at the Fashion Institute of Technology and worked for several AD100 interior design firms before establishing Carrier and Company Interiors in 2005. They live in New York City and the Hudson Valley with their two children.
Larry Kravet Design Industry Leadership Award
BETH DIANA SMITH ’15 (AAS)
Rising Star Award
Sponsored by The Shade Store
Beth Diana Smith ’15 (AAS) is the CEO and Principal Designer of Beth Diana Smith Interior Design, a full-service interior design firm focused on discerning clients who want curated homes with thoughtful details. She prides herself on her bold, eclectic style while creating a home’s story through renovation, curated pieces, and customized design. Her goal for each client is to help them see another realm of possibility in how they can live.
After spending more than a decade in corporate accounting and finance at companies such as Johnson & Johnson and Viacom, Beth decided to pursue interior design full-time, obtaining a degree from the New York School of Interior Design. She brought along a distinct set of skills, including budget management, presentation creation based on client needs, and the ability to adapt quickly. These skills allow her to manage clients’ budgets, oversee business operations, and project manage, in addition to applying the design skills and creativity required for each project.
Beth has appeared on NBC and HGTV, and has been featured in several media outlets including House Beautiful, Elle Decor, Real Simple, The Washington Post, Business of Home, and The Wall Street Journal. She is proudly a founding member of the Black Artists + Designers Guild, an associate of the American Society of Interior Designers, a member of the Design Leadership Council, and a member of the Black Interior Designers Network.
SWAGATIKA RATH (MFA1)
NYSID Alumni Scholarship Recipient / Scholarship sponsored by Daniel House Club
Swagatika Rath believes design is more than aesthetics—it’s a narrative woven through craftsmanship, culture, and function. With a background in furniture manufacturing, she spent years working between New Delhi and Hong Kong on luxury hospitality projects, including Soho House and the Ritz Carlton. While immersing herself in high-end interiors, she realized her true passion wasn’t just in supporting the design process—it was in shaping spaces with intention and creativity.
Moving to New York to study at NYSID was a leap of faith. Stepping away from stability, changing careers in her 30s, and diving into a new discipline was daunting, but from the moment she walked into the studio, she knew she had made the right decision. NYSID stood out not only for its reputation but also for its supportive community. Her classmates have been her biggest source of encouragement, especially during late-night design debates, and faculty members have empowered her with the technical skills and real-world insight to thrive.
At NYSID, Swagatika is passionate about residential and hospitality design, striving to create spaces that are both visually striking and deeply meaningful. She is committed to honoring cultural influences and keeping craftsmanship at the heart of modern interiors. Continuing her impact beyond the classroom, she actively supports diversity and mentorship within the industry, including being involved in NYSID’s student chapter of the Asian American Pacific Islander Design Alliance (AAPIDA) and serving as student liaison for ASID New York Metro.
THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS!
PLATINUM PATRONS
Mrs. Alessandra Branca Uihlein and Mr. Stephen Uihlein
PATRONS
DONADIC
David Kleinberg
The Shade Store
CONNOISSEURS
Wilkinson Global Asset Management LLC
BENEFACTORS
Benjamin Moore & Company
Migdalia Bonilla
Carrier and Company Interiors
Cullman & Kravis Associates
James Druckman/New York Design Center
Ferguson & Shamamian Architects
Heller Furniture
UNDERWRITERS
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph and Janice Bae
Kristen Brennand/Daniel House Club
Clark Construction Corp.
Mrs. Jill Dienst/Dienst + Dotter Antikviteter
James Dixon Architect PC
SUPPORTERS
Baccarat
Jill Cohen/Sandow Media
The Design Leadership Network
Mr. and Mrs. Gregg Goldenberg and Kelli Goldenberg
E. Katherine Hajjar, Esq/Bond Schoeneck & King
Alexa Hampton
Charles Miers/Rizzoli New York
Kravet LLC
Eve Lehrman
Robert A.M. Stern Architects
Gale Singer and Andy Singer/ Visual Comfort & Co.
Studio Designer and Keith Granet
Ingrid Edelman*
Dennis Miller and Milan Hughston
Charlotte Moss
Peter Spalding/Daniel House Club
Nathan Orsman/Orsman Design Group
Betsey Ruprecht
Brad and Lizza Schneller
Schumacher
David Scott*/David Scott Interiors
Beth Diana Smith* Waterworks
Young Huh Interior Design
FRIENDS
Jean Abouhamad/Sea-Dar Construction
Krystyna P. Breger
Rose Caiola/Bettina Equities Management LLC
Alex Colodny/Taconic Builders
Michele Oka Doner
Laura Doyle
Jamie Drake
Sean Ferguson/I-Grace Builders & Advisors
Clair Fitzgerald*
Comer Wear/Century Furniture
Gensler
Wendy Goodman
Swati Goorha
Elizabeth Graziolo/Yellow House Architects
Susan Zises Green*
Edmund Hollander/Hollander Design
Lance Howard/Little Man Parking
Michelle Jacobson*/MLJacobson Design
Corey Damen Jenkins & Associates, LLC
Kit Kemp
Peti Lau*/Peti Lau Design
Amir Loloi
Susan Loloi
Mayfair Construction
CONTRIBUTORS
A to Z Design Consulting/Alyssa (Abrams) Zimerman
Marie Aiello* and Paul Boardman
Anthony Baratta
Karyn and Charles Bendit
Toni & Seth Bernstein
Kate Rheinstein Brodsky
Louise Brooks
Lawrence Chabra*
Kelly Collier-Clark/House of Clark Interiors
Joy Cooper
Currey & Company
Kathaleen Duffin
Erick Espinoza*
Samantha Fingleton
Ellen Fisher, in honor of Peter Brandt
Noel Gatts
Eric Gering
Brian J. McCarthy
Eric McLaughlin/Highline Construction Group
Melanie Millner/The Design Atelier
Marc and Daniellah Partial
Nancy Piraquive
Ann Pyne/McMillen, Inc.
Dana Raines/Highline Construction Group
Melissa Reavis/ Hollander Design
Tom Robinson/Taconic Builders
Adam Sacks
Kurt Schumacher/I-Grace Builders & Advisors
Tim Sheridan/Stark Carpet Corp
William P. Short, III
Howard and Patty Silverstein
Kate Kelly Smith/Luxe Interiors and Design
David Sprouls and Kate Wood
Barbara E. Toll
Erin Wells*/Ageloff Design Group
Nataki Williams
Williams Lawrence Interiors
Woodmeister Master Builders
Britt and Damian Zunino/Studio DB
Joseph Zoladz/Sea-Dar Construction
Lewis I. Haber and Carmen Dubroc
Jane Hunsinger
Adam Japko
Nicole Keith*/A.T.O.B Interiors
Judith Kellner
Shelly Kellner
Maria Lannamann*
Kayla Lowry*
Mark Magowan
Campbell Minister/Campbell Minister Design
Lilit Miridzhanyan*
Sylvia Owen*
George Marshall Peters*
RoseHyll Studio, in honor of David Scott
Interior Design
Savitree Shann
Jackie & Brendan Tansill
Vicki Walcott-Edim
SPECIAL THANKS AND GRATITUDE
Our deep appreciation to Baccarat for being the awards sponsor for the NYSID Gala since 2021. Thank you for donating and engraving the exquisite crystal Octogone vases that are presented to our distinguished honorees. We are grateful for our continued partnership with Baccarat.
Many thanks to the incomparable David Boatman for concepting and producing the outstanding videos about our honorees. The evening would not be the same without them! We are incredibly fortunate to be in the capable hands of Boatman Media for the fifth consecutive year.
We would like to express our appreciation to Daniel House Club for sponsoring the 2025 Alumni Scholarship and welcome you to the NYSID community. Daniel House Club was created to streamline and simplify the business of interior design. An Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Company, it provides an all-in-one platform where solo practitioners and small design teams can plan and manage their projects, and shop with over 300 vendors at unbeatable to-the-trade pricing. The Daniel House Club team manages procurement, order logistics, and vendor communication, so its members can spend more time doing what they love—creating and designing. Not to mention, growing profitable!
The NYSID Alumni Council honors the history and mission of the college and maintains a meaningful connection among graduates—past, present, and future. Ours is a commitment to create opportunities for one another and to deepen the bonds between us. As ambassadors, we engage in philanthropic activities to support NYSID’s scholarship programs while steadfastly supporting its achievement as one of the leading interior design programs in the country. For more info, please contact alumnicouncil.president@nysid.edu.
The board, faculty, and staff of NYSID are delighted to congratulate this year’s distinguished honorees:
Alessandra Branca
Mara Miller & Jesse Carrier
Beth Diana Smith ’15 (AAS)
Thank you for everything you have done to make this evening a resounding success!
ABOUT THE AWARDS
NYSID is proud to present awards in the following categories to individuals or companies in residential or commercial design who have made outstanding contributions to the interior design profession.
NYSID CENTENNIAL MEDAL
This Medal was presented for the first time in 2016 to commemorate NYSID’s 100th anniversary. It is awarded every few years to an individual who has had a significant impact on the industry over a period of many years, and is also recognized for their contributions to the wider community. Past awardees include James Druckman (2016), Charlotte Moss (2017), Patricia M. Sovern (2017), and Jamie Drake (2022). The sterling silver medal, designed by the artist Michele Oka Doner, presents an emerging growth form, a kind of tree of life, simultaneously representing the growth of knowledge and the organic nature of design.
ALBERT HADLEY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Since 2011, NYSID has been presenting the Albert Hadley Lifetime Achievement Award to individuals who have made contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of interior design. The award is named in memory of the iconic interior designer Albert Hadley, a long-time member of NYSID’s Advisory Board who generously gave his time to the college and its students. He was also the benefactor of the Albert Hadley Scholarship Fund at NYSID.
Past Hadley honorees include Mario Buatta (2011), Jack Lenor Larsen (2012), Geoffrey Bradfield (2013), Mariette Himes Gomez (2014), John Rosselli and Bunny Williams (2015), Ellie Cullman (2016), David Kleinberg (2017), Suzanne Rheinstein (2018), Jeffrey Bilhuber (2019), Brian J. McCarthy (2020), Alex Papachristidis (2021), Suzanne Tucker (2023), and Ann Pyne/McMillen Inc. (2024).
LARRY KRAVET DESIGN INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP AWARD
This award is presented to an individual or company who has helped advance the field of interior design in a significant way and is a leader in the industry. Presented for the first time in 2019 to Christopher Spitzmiller (Innovation award), we presented the 2020 Innovation award to Gale Singer (Circa Lighting) and Andy Singer (Visual Comfort & Co.), the 2021 Leadership award to Corey Damen Jenkins, the 2022 Leadership award to Young Huh, the 2023 Leadership Award to John Edelman, and the 2024 Leadership Award to Nate Berkus.
The Kravet Award is named in memory of Larry Kravet, an icon within the interior design industry, who passed away in 2018 at age 92. He transformed his grandfather’s small tailoring shop, established over 100 years ago, into Kravet LLC. Under his leadership, the company grew into North America’s largest integrated “to the trade” wholesaler of decorative home products and one of the world’s foremost purveyors of fabric, furniture, wall coverings, and carpet. Mr. Kravet was the third generation of a now five-generation family company. His daughter, Ellen, is Chairman of the NYSID Board, and is helping to continue his legacy both at NYSID and Kravet LLC.
RISING STAR AWARD
The Rising Star Award is presented to a designer, preferably a NYSID alumnus, who is hitting their stride in the profession. The award, which has been sponsored by The Shade Store since 2019, honors a talented individual relatively early in their career, who is becoming a recognized name in the field and demonstrates great promise and leadership. Presented for the first time in 2019 to Alberto Villalobos ’06, we presented the 2020 Rising Star Award to Elizabeth Lawrence ’03, the 2021 award to Nina Farmer ’02, the 2022 award to Laura Hodges ’09, the 2023 award to Peti Lau ’11, and the 2024 award to Erick Espinoza ’13.
For three generations, service has been the foundation of The Shade Store. As the leader in custom window treatments, it is committed to providing the finest quality drapery, Roman shades and roller shades, a great value and an exceptional customer experience. The brand’s exclusive collection of more than 1,300 in-stock materials and industry-leading C.O.M. program give designers virtually endless creative opportunities. The Shade Store has some of the fastest lead times in the industry, with orders shipping in 10 days or less and C.O.M. orders shipping in 15 days or less. With nationwide measurement & installation services, The Shade Store can work with designers on projects all over the country to ensure the perfect fit every time. At all of The Shade Store’s 140+ showrooms nationwide, expert Design Consultants help designers realize their vision for beautiful window treatments. For more information, please visit theshadestore.com.
NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN
The New York School of Interior Design has been leading the study of interior design for over a century. A private, nonprofit college focused exclusively on interior design, NYSID offers certificate, undergraduate, and graduate programs for students at all stages of their careers—whether they’re just becoming familiar with the discipline, considering a career change, or looking to deepen their knowledge in a particular area. Consistently ranked one of the top interior design programs in the United States, students study both residential and commercial interior design, some with specialties in sustainable design, lighting, and healthcare interiors. NYSID students enjoy a small class size and sharp focus, receive a great deal of personal attention from dedicated faculty, and go on to practice at the highest levels of the profession.
