Gala 2026
NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN
An Event to Benefit the NYSID Scholarship Funds March 3, 2026
NYSID BOARD OF TRUSTEES
NYSID ADVISORY BOARD
Ellen Kravet, Chairman
Robin Klehr Avia
David Sprouls, President
Chesie Breen Michael Bruno
Jill H. Dienst
Kathleen M. Doyle
James P. Druckman
Ross J. Francis
Ingrid Ongaro Edelman
Mariette Himes Gomez
John Edelman
Gerald A. Holbrook
Susan Zises Green
Thomas Jayne
Alexa Hampton
Wolfram Koeppe
Young Huh
Charlotte Moss
David Kleinberg
Barbara Ostrom
Drew McGukin
Sylvia Owen
Courtney R. McLeod
Ann Pyne
Dennis Miller
Peter Sallick
Michael Phillips
Calvin Tsao
Betsey Ruprecht
Bunny Williams
Brad Schneller
Vicente Wolf
David Scott Gale Singer
NYSID ALUMNI COUNCIL Randi Halpern, Faculty Trustee Inge Heckel, Trustee Emerita Patricia M. Sovern, Chairman Emeritus
Marie Aiello ’04 (AAS) Lawrence Chabra ’09 (BFA) Allison Russell Davis ’05 (BFA) Michelle Jacobson ’17 (MPSS) Maisie Lee ’00 (BFA) Kayla Lowry ’24 (MFA1) George Marshall Peters ’08 (BFA) Erin Wells ’04 (BFA)
The Board of Trustees of the New York School of Interior Design Ellen Kravet CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
David Sprouls PRESIDENT
Ingrid Ongaro Edelman, Alexa Hampton, David Kleinberg, Betsey Ruprecht TRUSTEES & GALA CO-CHAIRS
Welcome you to the College’s 2026 Gala HONORING
William Sofield
Albert Hadley Lifetime Achievement Award
Ken Fulk
Larry Kravet Design Industry Leadership Award
Brooke Lichtenstein ’10 (BFA) and Yiannos Vrousgos ’10 (BFA) Rising Star Award
The Shade Store, RISING STAR AWARD SPONSOR Daniel House Club, ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP SPONSOR Baccarat, AWARDS SPONSOR
Tuesday, March 3, 2026 The University Club One West 54th Street New York City
Menu APPETIZER
University Club Ceasar Salad
Gem lettuce, Boquerones, Parmesan Crosti
ENTRÉE
Grilled Breast of Chicken
Buttermilk Whipped Potatoes, Roasted Root Vegetables, Sweet Garlic Jus
VEGETARIAN OPTION AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
DESSERT
Selection of House-Made Petit Fours and Cookies Coffee/Tea Service WINE
Bacchus Chardonnay, Central Coast/Sonoma County Castle Rock Pinot Noir Reserve, Russian River Valley/Sonoma County
Joe Martin Rendering for House Beautiful magazine, Joe Martin Collection, New York School of Interior Design, NY.
Order of the Evening Emcee Dennis Scully
Welcoming Remarks Ellen Kravet, CHAIRMAN OF THE NYSID BOARD OF TRUSTEES David Sprouls, NYSID PRESIDENT
Awards Ceremony
Presentation to Caroline Vinci (MFA1) NYSID Alumni Scholarship Recipient
Introduced by Marie Aiello ’04 (AAS), PRESIDENT, NYSID ALUMNI COUNCIL and Peter Spalding, CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER, DANIEL HOUSE CLUB
Presentation to Brooke Lichtenstein ’10 (BFA) and Yiannos Vrousgos ‘10 (BFA) Rising Star Award/Sponsored by The Shade Store
Introduced by Zach Gibbs, CO-FOUNDER, THE SHADE STORE
Main Course
Presentation to William Sofield
Albert Hadley Lifetime Achievement Award Introduced by Mayer Rus, WEST COAST EDITOR, ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST
Presentation to Ken Fulk
Larry Kravet Design Industry Leadership Award Introduced by Ronan Farrow, PULITZER-WINNING INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
Concluding Remarks David Sprouls Dennis Scully
Dessert and Coffee/Tea
William Sofield Albert Hadley Lifetime Achievement Award
Considered one of the most thoughtful talents of his generation, Sofield, a Modernist by temperament and a Historicist by training, believes that design must live as well as it looks. His holistic approach renders beguiling and seamlessly practical solutions from an artistic concept that is balanced by an unfailing sensitivity to the individual’s needs and tastes. Sofield’s desire is to imbue spaces with respect for materiality and fidelity to craft, sophisticated luxury that improves with use and age. His architecture, interiors, and landscapes become places of memory and legacy. Studio Sofield was founded in 1996 as a workshop dedicated to creative collaborations and the expressed goal of integrating multiple disciplines. With exceptional elegance, clarity, and wit, Studio Sofield injects unalloyed excitement into the practice of design and architecture, creating spaces that reshape the boundaries of art and craft, reality and fantasy, history and the present moment.
RIGHT: CASA DE PLATA, BRENTWOOD PROJECT. LEFT: DORIC VILLA PROJECT.
Sofield received his degree in architecture and urban planning from Princeton University, followed by an academic focus on art history and European cultural studies. He was awarded the Helena Rubinstein Fellowship from Whitney Museum of American Art for curatorial work in the Independent Study Program. In addition to numerous recognitions, Sofield was honored by the Cooper Hewitt with the National Design Award for Interior Design in 2010 and the Museum of Arts and Design Award in 2021. Consistently named in the Architectural Digest’s AD100 Hall of Fame, and a Titan on Elle Décor’s A-List, he has been inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame as well. He received The Excellence in New Design award by the Upper East Side Historic District in New York and was twice presented with the Architectural Commission of Beverly Hills’ design award for Excellence in Architecture. Sofield serves on the boards of the Wolfsonian Museum and the Glass House.
Ken Fulk
RIGHT: PRIVATE CLUB. LEFT: CARMEL, CALIFORNIA HOME PROJECT. PHOTOS BY DOUGLAS FRIEDMAN.
Larry Kravet Design Industry Leadership Award
Leading a team of 100 in San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles, Ken Fulk Inc.’s projects range from private compounds and high-concept hospitality to boats, planes, and once-in-alifetime parties. With retail shops in LA and San Francisco, his entertaining essentials, custom scents, and decorative accessories have been curated to design a well-lived life. He oversees every aspect of a project—from concept and branding to the uniforms and guest rituals. Fulk goes far beyond design; he serves as a creative director for Carbone and Major Food Group, helping define their meteoric expansion of restaurants across the globe, and he partnered with Pharrell Williams to launch his foray into hospitality with The Goodtime Hotel in Miami. Fulk has reimagined how we gather in a contemporary world by leading the creation of three modern-day social clubs: The Battery in San Francisco, The ’Quin House in Boston, and The Commodore Perry Estate in Austin. In 2018, Fulk founded Saint Joseph’s Arts Society, a non-profit dedicated to supporting local artists and creatives at revitalized historic landmarks in San Francisco and Provincetown, Massachusetts. He was christened “The Incredible Fulk” by The Economist. He has been a fixture on Architectural Digest’s AD100, Elle Décor’s A-List, and Luxe’s Gold List. He was inducted into Hospitality Design’s Platinum Circle Hall of Fame and was recently applauded as Design LA’s “Living Legend” award. He’s been a winner of multiple Restaurant & Bar Design Awards and was twice nominated for the James Beard Design Award.
Brooke Lichtenstein ’10 (BFA) Yiannos Vrousgos ’10 (BFA) Rising Star Award Sponsored by The Shade Store
RIGHT: 95 ANDERSON STREET, HACKENSACK, NJ, MULTIFAMILY PROJECT. LEFT: 395 CARROLL STREET, BROOKLYN, NY, MULTIFAMILY PROJECT.
Brooke Lichtenstein ’10 (BFA) and Yiannos Vrousgos ’10 (BFA) are co-founders and partners at INPUT, a New York City-based interior design firm that has become synonymous with innovation in commercial interiors and luxury multifamily developments. In 2010, while participating in the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) Dining by Design initiative, Lichtenstein partnered with fellow designer and now husband Vrousgos. Under their leadership, INPUT has been recognized as one of New York City’s premier design firms, with projects featured in Interior Design, Frame, The New York Times, New York YIMBY, The Real Deal and more. The firm’s clients include industry leaders such as Lenovo, Samsung, Bozzuto, the Rabsky Group, JCS and the Jay Group. When not designing, they enjoy spending quality time together with their two children, whether in their Manhattan home or escaping to their weekend retreat in the Hudson Valley.
Caroline Vinci (MFA1) NYSID Alumni Scholarship Recipient
RENDERINGS FROM RETAIL AND COMMERCIAL PROJECTS IN INTERIOR DESIGN STUDIO III.
Scholarship sponsored by Daniel House Club
Caroline Vinci is an MFA1 student in her second year who joined NYSID after obtaining a BA in economics from the University of Pittsburgh and several years of working in finance. Caroline is a top student known for her creativity and passion for design. She’s a Graduate Student Assistant who works in The Mario Buatta Materials Atelier on NYSID’s 70th Street location, and The Ruth and C.J. Trimble Materials Collection at NYSID’s Graduate Center. She uses this as an opportunity to expand her knowledge about the tools of a designer, but is also dedicated to sharing what she is learning with her peers. She serves as co-vice president of NYSID’s student chapter of ASID, and is a member of NYSID’s chapters of the IIDA, Black Design Collective, and Asian American Pacific Islander Design Alliance. Last fall, she interned at The Standard-Highline, and this semester is interning at Young Huh Interior Design. Caroline aims to be a part of a design firm with a strong focus on precedent and reuse of existing design, but also wants to push the boundaries of what hospitality can be. She is attracted to design that feels nostalgic but also has a fresh take on familiar concepts. Caroline is also the 2025 winner of the NEWH, Inc. Interior Design Scholarship for hospitality designers, and a member of the team that won the 2025 Iron Design Challenge presented by Retail Design Institute. She shares her gratitude: “These scholarships and awards are all validation that the leap of faith I made a year and a half ago was the best decision I’ve ever made. This field is something that speaks to my soul, and I am the happiest I have ever been. I feel like I am finally where I belong.”
Thank you to our supporters! PREMIER DONADIC Rachel Kohler & Mark Hoplamazian
PATRONS David Kleinberg The Shade Store William Sofield/Studio Sofield
CONNOISSEURS Migdalia Bonilla Wilkinson Global Asset Management LLC
BENEFACTORS The Bernard & Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust Don Capoccia & Tommie Pegues Clarence House & Fabricut, Inc. Cullman & Kravis Associates James Druckman/New York Design Center Ferguson & Shamamian Architects Friends & clients of Amy Lau, in her memory Ken Fulk Kravet LLC Lutron
Material Bank Peter Lane Studio Randy Polumbo & Plant Construction Poltrona Frau Robert A.M. Stern Architects Schumacher & Patterson Flynn Sobia & Nadir Shaikh Gale Singer & Andy Singer/Visual Comfort & Co. Peter Spalding/Daniel House Club
UNDERWRITERS Ingrid Ongaro Edelman* E. Katherine Hajjar, Esq./Bond Schoeneck & King Kligerman Architecture & Design Drew McGukin*
Melanie Millner/The Design Atelier Betsey Ruprecht Waterworks
SUPPORTERS Baccarat The Brodsky Organization Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo/The Dorothea L. Leonhardt Foundation, Inc. Corey Damen Jenkins & Associates, LLC David J. Cohen, Sean Ferguson, Jr., and Kurt Schumacher/I-Grace Builders & Advisors and Seth Kaplowitz/Kaplowitz Group Jill Dienst/Dienst + Dotter Antikviteter Christine & John Gachot
Alexa Hampton Brooke Lichtenstein* & Yiannos Vrousgos*/INPUT Charles Miers/Rizzoli New York Dennis Miller, Milan Hughston, Suzanne Slesin, Barbara Toll Nathan Orsman/Orsman Design Group Michael Phillips Brad & Lizza Schneller David Scott*/David Scott Interiors Williams Lawrence Interiors
FRIENDS Paul Adams/CEO, Bellacor Marie Aiello* Benjamin Moore & Co. Anne Bickerstaff Cynthia Brennan Katie Brockman & Co. Carrier and Company Interiors Corcoran Sunshine Creative Matters/Ali McMurter Cristina Grajales Gallery Bianca D’Alessio DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Jamie Drake Rebecca Dudley* Miriam Ellner Clair Fitzgerald* Four Hands Anthony Barzilay Freund/1stDibs Gensler Wendy Goodman Eric Graham, President, Baker Interiors Furniture Company Elizabeth Graziolo/Yellow House Architects Susan Zises Green* James Hardie Lance Howard/Little Man Parking Michelle Jacobson*/DesignGLXY Group
Curry Jungerhans & Christina Falzano Erik Levy Alan Lichtenstein & Gail Juster Nancy Lorenz & Doug Schwalbe Susan Marinello* & Alessandra Marinello* Mayfair Construction Brian J. McCarthy Patrick & Martin McGowan Justin Mezzatesta & Regina Galeeva Liz O’Brien Marc & Daniellah Partial Purple Cherry Architects & Interiors Ann Pyne & Elizabeth Pyne/McMillen, Inc. Rockwell Group Samuel & Sons Sea-Dar Construction, Joseph Zoladz & Chris Schabacker Brian Sawyer Tim Sheridan/Stark Carpet Corp William P. Short III David Sprouls & Kate Wood Charles Strasser Holly Hayden Taylor* of Jeremiah Brent Design Virginia W. Tomenson Suzanne Tucker Woodmeister Master Builders Young Huh Interior Design
CONTRIBUTORS Alchemy Properties Rebecca Arrigo Jose Barbosa*/Pratesi Boutique Bloomingdales 59th Street, NYC Barbara Berger Nate Berkus Christy Turlington Burns Lawrence Chabra* Susan Rudd Cohen Gray Davis Laurinda & Edward Douglas Ellen Fisher, in honor of Peter Brandt
Desiree Gruber Lewis I. Haber & Carmen Dubroc Randi Halpern Inge Heckel Jeremiah Brent Design Nicole Keith*/A.T.O.B. Interiors Dan Miller Lilit Miridzhanyan* Helen & Joel Portugal, in honor of Amy Lau Seth Romine Dennis Scully Gemma Sudlow
List as of 2/17/26 | *NYSID Alumni
Special thanks and gratitude Our deep appreciation to Baccarat for serving as the awards sponsor of the NYSID Gala since 2021. We are grateful to the company for donating and engraving the beautiful crystal Octogone vases presented to our esteemed honorees. We sincerely value our ongoing partnership with Baccarat.
Many thanks to the peerless David Boatman for envisioning and producing the outstanding videos celebrating our honorees. They are a central part of the evening, and we are grateful to be in the expert hands of Boatman Media for the sixth year.
We are grateful to Daniel House Club for their generous sponsorship of the 2026 Alumni Scholarship for a second year. Daniel House Club is the quickest place for trade members to find and actually buy what they are looking for. It’s an all-in-one platform where design teams of all sizes can plan and manage their project procurement. The Daniel House Club Concierge offers world-class service in sourcing, vendor communication and shipping logistics so its members can spend more time and make more money doing what they love—designing beautiful places.
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 proud to congratulate our distinguished honorees: William Sofield Ken Fulk Brooke Lichtenstein ’10 (BFA) Yiannos Vrousgos ’10 (BFA) A huge thanks for helping make this evening such a 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), Ann Pyne/McMillen Inc. (2024), and Alessandra Branca (2025).
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, the 2024 Leadership Award to Nate Berkus, and the 2025 Leadership Award to Mara Miller & Jesse Carrier. 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, other Rising Stars have included Elizabeth Lawrence ’03 (2020), Nina Farmer ’02 (2021), Laura Hodges ’09 (2022), Peti Lau ’11 (2023), Erick Espinoza ’13 (2024), and Beth Diana Smith ’15 (2025). 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 The Shade Store’s 150+ 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 is a private college devoted to the design of the interior environment. A century-old institution, NYSID is recognized for its long-standing commitment to excellence in interior design education. Our guiding principle is that the successful design of an interior space improves human welfare, and that the interior design profession assumes an important role in ensuring that spaces are beautiful, functional, healthy, safe, and built in a socially and environmentally conscientious way. We are proud of our history, our esteemed faculty, and our dedicated professionals, who, year after year, provide the environment and support to help our students realize their dreams. To learn more, visit NYSID.edu.
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