The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) has announced the elevation of Contract Editor in Chief John Czarnecki, Assoc. AIA, to the status of Honorary Member of IIDA. Honorary Membership, a distinction that recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the design profession, is bestowed for life.
“Throughout his publishing career, John has demonstrated a consistent commitment to Design,” said Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA, LEED AP, IIDA Executive Vice President and CEO. “From the print and online publications he has overseen to his role in organizing awards programs for Designers, John has shown himself to be an industry ally of the highest caliber. With no small measure of gratitude for his dedication to the profession, we acknowledge him as an Honorary Member and look forward to his further involvement with IIDA.”
Since assuming the role as editor in chief of the publication Contract in 2011, John has seen it through a significant redesign and re-launch, while also leading the publication’s online presence and its awards programs, including the Interiors Awards, Healthcare Environment Awards and the Best of NeoCon Awards. He currently also serves as Chair of the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Convention Advisory Committee for the 2014 AIA National Convention to be held in Chicago.
John’s publishing relationship with the AIA reaches back more than a decade. Through eight years of service at publisher John Wiley & Sons, he edited and published books for design professionals, a number of which resulted from Wiley’s professional relationship with the AIA. As associate editor of Architectural Record from 2000-2003, John distinguished himself through his direction of coverage of the 9/11 attack aftermath for the October 2001 issue, which became one of three finalists for a Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award for best news coverage, and for his ongoing coverage through 2003 of initial planning concepts for the World Trade Center site
John holds Master of Architecture and Master of Urban Planning degrees from the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee (UWM), and was honored as one of 10 recipients of the 2003 UWM Graduate of the Last Decade Award.
