IAOTP names Dr. Susan Ray-Degges Trailblazer of the Year

The International Association of Top Professionals will honor Dr. Susan Ray-Degges at its annual awards gala in New York City this December. The recognition highlights her work in interior design, higher education and accessible living environments.

Why it matters: - The award recognizes leadership in interior design education and the push for more accessible, evidence-based design. - The honor also spotlights the role of academic leaders in shaping future designers and industry standards.

What happened: - The International Association of Top Professionals selected Dr. Susan Ray-Degges as Trailblazer of the Year for 2026. - IAOTP will present the award at its Annual Awards Gala this December at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. - IAOTP also named Ray-Degges in its Top 50 Fearless Leaders publication and plans to give her two other honors at the gala: Top Professor of the Decade in Interior Design and Trailblazer of the Year.

The details: - Ray-Degges serves as program coordinator and professor in the Interior Design Program at North Dakota State University. - Her academic work focuses on the human dimensions of environmental design. - Her professional background includes more than three decades in interior design and design education. - She previously served as associate professor and assistant professor at North Dakota State University. - Earlier roles included faculty positions at the University of Central Arkansas, part-time teaching at Southwest Missouri State University and a graduate teaching assistantship in environmental design at the University of Missouri. - Her expertise includes higher education and teaching, research, curriculum design and development, program development, interior design and public speaking. - Ray-Degges earned a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics with a concentration in Housing and Interior Design and a minor in Art from Missouri State University. - She earned a Master of Science in Housing and Interior Design from the University of Missouri, with a focus on spaces for people with disabilities and older adults. - She later completed a Ph.D. in Human Environmental Sciences at the University of Missouri, specializing in environmental design and gerontology. - Ray-Degges is an NCIDQ Certified Interior Designer and a Minnesota Certified Interior Designer through the state board that oversees architecture, engineering, land surveying, landscape architecture, geoscience and interior design. - IAOTP has also previously recognized Ray-Degges as Top Professor of the Year in Interior Design and Empowered Woman of the Year. - Her additional honors include inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who’s Who’s Who of Top Educators and Who’s Who of Professional Women in Education and Interior Design. - IAOTP shared a gala page at award details. - Ray-Degges also posted a video at watch here and a professional profile at more information.

Between the lines: - The recognition reflects IAOTP’s focus on credentialed professionals who combine leadership, visibility and peer recognition. - Ray-Degges’ career mix of classroom teaching, academic leadership and accessible design points to growing interest in inclusive built environments. - The multiple awards suggest IAOTP is positioning Ray-Degges as one of its higher-profile honorees this year.

What's next: - Ray-Degges will be recognized in person at IAOTP’s December gala in New York City. - She says she hopes to keep inspiring the next generation of design professionals while continuing her work in interior design and higher education. - Outside work, Ray-Degges spends time traveling and with her family.