TL Ritchie, interior designer and associate professor of interior design at LSU, was appointed to the Council for Interior Design Qualification Board of Directors. CIDQ is an organization that establishes standards of competence for interior design/interior architecture professionals. The organization oversees the development and organization of the NCIDQ examination, the single authoritative assessment tool that measures an appropriately trained professional’s ability to practice interior design.

The CIDQ Board of Directors ensures the public’s health, life safety, and welfare is protected by establishing standards of competence in interior design and by qualifying interior designers through a practice-based examination, which culminates in the NCIDQ certificate. This credential proves that the individual has met the standards for education, experience, and examination and establishes the basis for licensure in regulated jurisdictions in North America.

“As a member of our board, Ritchie leads the Council for Interior Design Qualification in not only identifying and setting the standards of competence for the field of interior design, but in perpetually looking toward the future to ensure that the NCIDQ examination is always evolving to reflect current practice realities, enabling us to deliver on our mission and protect the public,” explained Dr. Carol Williams-Nickelson, executive director of CIDQ and the NCIDQ examination. “Ritchie was chosen by her colleagues to serve on the board because she is an accomplished and well-respected educator, visionary, role model, and leader in the profession.”

“The School of Interior Design at LSU, its faculty, students, alumni, and friends, join in applauding Professor Ritchie for her appointment to the CIDQ Board of Directors,” said Jim Sullivan, chair of the School of Interior Design. “This is a significant accomplishment that is commensurate with the high regard with which Professor Ritchie is held by interior design educators and professionals and reflects LSU’s commitment to being a leader in the discipline of interior design.”

In addition to this appointment, Ritchie has been recognized for numerous achievements and has served as chair for the School of Interior Design at LSU, vice chair for the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Interior Design, and faculty director for the 2003 Charles E. Peterson Prize, Athenaeum of Philadelphia, and the American Institute of Architects. She received the Louisiana Preservation Alliance Honor Award for Education and the Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation Honor Award for Education. She is a NCIDQ Certificate holder, a licensed interior designer, and holds a Masters in Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin.

“I am honored to serve on such a prestigious and important board in our discipline and am committed to upholding the integrity of the NCIDQ examination while expanding its influence, recognition and use,” commented Ritchie.

More about CIDQ
The Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ) is the global leader in establishing standards of competence for interior design professionals through the development and administration of the NCIDQ examination. More information about the organization may be found at ncidq.org.

About LSU School of Interior Design
The LSU School of Interior Design is a CIDA accredited program that emphasizes creative problem solving, skills in research and analysis, and professional preparedness. Student activities are supported in the design studios, which form the core of the program’s educational experience. Liberal arts, communication, and technical courses are required and complement the program’s strong emphasis on design. For more information, visit interiordesign.lsu.edu.

Contact
Angela Harwood
Communications Coordinator
LSU College of Art + Design
102 Design Building
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
225-578-9041
aharwood@lsu.edu