Barbara Marini, Ph.D., FASID, IDEC, ICC, honored with the Keith Hooks Volunteer Excellence Award

Dr. Barbara Marini, FASID, IDEC, ICC, Director of Interior Design at the University of Texas Arlington has been honored with the Keith Hooks Volunteer Excellence Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) and interior design higher education.

Dr. Marini joined CIDA’s Accreditation Commission in 2019 as the representative of accredited programs and completes her second term on December 31, 2025. During her tenure, she has participated in numerous report reviews and accreditation decisions. She chaired the Accreditation Commission in 2023 and successfully represented CIDA before the Council for Interior Design Higher Education (CHEA) Committee on Recognition in Washington, D.C., as part of CIDA’s 2023 recognition review.

As a member of the Accreditation Commission, Dr. Marini has contributed to multiple site visitor training workshops, offering the Commission’s perspective on standards application and report writing. She has also represented the Commission in both in-person and virtual workshops for program faculty, sharing insights from her own program’s experience with CIDA accreditation. In addition, she served on CIDA’s Standards Task Force, which evaluated accreditation standards and set direction for the future, and she is currently the Accreditation Commission’s 2025 liaison to the CIDA Standards Committee.

Above and beyond, Dr. Marini is tireless in her advocacy and volunteerism. She continually surpasses expectations with the time she devotes to leadership and research advancing professionalism in the field of interior design.

CIDA established the Keith Hooks Volunteer Excellence Award as a legacy to former Director Keith Hooks whose 20+ years of volunteer leadership immeasurably impacted thousands of students in CIDA-accredited programs. “The Board is grateful to Dr. Marini for advocacy leadership and for spearheading important research initiatives. The breadth of her contributions to the profession at large and her inexhaustible worth ethic are inspiring and worthy of the Keith Hooks Volunteer Excellence Award. The CIDA Board is absolutely thrilled to recognize her, and we congratulate her on this award and her numerous impressive achievements,” states CIDA Board Chair Jennifer Busch, Hon. IIDA.

Over 120 interior design educators and practitioners currently volunteer for CIDA. Only one Keith Hooks Volunteer Excellence Award is presented annually. The Council for Interior Design Accreditation is an independent, non-profit, accrediting organization responsible for setting standards and evaluating degree granting interior design programs.