Joseph Hittinger honored with the Keith Hooks Volunteer Excellence Award

Joseph Hittinger, Professional Interior Designer and Realtor, San Francisco, CA, has been honored with the Keith Hooks Volunteer Excellence Award in recognition of his many outstanding contributions to the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) and interior design education.

Hittinger began his service with CIDA in 2003 as a site visitor and was quickly promoted to a site visit team chair. He conducted twelve site visits in this role. Hittinger also served two terms on CIDA’s Accreditation Commission from January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2015. He chaired the Accreditation Commission in 2012 and 2013 and also participated in developing new site visitor training mechanisms. The hallmark of Hittinger’s service on the Accreditation Commission was his strong leadership and ability to cultivate balanced decision-making among individuals with diverse perspectives.

After completing two full terms on the Accreditation Commission, Hittinger served one full term on the CIDA Board of Directors as the Accreditation Commission representative. His Board leadership was critical to advancing CIDA’s mission, as he helped create initiatives for strengthening standards development and CIDA’s outreach. The organization continues to benefit from his contributions with the implementation of rigorous, ongoing future scanning and enhanced CIDA advocacy.

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 applauds Joseph Hittinger’s 15 years of outstanding CIDA volunteer leadership. Joseph truly embodies the dedication and service the Keith Hooks Volunteer Excellence Award seeks to honor. The Board is thrilled to recognize him with this award, and we congratulate him on his achievements,” states Jan Johnson, FIIDA, CIDA Board Chair.