How to Cultivate a Strong Board, Create KPIs, and Develop Strategic Goals – Q&A with Casey Awad of ASID

ASID places a strong emphasis on cultivating a collaborative and transparent relationship between staff leadership and our National Board of Directors— a group comprised entirely of ASID members, many of whom are long-standing volunteers deeply committed to advancing the profession. 

To support this relationship, staff prepares detailed quarterly updates that are shared with the board in advance of each quarterly meeting. These updates allow each department to highlight key achievements, share challenges, and offer a clear picture of organizational progress. Additionally, our CEO meets weekly with the Chair of the Board to discuss risks, opportunities, and strategic direction, ensuring continuous alignment and responsiveness between meetings. 

We also maintain dedicated liaisons between the board and each of our national volunteer committees, strengthening the pipeline of information and input from across our community. Mentorship between board members and student leaders is another valued facet of our culture, reinforcing continuity, education, and shared investment across generations. 

Our board culture thrives on mutual respect, open dialogue, and a shared sense of purpose—a spirit that will continue to evolve and deepen under the incoming leadership of Shundra Harris, who will become ASID’s first African American Chair in 2026. 

Yes. ASID uses Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) aligned with our strategic plan to help the board assess and guide the organization’s performance. These metrics provide clarity around progress toward goals such as membership growth and retention, financial health, and program engagement. 

By reviewing KPIs during board meetings and in regular reports, we foster a data-informed culture that helps the board offer strategic oversight while staying grounded in operational realities. These measures also strengthen the connection between day-to-day execution and our long-term mission to elevate the value and impact of interior design. 

We revisit strategic goals annually through a structured, collaborative planning process with our board. This engagement is essential to ensure our direction remains responsive to emerging trends and grounded in the real needs of our members and the design industry at large. 

Our board plays a central role in shaping these goals, offering critical oversight, industry insight, and thoughtful counsel. Because our board is composed of interior designers who are practitioners and advocates themselves, their lived experience informs a more relevant, forward-looking strategy. Their role is not only to advise but to co-create a shared path forward. 

Yes, growth, diversification, and sustainability are foundational to our board’s focus. These priorities inform our policies, programming, and research initiatives. 

We’re committed to expanding our membership while intentionally broadening representation across demographics, firm types, and design sectors. The board also prioritizes sustainable design leadership, a value reflected in ASID’s research and advocacy around health, wellness, and climate-resilient environments. 

These priorities are not just aspirational—they are embedded in our governance. Our incoming 2025–2026 board reflects this intentionality, bringing together diverse voices and perspectives that mirror the communities we serve and aspire to influence. 

A successful board relationship is rooted in mutual trust, transparency, and shared commitment to mission. In practice, this looks like open communication, clear roles and expectations, and active participation in strategic decision-making. 

Our leadership team works closely with board members to ensure they are empowered to contribute meaningfully—leveraging their professional expertise, personal insight, and dedication to the profession. 

A strong relationship also includes regular engagement, recognition of contributions, and space for mentorship. We see this dynamic play out through our board-student relationships, committee liaisons, and our consistent feedback loop between board and staff. 

We use a multi-pronged approach to board engagement. In addition to quarterly board meetings and standing committee work, we provide regular updates via comprehensive staff reports and CEO briefings. 

ASID’s digital platform, Design Connection, also supports ongoing engagement by enabling members and leaders to collaborate, share resources, and stay connected between meetings. 

We further support engagement through leadership development opportunities, special briefings on research and public policy, and by leveraging the board’s expertise in the wide range of educational presentations ASID offers throughout the year. 

By keeping the board closely connected to the pulse of the organization and the profession, we ensure that their contributions are both timely and impactful.