December 14, 2007
Contact Alexis Fermanis at 202.721.0220

WASHINGTON, DC - The National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) presented the Louis S. Tregre Award to Robin Wagner (pictured on right) during the 2007 Annual Council of Delegates meeting in Seattle, Washington. The award recognizes an individual for outstanding volunteer service at the grassroots level in support of the NCIDQ's mission to protect the health, life safety and welfare of the public by establishing standards of competence in the practice of interior design.

The award was created in 1991 to honor the memory of Louis Tregre, a founding director and first president of NCIDQ. He worked tirelessly, beginning in the late 1960s until his death in 1991, to form an independent, autonomous organization to develop standards and guidelines for determining competency in the practice of interior design.

Wagner is an Assistant Professor in Interior Design at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia and is recognized for her leadership and commitment serving on the NCIDQ Exam Multiple-Choice Committee. In 2000, she joined the committee and due to her exemplary service, was soon invited to serve as Chair. The Examination is the most important service that NCIDQ provides to the profession in support of its mission of public protection. The Examination has two multiple-choice sections, which are written by interior designers and are based on task, knowledge and skill statements described in an analysis of professional practice done by NCIDQ every five years. Each question must meet strict standards of psychometric validity, must have a reliable written source and must have grounding in public health, safety and welfare.

"Robin takes a scholarly and analytical approach to question writing," says NCIDQ Past President Barbara Pallat (pictured above, left). "She and her committee created and validated hundreds of well researched and defensible questions during the seven years she has served on the committee. As a further example of her dedication, she often worked additional hours between meetings to further refine additional questions needed for reserve, a testament to her excellent work ethic and continued level of volunteer commitment to NCIDQ. We are very lucky to have Robin working with us."

Wagner stepped down as Chair in 2006 to mentor new question writers and provide continuity for the new Chair. She assisted in the refinement of the newly created educational presentation, "Your Journey to Professionalism," designed to inform interior design students of the professional path of an interior designer.

"This is such an honor," says Wagner. "The work NCIDQ does for its members and the public is so important, and I am proud to be a part of it. The dedicated people who give their time for NCIDQ are unlike any others I have worked with, and they are a large part of why I continue to support the organization. Thank you NCIDQ for this award and for making my time with you so enjoyable!"

The NCIDQ Examination is used by professionals to demonstrate meeting an exam standard for state registration/licensure as well as for individual credentialing. Passage of the exam results in the NCIDQ Certificate-the mark of a professional interior designer. The NCIDQ Certificate facilitates mobility for interior designers, which is critical in today's economy, and it is required for professional association membership and many design firm and teaching positions.

NCIDQ® is an organization of regulatory boards and provincial associations in the United States and Canada whose core purpose is to protect the health, life safety and welfare of the public by establishing standards of competence in the practice of interior design. More information about the organization may be found at www.ncidq.org.

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