Assistant Professor
 106G Alumni Hall
 513-529-1666
 setserks@miamioh.edu

Courses Taught (past 2 academic years)

ARC 204 Interior Design Studio
ARC 403 Interior Design Studio 
ARC 419 Materials of Interior Design
ARC 444 Professional Practice in Interior Design

Educational Credentials

Master of Science Architecture, University of Cincinnati, 2013
Bachelor of Science, Miami University, 1985

Teaching Experience

Assistant Professor, Miami University, 2013-Present
Instructor, Miami University, 2013
Instructor, University of Cincinnati, 2011-2013
Visiting Lecturer, Western Kentucky University, 2000-2002
Lecturer, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 1999
Instructor, Watkins Institute, 1987-1989

Professional Experience

Principal, Setser Consulting Group, Oxford, OH, 2015-present
Program Coordinator, Interior Design Program, Western Kentucky University, 2001-2002
Principal, Managing Partner, Enterprise Resource Group, LLC, Nashville, TN, 1999-2010
Board Director, Hickerson Fowlkes, Inc. Architects, Nashville, TN, 1997-1999
Director of Interior Design, Hickerson Fowlkes Inc., Architects, Nashville, TN, 1995-1999
Principal, Katherine S. Setser Interior Design, Nashville, TN, 1987-2004
Acting Director, Watkins Institute, Nashville School of Interior Design, Nashville, TN, 1988-1989

Licenses/Registration

NCIDQ Certificate #9154, 1990

Selected Publications, Creative Scholarship, Awards, Grants

Honors, Awards & Recognition of Scholarly & Engaged Works

2018 Louis S. Tregre Award, Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ), international award that recognizes one outstanding individual yearly for their significant contribution to the interior design profession, November

• International Book Award for The State of the Interior Design Profession, February 2014
  • The book is listed on the “International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI) 50 ‘Must Read, Must Have’ Book List” that represents what the “global design community considers to have been influential for the Interiors discipline during the past five decades.” IFI is the sole international federating body for Interior Architecture/Design organizations. Book contains:
  • Setser, Katherine S. “Through the Cracks: Failures in the Implementation of Fire and Life Safety Standards in the Selection, Specification and Installation of Interior Design Content.” In The State of the Interior Design Profession, edited by Caren S. Martin and Denise A. Guerin, 251-263. New York: Fairchild Books, 2010.

Research & Scholarship Publications
National Fire Protection Association. “Chapter 10 Interior Finish, Contents, and Furnishings.” In NFPA 101® Life Safety Code, 2021 English Edition. Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection Association, 2020. (Co-author)
National Fire Protection Association. “Chapter 10 Interior Finish.” In NFPA 5000® Building Construction and Safety Code®, 2021 English Edition. Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection Association, 2020. (Co-author)
Setser, Katherine S. Creating Recognition and Professional Authority in Interior Design: Making Space in the Market. London; New York: Routledge, forthcoming (late 2022 e.r.d.).
National Fire Protection Association. NFPA 557 Standard for Determination of Fire Loads for Use in Structural Fire Protection Design. 2023 Edition. Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection Association, forthcoming (2022 e.r.d.). (Co-author)
National Fire Protection Association. “Chapter 10 Interior Finish, Contents, and Furnishings.” In NFPA 101® Life Safety Code, 2024 English Edition. Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection Association, forthcoming 2023. (Co-author)
National Fire Protection Association. “Chapter 10 Interior Finish.” In NFPA 5000® Building Construction and Safety Code®, 2024 English Edition. Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection Association, forthcoming 2023. (Co-author)
National Fire Protection Association. NFPA 556 Guide to Evaluation Fire Hazard to Occupants of Passenger Road Vehicles. 2024 Edition. Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection Association, forthcoming (2023 e.r.d.). (Co-author)
National Fire Protection Association. NFPA 555 Guide on Methods for Evaluating Potential for Room Flashover. 2025 Edition. Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection Association, forthcoming (2024 e.r.d.). (Co-author)

Invited Expert Testimony

Since 2020 I have provided 7 expert testimonies at the state legislative level that focus on the inadequacies in existing laws and procedures to prevent physical and economic harm to the public as evidenced through her forensic research and/or the professional preparation required to meet educational and practice standards within the interior design profession in order to validate the value and necessity for interior design legislation that protects the health, safety and welfare of the public. To date, legislation in these states has passed in 2 of the states, is pending in 2 others, and has been upheld in a fourth. Two examples include:

• North Carolina General Assembly. Joint Chamber. Joint Legislative Administrative Procedure Oversight Committee. H.B. 858 Relating to the Interior Design Profession Act: Hearings before the Joint Legislative Administrative Procedure Oversight Committee (public testimony of Katherine S. Setser, Principal, Setser Consulting Group, Assistant Professor, Miami University). North Carolina General Assembly, 2019-2020 Session, March 9, 2020.
• Colorado General Assembly. House. Committee on Business Affairs and Labor. H.B.20-1165 Relating to the Interior Design Practice: Hearings before the Committee on Business Affairs and Labor (public testimony of Katherine S. Setser, Principal, Setser Consulting Group, Assistant Professor, Miami University). Colorado General Assembly, Second Regular Session 2020, February 18, 2020.

Invited Expert Testimony

• North Carolina General Assembly. Joint Chamber. Joint Legislative Administrative Procedure Oversight Committee. H.B. 858 Relating to the Interior Design Profession Act: Hearings before the Joint Legislative Administrative Procedure Oversight Committee (public testimony of Katherine S. Setser, Principal, Setser Consulting Group, Assistant Professor, Miami University). North Carolina General Assembly, 2019-2020 Session, March 9, 2020.
• Colorado General Assembly. House. Committee on Business Affairs and Labor. H.B.20-1165 Relating to the Interior Design Practice: Hearings before the Committee on Business Affairs and Labor (public testimony of Katherine S. Setser, Principal, Setser Consulting Group, Assistant Professor, Miami University). Colorado General Assembly, Second Regular Session 2020, February 18, 2020.

Peer-Invited Conference Keynote and Plenary Presentations

• Setser, Katherine. “Material Witness: Using Failure to Examine the HSW Impact of Interior Design Content.” Keynote presentation at the Annual Statewide Conference for the Design Community, Oklahoma Board of Architects, Landscape Architects and Registered Interior Designers, Oklahoma City, OK, November 2018.
• Setser, Katherine. “Professional Ethics: Recognizing and Navigating Ethical Issues in the Design Professions.” Plenary presentation at the Annual Statewide Conference for the Design Community, Oklahoma Board of Architects, Landscape Architects and Registered Interior Designers, Oklahoma City, OK, November 2018.
• Setser, Katherine. “Data Diving: Refining the HSW Case for Harm in Interior Design Practice.” Plenary presentation at the Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ) 2017 Annual Conference: Assembly of Delegates Meeting, Alexandria, VA, November 2017.
• “Power Dynamics: Reframing and Owning the Interior Design Jurisdiction.” Plenary presentation at the 3rd Annual IIDA Advocacy Symposium, International Interior Design Association (IIDA), Chicago, IL, September 2017.
• Setser, Katherine. “Shifting the Paradigm | Translational Approaches for Revolutionary Change.” Keynote presentation at the New Jersey Coalition for Interior Design Legislation [Regional] Conference: Redefining the HSW Impact of Interior Design Practice, Union, NJ, September 2015.
• Setser, Katherine. “Making Space in the Market: Defining a Professional Threshold.” Keynote presentation at the New Jersey Coalition for Interior Design Legislation [Regional] Conference: Redefining the HSW Impact of Interior Design Practice, Union, NJ, September 2015.
• Setser, Katherine. “Changing the Paradigm: Translational Approaches for Revolutionary Change.” Plenary presentation at the 2014 Council of Delegates Annual Meeting: Forty & Forward, Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ), Albuquerque, NM, November 2014.

Peer-Reviewed Appointments to Scientific and Technical Advisory Committees

• Technical Advisor, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Hazard and Risk of Contents and Furnishings (HAR-AAA) Committee, Appointment: August 2021-2026.
• Subject Matter Expert, International Code Council (ICC) Interior Code Specialist Certification Exam Development Team, July 2021 to present.
  • Based on increased evidence of interior design impact on health, safety, and welfare in the built environment, the International Code Council is establishing a new specialized credential to certify interior design professionals practicing in code regulated environments.

• Convenor and Lead Collaborator, Interior Design Ethics Alliance Task Force, January 2021 to present.
  • The Task Force, composed of 13 North American subject matter experts, is charged to develop the first-ever consensus based international code of ethics and professional responsibility for the interior design profession. Related publication forthcoming in Spring 2022.

• Trustee/Subject Matter Expert (sole representative for the North American interior design community), International Fire Safety Standards (IFSS) Coalition, 2020 to present.
  • The Coalition, launched at the UN in 2018 and funded by the UN and the World Bank, is currently composed of 64 international organizations, each with one Trustee providing technical input, and seeks:
  • to establish the first ever “common set of internationally accepted performance-based principles for fire safety aspects of design, engineering and construction, occupation and ongoing management” to improve life safety in the global built environment.
  • to provide a framework that is applicable “to all property types and all regions and nations regardless of the differing political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal differences between nations.”

• Technical Advisor, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Interior Finish and Contents (BLD-INT) Committee, Appointment: 2019-2024.
• Technical Advisor, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Interior Finish and Contents (SAF-INT) Committee, Appointment: 2019-2024.
• Subject Matter Expert, American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), Standing Policy, Codes and Standards Committee, 2019 to present.
• Subject Matter Expert, NCARB/CIDQ Examination & Competency Research Team, National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) and Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ), Washington, DC, 2019-2021.

Consultancies: International

• External Review Panelist, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Education & Training Evaluation Commission, December 2020. National Center for Academic Accreditation and Evaluation (ETEC-NCAAA). Bachelor of Science, Interior Design and Furniture, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
• External Review Panelist, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Education & Training Evaluation Commission, October 2020. National Center for Academic Accreditation and Evaluation (ETEC-NCAAA). Bachelor of Science, Interior Design, Jubail University College, Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia.
• External Review Panelist, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Education & Training Evaluation Commission, April 2020. National Center for Academic Accreditation and Evaluation (ETEC-NCAAA). Interior Design Program, Imam Abdul Rahman bin Faisal University (IAU), Dammam, Saudi Arabia; cancelled due to COVID-19.
• Consultant/Subject Matter Expert, Invitation by the Saudi Arabia Council of Engineers to participate on team developing examination for interior design competency and licensure, 2019.
• Consultant/Subject Matter Expert, Invitation by the Saudi Arabia Council of Engineers to participate on Job Analysis Research Team identifying and validating knowledge domains and skill sets defining competency for interior designers in Saudi Arabia, 2019.

Selected Professional Leadership

International Organizations

• Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA)
  • Board Chair, 2020
  • Director, 2016-2021
  • Secretary-Treasurer, 2017-2018
• Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ)
  • Liaison to CIDA Board of Directors, 2016-2021
  • Chair, Multiple Choice Examination Development Committee, 2008-2009

National Organizations

• American Society of Interior Design (ASID)
  • Chair, Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee, 2019-
  • Chair, Codes Development Subcommittee of the Policy, Codes and Standards Committee, 2019-

State Organizations

• American Society of Interior Design (ASID)
  • Legislative Chair, 2021-
  • President, Ohio South/Kentucky Chapter, 2020-2021
  • President Elect, Ohio South/Kentucky Chapter, 2019-2020