News Stories

Boston, Mass. --- (September 18, 2007) At the annual Board of Directors meeting, the Boston Architectural College elected Lisa Bonneville FASID, interior designer and Principal of Bonneville Design in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA, as Board Chair. Lisa is the first female and first interior designer to serve in this capacity.

A business-savvy social innovator, Lisa’s career is distinguished by her passion for design and community involvement. Lisa advocates the power of networking and cross-disciplinary collaboration as the best means to achieve successful outcomes – a personal mission that will lay the foundation for her upcoming work as Board Chair. Lisa began her tenure on the BAC Board of Directors in 2003, serving ex-officio as Interior Design Representative on the Board for two years, before she was elected as a director for 2005-2007. In 2006, Lisa was elected as Vice Chair of the Board.

"Lisa brings fresh perspectives to the BAC, stressing collaborative practices and a strong emphasis on increasing our development activities.” states President Ted Landsmark. “Her quarter century as an independent interior designer has put her in direct contact with clients looking for designers who listen closely and provide both traditional and innovative solutions. That work prepares her well for service at the BAC. We are delighted to welcome her as our new Board chair."

Lisa received a BFA in Graphic Design from Michigan State University. She completed interior design studies at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, the New England School of Art and Design and studied architectural drafting at the BAC before achieving professional NCIDQ certification in 1989. She was the 2006 recipient of an Honorary Master’s Degree in Interior Design from the BAC.

Lisa has taken an active leadership role in the interior design profession through local, regional, and national involvement with the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). In 2000, she became the seventh New England recipient of the ASID Medalist Award for her service to the NE Chapter, and in 2006 became the second member of the NE Chapter and 23rd national member to be inducted into the ASID College of Fellows, the society’s highest honor. Her many roles within ASID include: Past Chapter President, 1992–1997; Treasurer and Public Relations Chair of the New England Chapter; Chair of the ASID Northeast Regional Convention in Boston in 1996; director on the national ASID Board and the Knowledge Resource Council; chair of the Designer Referral Council and National Examiners Committee; and member of the National Appointments Committee and National Codes Council, 1997–2001. Lisa has represented ASID on the Furnishings & Contents Technical Committee of the NFPA since 2000, in juried interior design competitions for the ASID and BSA, and she has served as Fundraising Chair and Public Relations Chair of the Massachusetts Interior Design Coalition (MIDC) in support of licensure for registered interior designers.

Established in 1981, Bonneville Design is an award-winning independent interior design firm that serves residential, business, healthcare and retail clientele. In 2007, Lisa received citations from the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate, from Governor Deval Patrick. In June 2007 she was honored as the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce Small Business Person of the Year by the Manchester-by-the-Sea Board of Selectmen. Lisa is a charter member of the ADA Advisory Council in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA, where she initiated the annual ACCESS AWARD, recognizing businesses that make their buildings ADA accessible to the public.

Lisa Bonneville has published her design projects and numerous articles on professional practice, locally and nationally. In 1997, she authored a 250-page manual entitled Your Design Process: Identify It – Organize It – Profit by It, which she presented locally and at ASID and IFMA national conventions. Her book The Safe Home, Designing for Safety in the Home will be published by ASID in 2007.