From Bachelor of Interior Design grad, to professor, to core faculty, to program chair, to professor again – Sheri Crawford’s Yorkville University journey is one that has come full circle.
A Class of 2013 alumnus, the Hamilton-based Crawford began teaching in Yorkville’s BID program in 2016 – just three short years after her graduation from the program.
Within two-and-half years of joining Yorkville University’s faculty, she was promoted to chair of the BID program – a position she held for nearly a year from 2018-2019, while also fulfilling her roles as both the president and principal designer of SLC Designs Ltd. and as president of the Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO).
Now, more than 20 years into her career in interior design, Crawford currently works as the principal designer at X-Design Inc. – a Canadian interior design and project management firm that has been helping “create spaces” with a pragmatic design approach.
Her specialty lies within the commercial and renovation sectors, designing spaces that respond to human need, regulations, accessibility and social solutions that are void of user discrimination.
For Crawford, the theoretical study of interior design has been a long-held passion. After earning her Bachelor’s degree from Yorkville, she went on to complete her Master of Arts in Interior Design from Savannah College of Art and Design, with a research focus on perspectives of interior design as a profession.
As a Yorkville student, professor, and program chair, the university’s BID curriculum has always impressed Crawford.
“I was really excited about how advanced the Yorkville program is,” Crawford said.
In her role as the chair, Crawford succeeded Erin Jenner – a fellow Yorkville alumnus, who continues to teach at Yorkville after having spearheaded several initiatives as chair, herself.
During her tenure in the role, Jenner made changes to program requirements in order to ensure the highest accreditation standards within the interior design industry, not to mention updates to the BID curriculum itself.
“I joined Yorkville to help Erin continue what she started,” Crawford said at the time.
“Erin had such vision and excitement for the program, and I’m committed to continuing to make the program even more relevant and bringing in more industry knowledge, especially as I’m a practising interior designer myself.”
Crawford now continues to contribute to Yorkville’s practitioner-oriented approach to education as a professor. Her past experience as president of ARIDO gives her further insight into the needs of students in the ever-evolving field of interior design.
“There are so many things happening in the interior design profession—it’s changing a lot,” Crawford said.
“I’m looking forward to furthering the profession through Yorkville, and to working with our amazing students, who really make the job so exciting.”
Dr. Maha Salman was named Crawford’s successor as chair of Yorkville’s Bachelor of Interior Design program in September 2019.
