Kitchen & Bath Business November/December 2022 - 77

MARIA STAPPERFENNE,
CMKBD, CLIPP,
Tewksbury Kitchens
& Baths, Whitehouse
Station, N.J.
Together with LaDonna Erickson
and Louie Delaware of the
Living in Place Institute (LIPI),
Maria Stapperfenne wrote a new
program in the spring of 2021 for
the NKBA called " One Fall Can
Change It All. " She has presented
the CEU-eligible program to
three NKBA chapters and says
it aims to reduce falls in homes
by a substantial percentage by
providing education to industry
pros and consumers. A regular
Voices from the Industry speaker
at KBIS, Stapperfenne will be
presenting a session with Delaware
and designer Toni Sabatino
on how the LIPI principles aff ect
people's business and professional
lives. She believes in practicing
what she preaches, and as such
has renovated each bathroom in
her home with zero-clearance
showers, grab bars and outlets
behind the toilets. For 2023,
Stapperfenne plans to write
another professional program for
the industry and hopes to groom
more leaders for her local NKBA
chapter by lifting up willing
volunteers and supporting their
eff orts with meaningful backup
and experience.
EBONY STEPHENSON,
CLIPP, CAPS, Owner,
Designs by Ebony
Newport News, Va.
One of the two designers who
nominated Ebony Stephenson
for this award said she did so for
her tenacity, courage and boldness.
She is the fi rst Black president
for the Virginia Chapter
of the NKBA and has held the
role the last three years. In this
leadership role, Stephenson has
been fostering equality, diversity
and inclusion in our industry.
In 2022, she was chosen as one
of the " 5 Black Designers to
Follow on Instagram " by the
NKBA, an initiative in honor
and celebration of Juneteenth.
As part of the Virginia Tech:
Residential Environments and
Design Advisory Board for
the last 10 years, she has been
able to give valuable feedback
to professors to ensure their
curriculum is current to what
employers want and need from
graduating students. Virginia
Tech is part of the NKBA's
Affi liated Schools program, and
Stephenson says it has been an
honor to be a member of this
advisory board and to have her
company featured as a success
story from this program.
WAYNE TURETT,
Owner of The Turett
Collaborative
New York City
For Wayne Turett and his fi rm,
sustainability is the name of the
game, and he considers it during
every step of the design process
- from the materials used to the
structural design. He designed
his own weekend home in
Long Island according to Passive
House standards and uses
it to show his team and clients
that beauty and comfort are not
trade-off s for sustainability and
green building. His home was
recently included as a fi nalist
for HGTV's " Living Large
in Small Spaces " competition,
and he was a speaker at the NY
NOW International Furnishings
and Design Association's
panel on the sustainable home
in August. He began his blog,
" Th e Turett Collaborative, "
during COVID to connect
with peers and clients, and he
says it has become a platform
representative of his fi rm's
beliefs and interests. Th e goal
of each post is to present to the
reader something they can learn
from and reproduce through
walking tours, fi lm guides and
cultural profi les.
KAITLYN WOLFE,
Owner & Principal
Designer, Iconic
by Kaitlyn Wolfe
Scottsdale, Ariz.
Although the beginning of her
education was in neuroscience
and healthcare, Kaitlyn Wolfe
knew from an early age that she
wanted to be an interior designer.
She was also determined to
own her own business, so she
pursued her MBA and at the
same time gained experience
working for a local interior
designer, architect and general
contractor. In 2019, she decided
to focus on her company full
time and has continued to
double her team each year. She
attributes her success to hiring
the best people and says they
have worked hard at developing
a reputation for designing
unique and fresh spaces and
providing full-service interiors
and general contracting. Wolfe
is also engaged in many speaking
engagements and says she
loves talking to young students
because she wants to inspire
others to follow their gut and
passion. She and her team are
moving into a new offi ce space
this year, and she has hired some
new key positions to improve
her fi rm's process and overall
client experience.
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Kitchen & Bath Business November/December 2022

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