Kendra Ordia
Kendra Locklear Ordia earned a Master of Interior Design from the School of Architecture at The University of Texas Austin where she focused on biophilic interior design guidelines for healthcare environments. She is a registered interior designer in the State of Nebraska and Texas, holds an NCIDQ certification and is a LEED accredited professional. Prior to UNC Charlotte, Ordia was an associate professor of interior design in the College of Architecture at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Her professional work at renowned firms like Perkins & Will, Gensler, and CallisonRTKL (now Arcadis) allowed exposure to projects ranging from large scale healthcare to workplace design with focuses on environmental and occupant wellbeing.
Her research and creative scholarship explore biophilic design at the intersection of public interiority and urban ecologies. Her writings have been featured in publications including The Journal of Interior Design, Public Interiority: Exploring Interiors in the Public Realm, and Interiors: Design/Architecture/Culture. Her creative work has been exhibited at several national and international exhibitions including Meteorological Imaginaries, Public Interiority, DesignLAB Next Nest Exhibition, and at Curtains: The Center for American Architecture and Design Symposium.
In 2020, she was recognized as one of eight American Society of Interior Design (ASID) Ones to Watch scholars. In 2023 she was awarded the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC) Teaching Excellence Award and in 2024 received the ASID Educator of the Year award. She serves on the ASID National Board of Directors, the International Design Continuing Education Council Board of Directors, and the IDEC Foundation board.