Next Gen Designers: A Conversation with Roby Isaac, VP Design, Mannington Commercial

Roby Isaac knows first-hand the importance of exposing youth and budding talent to a world of design and creation. Benefiting from such exposure during high school himself, Isaac’s participation in a design apprenticeship set an early foundation and the roadmap for his career in design. As vice president of commercial design at Mannington Commercial, Isaac is paying his formative experience forward—spearheading the manufacturer’s involvement in the Design Your World Education Program, a program developed by IIDA, the commercial interior design association, and Chicago-based After School Matters, to create early exposure and opportunity for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) students to careers in interior design and architecture.

Danielle Clair Simpson worked with BNP Media’s flooring publications in various capacities between 2012 and 2021. The former managing editor of Floor Covering Installer and Floor Trends has a degree in journalism from Eastern Michigan University and a master’s degree in public relations and organizational communication from Wayne State University.