Kathleen Parrott, Ph.D., CKE
Dr. Kathleen R. Parrott, CKE is a professor of Housing and Coordinator of the NKBA Accredited Program at Virginia Tech. She is a NKBA member, a Certified Educator and made the Keynote Address at the 2001 National Kitchen and Bath Association annual conference (co-presenter) “Someone’s in the Kitchen…”, highlighting research from the Virginia Tech Center for Real Life Kitchen Design. Dr. Parrott has written many articles for the kitchen and bath industry and for the housing and education profession and co-authored two of the NKBA Professional Library books, Kitchen Planning and Bath Planning. She received her PhD in Community and Human Resources with a Minor in Housing from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.
Julia Beamish Ph.D., CKE
Julia Beamish, department head and professor of the Department of Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management, oversees the Center for Real Life Kitchen Design at Virginia Tech.
Beamish is nationally recognized for her expertise in the areas of housing and aging and universal design. She has conducted research funded by the Andrus Foundation, the Agricultural Experiment Station, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on assisted living facilities, ECHO housing, retirement housing, and acceptance of alternative housing among older adults. She has been involved in universal design education since the early 1990s and regularly teaches a class in universal design.
Beamish has written book chapters, refereed industry-related articles, and made numerous presentations to professional audiences on this topic. She received her Ph.D. from Virginia Tech, her master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and her bachelor’s degree from East Carolina University.
JoAnn Emmel Ph.D.
JoAnn Emmel, PhD is an associate professor at Virginia Tech in the department of Apparel, Housing and Resource Management. She has taught residential technology and housing courses and has co-authored a book on kitchen space planning wrote a book chapter on small appliances for a household equipment textbook. JoAnn has also done research in residential technology, energy use, kitchen space planning and kitchen storage. In addition, she has served as president of the Association of Home Equipment Educators, the International Appliance Technical Conference, and the Virginia Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. JoAnn also is a member of a Technical Committee for ANSI.
Mary Jo Peterson, CKD, CBD, CAPS, CAASH
Mary Jo Peterson is president of Mary Jo Peterson, Inc., a Connecticut-based design firm that focuses on residential projects and provides design support to major homebuilders nationwide. She is a certified kitchen, bath, and aging in place, and active adult designer with 20 years’ experience, and her work has earned national recognition. Author of numerous books and articles, Mary is a frequent national speaker and educator. Through her work with builders, architects, remodelers, manufacturers, and private clients, she contributes to the evolving integration of access and beautiful design, in the kitchen, the bath, and all through the house. Among the significant awards and recognitions that Mary Jo's universal design work has earned, are the Easy Access Housing award from AIA, Century21, and Easter Seals, multiple citations in the Universal Design Exemplars from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Building Sciences Museum, and design awards from the NAHB 50+ Housing Council and the NKBA. In 2009, she was inducted into the NKBA Hall of Fame. Her television appearances include the Real Life Design series, Good Morning America, numerous HGTV and DIY shows covering current universal, kitchen, and bath design issues in the housing industry.