3/28/06 Contact: Harriet Giles, 334/844-3241 (gileshw@auburn.edu)
David Granger, 334/844-9999 (grangdm@auburn.edu)

DESIGNER KAREN FISHER TO PRESENT AU’S ANNUAL GRISHAM-TRENTHAM LECTURE

AUBURN - Karen Fisher, one of America’s foremost interior design experts and forecasters of emerging trends, will deliver the 20th Annual Grisham-Trentham Lecture on Thursday, April 6, at 11 a.m. in The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center Auditorium. Fisher’s presentation is entitled, “Packaging Yourself for Success in the Design World.”

Fisher is founder and head of Designer Previews, a unique consulting firm that specializes in matching clients with both well-known and emerging designers and architects. Before launching Designer Previews, Fisher served as editor for Women’s Wear Daily, Cosmopolitan, Esquire and American Home. She teaches part-time at New York University and is the author of six books on design. In 1996, Fisher was inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame for her outstanding contributions to the field.

“I have known Karen for many years,” said Michael Solomon, professor of consumer affairs in the AU College of Human Sciences and chair of the Grisham-Trentham Lecture Series. “She is very familiar with the design landscape and is highly regarded by her peers in the industry. We are delighted to have her on campus and look forward to hearing her address what clients look for in a designer and how students can best prepare themselves for professional life.”

The Grisham-Trentham Lectureship was established by retired Consumer Affairs Professor Gary Trentham to expose students to world-class designers and business leaders. In addition to Trentham, the lectureship also bears the name of renowned painter and textile designer Betty Grisham and her late husband, Charles, an Auburn graduate.

Auburn University is a preeminent land-grant and comprehensive research institution with more than 23,000 students and 6,500 faculty and staff. Ranked among the top 50 public universities nationally, Auburn is Alabama’s largest educational institution, offering more than 230 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs.

(Contributed by Harriet Giles.)

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