Designers, uniquely qualified to evaluate healthcare products and find new solutions, are Best of NeoCon jurors

May 11, 2025 — by Eileen McMorrow — NeoCon, the world’s premier fair for commercial design, is pleased to announce a powerhouse jury for the 2025 Best of NeoCon Awards. The competition includes these healthcare categories: Flooring; Furnishings: Guest & Lounge; Furnishings: Patient Room; and Textiles, and empanels a dedicated jury.

Now in its 35th year, the industry-leading competition features an on-site panel of top architects, designers, facility managers and business media who will conduct an in-depth review of the latest solutions shaping contract environments. The program brings together multidisciplinary professionals across workplace, healthcare, education, retail and hospitality sectors to evaluate 40 plus categories — from furnishings and architectural products to surface materials and more. 

With specialized knowledge and real-world hospital and medical office building specification experience and product performance, the 2025 roster includes these designers, who provide observations about Best of NeoCon:

Sonja Bochart, Director, Shepley Bulfinch, Phoenix, has over 25 years of expertise in national commercial design, specializing in healthcare environments. Recognized as a leader, Sonja has shaped transformative spaces for some of the nation’s most prestigious healthcare institutions. Her dedication to biophilic principles, which began early in her career, is rooted in her pursuit of a master’s degree in regenerative design and development. She is currently specifying for a 200-bed children’s hospital.

“I’m expecting to gain firsthand exposure to emerging trends, materials, and furniture solutions that push the boundaries of performance and design—particularly those applicable to healthcare environments,” says Sonja Bochart, (left). “Engaging with fellow jurors, manufacturers, and innovators will provide fresh perspectives and technical insights that can be brought back to ongoing projects, informing better decisions around durability, comfort, sustainability, and aesthetics. I’m also looking forward to understanding how different sectors approach similar challenges in interior design, broadening my design vocabulary and strategic thinking.”

Dee Dee Bonds, Vice President & Studio Practice Leader, Health Interiors, HKS, Orlando, is part of the team working on a new pediatric campus for a 4.5 million-sq-ft. facility that will be one of the largest greenfield pediatric hospitals in the nation and a musculoskeletal care institute. She has over 20 years of experience specializing in transformative healthcare environments that integrate design excellence with technical precision, leading multidisciplinary teams delivering innovative, patient-focused solutions using a Target Value Delivery (TVD) approach that ensures fiscal responsibility and positive outcomes. Her expertise as a clinical specialist spans healthcare design, infection control, and technical execution.

“As a professional actively engaged in specifying material finishes and furniture for large-scale healthcare projects — such as those currently underway with HKS — serving as a Best of NeoCon Juror is a unique opportunity to contribute my design insight while staying at the forefront of product innovation. Evaluating products through the lens of functionality, sustainability, and user-centered design directly aligns with my role in helping shape healing environments for institutions like Children’s Health and Emory Healthcare. This allows me to support the advancement of excellence in commercial interiors while reinforcing the standards I apply in my own work,” says Dee Dee Bonds, Studio Practice Leader, Interiors, HKS, Inc. (above).

“I’m expecting to gain firsthand exposure to emerging trends, materials, and furniture solutions that push the boundaries of performance and design — particularly those applicable to healthcare environments. Engaging with fellow jurors, manufacturers, and innovators will provide fresh perspectives and technical insights that can be brought back to ongoing projects, informing better decisions around durability, comfort, sustainability, and aesthetics. I’m also looking forward to understanding how different sectors approach similar challenges in interior design, broadening my design vocabulary and strategic thinking.”

Joel Kalmin, Partner/Design Guru, The Creative Design Partners, LLC; Houston, has a background as the Director of Facility Planning at Legacy Community Health where he lead design and construction for over 50 facilities. He is seeking products at NeoCon for a Texas-based community healthcare provider.

“With 30 years of design experience, Joel Kalmin (left) brings a seasoned and insightful perspective to the jury. “My deep understanding of aesthetics, functionality, and emerging trends allows me to critically evaluate products with a balanced lens, ensuring both ingenuity and practicality are celebrated. I am adept at identifying designs that push boundaries while remaining anchored in user-centric principles.

As a juror, I look forward to immersing myself in the vibrant pulse of today’s cutting-edge innovations. I aim to learn from diverse perspectives, gain insight into groundbreaking design philosophies, and engage with the bold visions shaping our industry’s future. This experience promises to be a collaborative journey where I can exchange ideas with esteemed peers, uncover fresh inspiration, and contribute to celebrating excellence in design.”

Meghan Lannom, Associate, Registered Interior Designer, Marmon Mok, San Antonio, currently specializes in healthcare, but has worked in corporate and education over the past 13 years. During NeoCon, she is specifying for University Health Community Hospitals, Retama and Palo Alto locations.

“I am honored to be a part of the juror’s experience, and want to serve because I think it will be a great learning experience while meeting professionals from around the country,” says Lannom (right). “Seeing the future products will spark creativity and I will learn how to apply them to my future projects.”

Suzanne Lefebvre, Interior Design Leader, CannonDesign, Buffalo, takes an empathetic, holistic approach to creating transformative spaces. She tailors designs to each community and organization, ensuring every decision enhances human experience and well-being. She leads her teams in translating client brands and visions into progressive, responsive environments. Prisma Health, a 180,000-sq.ft. $138 million inpatient behavioral health hospital, in Greenville, South Carolina, is her recent project. “Patients experiencing a mental health crisis deserve expert compassionate care in a healing, nurturing environment. The new hospital will significantly increase access to this vitally needed care, but will also keep families closer to home and their family-friend networks which can help in recovery. The design is taking a hospitality approach to patient care with more human-scaled design, softer look, and indoor/outdoor access.”

“I am excited to return to the NeoCon jury this year. I understand the importance of evaluating products that define the future of design, innovation, and sustainability,” says Lefebvre (left). “I am drawn to NeoCon because it brings together cutting-edge solutions that not only meet the needs of today’s market, but look towards being more inclusive for all end-users.”

Jurors will engage in an immersive evaluation of every Best of NeoCon entry — allowing for careful deliberation, meaningful dialogue with manufacturers, and product testing. This face-to-face exchange, paired with the jury’s thorough onsite assessment, upholds the Best of NeoCon program’s reputation as the most trusted industry benchmark for design excellence.

“Each year, we select a jury with a keen understanding of how products influence the built environment,” remarks Eileen McMorrow, Director of the Best of NeoCon Program. “Their expertise — from both the interior design perspective and the facility manager and end-user experience — is invaluable in recognizing solutions that push the industry forward.”

Awards are given for Gold, Silver, Innovation and Sustainability, and the singular Best of Competition honor. The Business Impact Awards will also return, recognizing products that drive organizational performance through smarter workflows, cost savings, space optimization and other strategic outcomes. Business Impact finalists will advance to a second round of on-site review by a panel of business journalists from Fast Company, Forbes, Newsweek, Vogue Business and Morning Brew, among other notable publications.

This year, NeoCon attendees will also be able to weigh in on innovations through the inaugural People’s Choice Awards. This peer-to-peer recognition allows industry professionals to vote for their favorite Best of NeoCon-winning products via QR codes displayed in award recipients’ booths and showrooms throughout THE MART, during the show. The winners will be revealed on Wednesday, June 11.

Submission rules, deadlines and entry fees

NeoCon exhibitors are encouraged to submit entries through the Best of NeoCon online portal. Eligible products must have entered the U.S. market since June 2024 and be on display at NeoCon 2025. Products previously entered in Best of NeoCon 2024 are ineligible. Entrants must be NeoCon 2025 exhibitors. The final submission deadline is May 20th at $1,100 per entry and the Business Impact Award opt-in fee is $250 per entry.

More details on the program and entry process can be found at Best of NeoCon.

The distinguished group will judge each entry in-person at THE MART in Chicago on June 6 and 7, before the show opens. Winners will be unveiled during a high-energy ceremony on Monday, June 9, at 7:30 a.m., kicking off the 56th edition of NeoCon.

NeoCon 2025 is open to trade, C-suite executives, and other industry-related professionals, and registration is free for all attendees. Register here.