Designer, GE Appliances
Rebecca Alvord (née Eakins) is a senior industrial designer on the Brand & Concepts Team at GE Appliances in Louisville, KY. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she received her bachelor's degree in industrial design from Western Washington University in 2006.
Alvord has led design on product lines including refrigeration, cooking and dishwashers. She holds several patents. In her most recent role on the Brand & Concepts Team, she is responsible for defining and executing cross product branding initiatives for GE Monogram, and identifying new business opportunities through research and development.
Alvord loves design because at its heart because it’s about solving problems and creating beauty. Her design interests include consumer research, trends, materials and processes.
When she is not enhancing the consumer experience through appliance design, she is an active volunteer within the national and local design community. In 2013, she led the formation of the IDSA Kentucky Chapter, serving as chair from 2013-2015. She is also a lead organizer for the Louisville Mini Maker Faire.
Secretary / Treasurer, IDSA Louisville Chapter
I truly believe our chapters are the hands and feet of IDSA and I have seen the difference our chapters can make in our local communities. As a chapter chair, I experienced firsthand the challenges chapter officers deal with in planning and organizing relevant content, recruiting chapter members and managing logistics such as newsletters and budget. It’s a tough job! It is my goal to continue to bring these issues to the IDSA Board and streamline as many processes as we can, using best practices from chapters across the country. IDSA needs to take more of the burden off running a chapter, so that the officers can focus on their members.
As Chapter VP for two years, I have accomplished the following:
I know we still have a lot of work to do to continue improving how IDSA equips our chapter officers and eases the load taken on by volunteers. If elected as your Chapter Director, I want to continue tackling these issues. Some of the goals I specifically will focus on include:
It would be an honor to continue serving on the IDSA Board as a voice for the chapters. I see this as an exciting opportunity for me to give back and serve my IDSA community.
Inspiring Leadership Workshop
How often in our busy lives, do we take time for personal and small group reflection on how to be a better leader? In accountability groups that will live on after the conference, we’ll discuss challenges that today’s women leaders face as well as anecdotal examples of inspiring leadership. We can all recognize great leadership, but how do we get there? Individually, each participant will focus on a personal challenge that they need to improve and then work through a plan of action with a partner. Prepare to be challenged and to help encourage others to be better leaders.