VS America Names New Education Director

Furniture solutions company VS America recently announced that it has named Jill Ackers as its new Education Director, responsible for the company’s educational planning and professional development. A news release reports that Ackers has more than 25 years’ experience in school design, education and leadership positions in both K–12 and higher ed environments, as well as being a certified learning environment planner with A4LE.

Ackers’ new role will focus on researching the learning environment patterns required for agile space design, supporting the connection between pedagogy and space, the news release reports. Her previous partnerships with architecture firms, interior designers and furniture vendors have fleshed out her experience in designing responsive, flexible and agile spaces during all phases of the process, from the master planning phase to schematic design to design development.

Jill Ackers VS America
Jill Ackers
Photo Courtesy of VS America

“She has successfully engaged school boards, leaders, and educators in short-term and long-term visioning, strategic planning, and professional development to align and utilize innovative spaces with instructional delivery methods,” according to the news release. “She has developed extensive lessons-learned libraries through experiential research and collected data through post-occupancy studies to share how building design and classroom layout impact student achievement and well-being.”

In her position as Education Director, she’ll focus on educational planning for K–12 and higher education environments; designing and implementing professional development in schools; and communicating with architecture firms, design firms and dealer partners.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • TCU Marks Campus Expansion Milestone

    Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a topping-out ceremony to mark progress on a major campus expansion effort including four new residential facilities and a five-story parking garage, according to a news release.

  • Auburn University Debuts $224M STEM + Agricultural Sciences Complex

    Auburn University in Auburn, Ala., recently opened its new $224-million STEM + Agricultural Sciences Complex, the largest research construction project in the university’s history, according to university news. The facility measures more than 265,000 square feet and brings six departments from the College of Agriculture and College of Sciences and Mathematics together under one roof.

  • St. Lucie County, Fla., Breaks Ground on New K–8 School

    St. Lucie Public Schools in St. Lucie County, Fla., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new K–8 school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Spiezle Architectural Group, Inc., for the design of the upcoming Ft. Pierce K–8 School, which comprises six buildings covering 215,000 square feet.

  • Sam Houston State University Completes Athletic Stadium Renovations

    Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, recently announced the reopening of Elliott T. Bowers Stadium after an extensive renovation project, according to a news release. The university partnered with Stantec and DLR Group for the project’s design.