HIGH POINT, NC — The Bienenstock Furniture Library announces updates to its 2025 Board of Directors including Brian Simpson, who assumes the role of board president; Caroline Hipple as vice president; and two additional home furnishings industry executives, Thomas Verellen and Lisa Kahn, as new board members.
Brian Simpson previously served as vice president and creative director for Alderman Company where he managed a team of art directors, graphic designers, programmers, and imaging professionals. He founded the company’s digital imaging and web development department and has been an instrumental contributor to the library’s digital communications development.
Caroline Hipple is chief creative officer for legacy manufacturer Hooker Furnishings, where she is responsible for developing a cohesive creative strategy for the company’s brands. Among her many accolades, she was named an Industry Icon in 2024 by the International Home Furnishings Representatives Association (IHFRA). Hipple has earned a reputation for her focus on company culture and the role it plays in business success.
Thomas Verellen is director of sales for furniture manufacturer Verellen, overseeing the West Coast, Rocky Mountain, and Southwest sales territories as a second-generation member of the business. He has played a pivotal role in increasing market share in his region, and growing a large portfolio of clients with a strong sense of responsibility to continue his family’s legacy.
Lisa Kahn, ASID, is the founder and owner of Finding SanctuaryⓇ by Lisa Kahn Designs, having started her eponymous interior design firm in Naples, Florida, in 2000. She is at work now to form the Finding Sanctuary Institute, a non-profit organization and retreat center dedicated to providing research and education on how environments can be harnessed to further the evolution of human consciousness.
The board positions are two-year terms, according to Karla Jones, the library’s executive director.
“The unique experiences of each library board member are leveraged to nurture our industry’s next generation of design professionals,” says Jones, who helped launch the Bienenstock Future Designers Summit in 2021, attracting college-level students from across the country to the two-day intensive in High Point each September.
“I would like to acknowledge outgoing board president Dudley Moore for his outstanding efforts, while also encouraging our industry and High Point Market colleagues to support this fall’s fifth annual event with their generous financial contributions,” adds Jones.
The Verellen Furniture Scholarship and the Broyhill Family Foundation Scholarship are recurring in 2025.
To establish a new student scholarship for the Future Designers Summit, or to sponsor a furniture or interior design student’s participation in the 2025 educational event, please write to executive-director@furniturelibrary.com
About The Furniture Library
Founded in 1970, The Bernice Bienenstock Furniture Library located in High Point, NC, is a world-class research facility for information on furniture, interiors, architecture, textiles, finishes and construction. Significant among the Library’s 5,000+ holdings are contemporary acquisitions and a rare books collection of international volumes published since 1640, including a complete collection of original works by 18th century furniture masters Chippendale, Sheraton, Hepplewhite, and a complete set of Diderot’s Encyclopedia. It is open to the public and devoted to the advancement of knowledge of furniture and design for members of the furniture industry, design professionals, scholars and students. Since 1984, The Library has awarded more than $400,000 in scholarships to students at 17 colleges throughout the US. It houses a specialty bookstore selling the latest books on design as well as out of print and hard to find texts. It is also used as a venue for professional meetings, seminars, conferences, lectures and art events.
