Olga Kontzias

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olga_kontzias@condenast.com

Executive Editor - Fairchild Books, Fairchild Fashion Group

Ms. Kontzias has worked in textbook publishing since 1968 and likes to say that as a baby she was left in a basket at Fairchild's doorstep, but in fact she started her career just out of college as a research assistant for the in-house Fairchild directories. She has been involved in all stages of textbook production since 1972. Her keen eye for fashion and popular culture provided her with a unique ability to identify opportunities for textbook development and acquisition. In 1998, she was promoted to Executive Editor at Fairchild Books. In 1999, following a comprehensive study of the interior design textbook market.  Ms. Kontzias saw an opportunity for Fairchild and put together a plan for a new list. She lives on Long Island with her husband, a financial adviser. She can’t list shopping as a hobby . . . it’s an avocation . . . she collects jewelry, reads biographies and mysteries, and loves to plan dinner parties and cook gourmet meals. She’s a film and theater junkie. Ms. Kontzias is currently writing a mystery novel with an interior designer as a central character and hopes to have it finished before the next millennium.

EDUCATION

Hunter College, New York, BA, English and Art History

Parsons School of Design, Midtown Campus, NY, Certificate in Interior Design

PROFESSIONAL HONORS

•Fairchild WWD Media Worldwide IMPACT Award (Nov. 2001)
•Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC): Honorary Member (2007)
•Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC), Board of Directors, IDEC Foundation: (Feb. 2010 – Present)
•Iowa State University: Interior Design Advisory Board (June 2007 – April 2011)

KEY PROJECTS

Controversy Art / Art Controversy (Panel: Art Institute, NY: Nov. 2010)
Not Just About Books! (Workshop hosted by Fairchild Books: Aug.2001)
Future of Textbooks (2002 ITAA Conference, NY-Panel:  Aug. 2002)
Designing for Privacy and Related Needs (Julie Stewart-Pollack & Rosemary Menconi) – 2005
Environmental Psychology for Design (DAK Kope) – 2006
•Visual Culture in the Built Environment (Susan Winchip) – 2010
•2011 IDEC Book & Media Award: History of Furniture (Mark Hinchman)

COMPANY WEBSITE

www.fairchildbooks.com

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