Lydia Kimler

LYDIA KIMLER retired as Interior Decorating Services instructor at Erwin Technical College in Tampa; she is also the former head Interior Designer for a Central Florida design firm. During the 2008 school year, the Hillsborough County Technical Career and Adult Association named her Outstanding Post-Secondary Technical Teacher. "I took my students on many field trips to introduce them to people in the design trades, expand their knowledge of design, and learn professional behaviors," she said. "I had business and trades people come to my class as guest speakers, which helped my students connect to the business arena they were about to enter upon graduation. I modeled service by working on redesign of my school's structure. I explained the design process to my students and they saw how that process worked as the jobs unfolded." Mrs. Kimler has a Master's degree in Interior Design from Florida State University, and many years of experience serving Tampa Bay area clients with their design needs. She was a National Board Certified teacher who touched the lives of many thousands of middle school, high school and adult students during her 37-year tenure with the School District of Hillsborough County (Fla.), of which Erwin is a part. The classes she taught in the Secondary schools included Interior Design, Family and Consumer Sciences and Early Childhood Education. Mrs. Kimler was reared in nearby Plant City, which is still her hometown. She and her husband, Gary, have been married 37 years and enjoy world travel. They have two adult children and two grandchildren.