Ann Pyne and Dennis Scully to Receive NYSID 2026 Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts; Honorees Will Present Keynote Speeches at Commencement
The New York School of Interior Design will celebrate 119 graduating students on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at NYU Skirball located at 566 LaGuardia Place, New York, NY. Commencement will recognize and celebrate the hard work of the college's talented graduates who have finished their education and are starting a bright future in interior design.
Each year, nominees for the honorary doctorate are selected from a distinguished pool for their demonstrated leadership in the interior design industry and values consistent with the college's mission. This year, NYSID selected Ann Pyne, President of McMillen Inc., America's longest-lasting interior design firm, and the recipient of the 2024 Albert Hadley Lifetime Achievement Award, and Dennis Scully, a veteran design journalist who hosts the Business of Home podcast and NYSID’s conversation series, Dialogues on Design.
"Ann and Dennis, two admired figures in the design world, have spent decades shaping, leading, and championing the profession, earning recognition along the way,” says NYSID President David Sprouls. "While Ann sits at the helm of one of the industry’s most venerable firms, McMillen Inc., Dennis’s cultural acumen has shaped how people think about design. Their work inspires how people—from clients to designers—think about how we occupy the spaces we live and work in. I could not be more pleased that these two luminaries will be receiving honorary doctorates from NYSID and sharing their wisdom with the Class of 2026, the leaders of tomorrow."
About Ann Pyne
President of McMillen Inc.
Ann Pyne is President of McMillen Inc., America's longest-lasting full-service interior design firm in America, founded in New York City in 1924, and the recipient of the 2024 Albert Hadley Lifetime Achievement Award. McMillen has served as the proving ground for industry icons like Albert Hadley and Mark Hampton, executing high-profile projects for everyone from Doris Duke and Babe Paley to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. There’s no single explanation as to why so many once-proud firms have fallen by the wayside while this one soldiers on, but having Ann Pyne as the president certainly helps.
Ann Pyne has a master’s degree in Decorative Arts from the Bard Graduate Center, as well as an MFA in Writing and an MA in English and American Literature, both from Columbia University. She then came to McMillen Inc. in 2002. Before that she was a teacher, the author of a book of short stories, and a collector of aesthetic-period furniture and ceramics. Ann finds it rewarding to introduce clients to McMillen's standards of execution and to the tradespeople, artists, and artisans with whom McMillen works. She likes to think that her exposure to other forms of art plays a part in the decoration and design of her interiors, and that her experience as a collector is helpful to clients when they are assessing their needs for furniture and decorative objects.
About Dennis Scully
Host, Business of Home Podcast
Dennis Scully has spent his career at the intersection of design, media, and business, bringing curiosity, wit, and deep respect for the creative process to every conversation. As host of the Business of Home podcast and its weekly news program, The Thursday Show, he has become one of the design industry's most trusted voices — known for asking the questions that matter most to designers, brand leaders, and entrepreneurs alike.
His perspective was shaped by years in shelter media and the luxury home furnishings industry, with roles spanning marketing, sales, and brand leadership. That wide-ranging experience gives him a rare understanding of design from the inside out — the creative ambitions that drive the field and the commercial realities that shape it.
Beyond his podcast, Dennis is a familiar presence at the New York School of Interior Design, where he has moderated and curated the Dialogues on Design series with many of the industry's leading figures — a reflection of his longstanding commitment to design education and the next generation of creative talent.
About NYU Skirball
NYU Skirball, located in the heart of Greenwich Village, is one of New York City’s major presenters of international work, and has been the premier venue for cultural and performing arts events in lower Manhattan since 2003. The 860-seat state-of-the art theater, led by Director Jay Wegman, provides a home for internationally renowned artists, innovators and thinkers. NYU Skirball hosts over 300 events annually, from re-inventions of the classics to cutting-edge premieres, in genres ranging from dance, theater and performance art to comedy, music and film. To learn more, visit nyuskirball.org.