The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA), the world’s leading trade association for the kitchen and bath industry, hosted its 5th Annual Women to Women Conference Sept. 8–10, 2026, at The Four Seasons in New Orleans, Louisiana. Open by application to NKBA members, the gathering drew over 100 women from the industry. Sponsored by CAFÉ Appliances, Ferguson Home, Lutron, and Maxim Lighting, the three-day conference brought together designers, editors, advisors, and industry leaders for a program focused on mentorship, business growth, and community in the kitchen and bath industry.

"Five years in, this milestone belongs to the women who show up for each other in the kitchen and bath industry," said Ivana Molzen, chief marketing and digital officer, NKBA. "This year's agenda delivers on all fronts — practical takeaways attendees can put to work immediately, bigger-picture thinking on brand and team, and a network of women who understand exactly what they aspire to create together.."

Conference Highlights
Programming kicked off Tuesday, Sept. 8, with a New Orleans house tour led by top editors at FLOWER Magazine — Amanda Smith Fowler, Style Editor; Margaret Zainey Roux, Editor; and Karen Carroll, Editorial Director, offering an inside look at the city's distinctive residential design. Tours included the Uptown residence of antiques importer and designer Tara Shaw, Designer, European Importer and Author, whose Parisian-style home blends 17th-century stone floors and Continental antiques with sleek modern cabinetry; a circa-1850s Greek Revival house in the Garden District decorated by Ware Porter, Interior Designer, Ware M Porter and Co., known for its 14-foot ceilings and British racing green lacquered bar; and the Faubourg Marigny home of Patrick Dunne, Founder, and Nathan Drewes, Interior Designer and Managing Partner, of Decorations Lucullus and Lucullus Antiques, a mid-19th-century Creole-style house that has remained in Patrick's family for three generations.

Over the following two days, attendees heard from a lineup of speakers and advisors on topics spanning branding, leadership, and AI adoption, including Cheryl Fenelle Dixon, Chief Communications & Brand Marketing Officer, Perfectly Clear Communications; Christi Barbour, Founder and Managing Partner, Barbour Spangle Design; Kellye Kamp, Founder and Owner, SourceKamp Labs; and Kate Kelly Smith, EVP Industry Relations, Sandow Design Group, who also serves as a Women to Women Advisor. Attendees also took part in an advisor panel moderated by Patty Dominguez, VP of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships, Cosentino, featuring Women to Women Advisors Gina D'Amore Bauerle of D'Amore Interiors, Edyta Drutis of BLANCO North America, Christine Gee of G Interiors Studio & Design Center, Stacy McCarthy of Stacy McCarthy Design, and Sue Wadden of the Sherwin-Williams Company. A panel followed, moderated by NKBA Director of Brand Development Jennifer Chick-Gray and featuring brand partners Natalie Benoit of CAFÉ Appliances, Caroline Danielson of Ferguson Home, Naomi Sperling of Maxim Lighting, and Cecilia Ramos of Lutron. Attendees also participated in breakout sessions with Women to Women advisors and an update on NKBA programming from NKBA's own Kelly Buchsbaum, Director, Chapters & Professional Development; Tricia Zach, Director of Research; and Deb Webb, Executive Vice President, Events & KBIS.

A highlight of the conference came Wednesday evening, when attendees took part in a New Orleans tradition with a Second Line Parade from Jackson Square, followed by a reception and dinner at world-famous Arnaud's.