Cynthia Hirsch Ortiz is the International President of the Retail Design Institute. She founded her business Collaborative Design Strategies in 2018 utilizing her many years working on both the vendor side and the architectural design firm side to make valuable connections assisting the retail industry. She possesses extensive knowledge in Visual Merchandising and Store Design. Cynthia is an active member of Shop! Association and is currently serving on the Shop! Board of Directors. She also served as the host of Shop!’s Retail Decoded: Defining the “Next” Normal podcast focusing on the effects of the Covid-10 pandemic on the retail industry.