A Focus on Connection in 2026
Jessica Norby has been a member and cheerleader for WithIt for several years now. Since joining as a part of a corporate membership with a former job, she’s dived right in, holding positions, mentoring others and getting involved in every way she can.
This year, Jessica will serve as the 2026 WithIt Board President, and we are thrilled for her leadership.
Outside of her time with WithIt, Jessica is starting an exciting new chapter as the Vice President of Sales at Interlude Home, a fashion-inspired contemporary luxury furniture brand. She brings with her three years of experience at Caracole and time with a sister company prior to that, where she honed her expertise in the luxury furniture market. She boasts over a decade of experience in the home and furnishings industry, and is clearly passionate about the work and the people she’s met.
People are the crux of it all for Jessica, and that’s going to shine through in her time as president. We sat down with Jessica to ask about her career path and what she has planned for WithIt in 2026. Read the full interview below!
Q&A
How long have you been in the home and furnishings industry?
I’ve been in the industry for 13 years. I started with a software company and I just fell in love with the industry when I started. When I had an opportunity to dive into the furniture side of things, I just immediately fell in love. A lot of people say, with furniture, once you’re in, you’re in. I think there’s so much opportunity and there’s a lot of opportunity to grow in the industry as a young adult.
Do you have any advice for someone just getting started in the industry?
Be more curious about your customers, what you’re doing, the people you work with. Have a very curious mindset. I wish I had asked more questions in the beginning because I learn so much when I do that. If I were to give myself advice, it would be to be curious and ask more questions.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Well, 75% of the time is spent on the road with our sales reps: traveling with them, seeing customers, mentoring, coaching. The rest of the time I’m in the office doing the day-to-day things to keep the sales team going. It’s really about being out in the field and being with our customers and learning more about them and what they do. The day-to-day is about building a strategy around how we can be a better supplier and brand, and what does that strategy look like in helping us grow the business.
How did you first learn about WithIt?
The company I started with in the industry, MicroD, were corporate members and they were very supportive of the organization and immediately got me involved. That’s how I came to know and love WithIt. I think it’s this place of belonging that I never quite experienced with any other organization or group I’ve been a part of. It’s definitely a place of belonging, but it’s created so many opportunities and opened so many doors for me. It’s also allowed me to mentor and help other women in the industry. Being able to learn and grow has been invaluable for me. It’s been such a wonderful experience.
[WithIt is] definitely a place of belonging, but it’s created so many opportunities and opened so many doors for me. It’s also allowed me to mentor and help other women in the industry. Being able to learn and grow has been invaluable for me. It’s been such a wonderful experience.
Jessica Norby, Withit president
What other positions have you held with WithIt?
I started on the board as the VP of Connections. I’ve always been very passionate about connecting people in our industry. That was a great position for me to cut my teeth from a networking standpoint. That’s definitely going to be a focus and passion for me in 2026.
As the new president of the board, what are some of the things you’ll focus on this year?
We’ve already put some of these things into motion, but a big one is reactivating our local chapters. We’ve had chapters that have been active and they fizzled out. Reactivating those will have this local feel and piece to this organization where women can connect in a more frequent way. The other thing is doing more of a virtual activation. Being able to have these different virtual modules where there are different topics being discussed, whether you’re in the c-suite or just starting your career or you’re excited about finance, or we’re potentially going to do a virtual book club. So just trying to plug into what is interesting to our membership so they can connect on a more personal level more frequently and not just at markets. Another way we’re trying to plug women into the organization is giving them a pathway to be a more active part of the organization, whether that’s being on a committee, being on the board, volunteering at events or at markets. These are all things that have begun under the current board and that we’ll continue next year so that we can create more connections and create more active members. I just kind of jumped in myself and said what can I do, but not everyone will be as extroverted and proactive in doing that, so that’s why we’re trying to find ways to meet people where they are. That’s a shift in what we’ve done in the past.
Why do you think an organization like WithIt is important?
I think our industry has been underserved from a female perspective in the past and this organization really helped expose women to their power and empower them to be a bigger part of our industry, which is so important because the purchasing of our product is very female-driven. WithIt just empowered women to make their own seat at the table in the industry, and that will be important moving forward so we can have a bigger part strategically in where we go as an industry. WithIt helps women tap into who we are, what our purpose is and what we need to do to get there.
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