Nancy Granato first entered academia in 1979 as a practitioner-in-residence with Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. In 1992, she became the twelfth interior designer to be licensed in the state of Texas and in 2002, assumed the position of Interior Design Program Coordinator at Texas State University-San Marcos. She was a founding member of the Texas Association for Interior Design (TAID), which was instrumental in obtaining state licensing legislation. She also has been active in the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC).   

Professor Granato earned a baccalaureate degree in Fashion Illustration and Costume Design from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her terminal degree, a Master of Fine Arts in Interior Design obtained from Virginia Commonwealth University, emphasized design theory, research methods, visual communication, and design education and curriculum.   

Her early interest in education excellence has intensified through teaching, program curriculum development, and dedication to international standards of program accreditation. Professor Granato’s experience with the Council of Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA, formerly FIDER,) both as a member of the Board of Visitors and the Accreditation Committee, played a significant part in successfully maintaining accreditation for the Interior Design Program at Texas State University continuously since 1985.   

In 1988, Professor Granato’s installation of a mystical guest room in a designers’ show house was chosen for Award of Excellence-Best Interior Design at the IDEC International Juried Show. Her work has been exhibited at IDEC international conferences and Design Excellence Awards banquets. Over her twenty years of teaching students design research, their service-based projects have been exhibited throughout the state, won awards and contributed to the area’s prosperity.