With an undergraduate education in fashion merchandising and a background in digital production, Jennifer brings 10+ years of experience with customer discovery and creative content to her studies at MASD. Jennifer hopes her time at MCAD will allow her to apply human-centered design and community engagement solutions towards promoting local circular business models. Jennifer is →
Originally from Mumbai, India, Luv graduated in 2009 from the University of Bridgeport with a BS in Industrial Design and a minor in Graphic Design. Since graduation, he has pursued graphic design roles and has worked primarily as an in-house designer for small companies in fashion, commercial real estate and high end furnishings. Besides design, →
Raven attended St. Catherine University in St. Paul, MN, where she majored in business administration and minored in biology. Her passions include environmental and racial justice, as well as advocating for the rights of the LGBTQ+ and Native American communities. When she’s not studying or working as a marketing specialist in the Twin Cities, she’s →
Rita received her B.A in Graphic Design from Rafael Landívar University, Guatemala City, in 2019. Since 2018 Rita has worked for various design agencies which have led her to develop marketing skills and strategies for retail design. Her passion is to expand environmental knowledge and awareness in her community through design, art and new strategies, →
Walker is an illustrator and graphic designer who works on climate centric projects to create vibrant and optimistic story driven imagery. He lives in Portland Oregon, runs a successful freelance business, and is an Adjunct Professor at Portland State University. He thrives in communities with clear communication, common goals, and high enthusiasm. He loves bikes, →
Lara Cornell is an expert brand and business strategist, helping artisans all over the world create impactful, sustainable, and successful businesses through the Artisan Academie, her online coaching platform, and the Sustainable Artisan Guild, a global initiative for sustainable artisan practices. She is also the best selling author of Maker’s Mark, and working on her →
I received my B.S. in Apparel Design and Merchandising Management with a minor in Business & Entrepreneurship from the competitive programs at Oregon State University. Later, I continued my professional education by earning certificates in Creative Arts and Graphic Design from Colorado Mountain College. Additionally, I attended the prestigious PENSOLE Footwear Design Academy, where I →
Ophelie Echelard’s background consists of a B.A in International Business as well as a B.A in American Literature. She graduated from a Master’s of Business Administration in 2018 from Concordia University, in St Paul, MN. She grew up in France and has been living in the Twin Cities since 2014. She currently is a Strategy →
Hilmarie Figueroa is a content creator and photographer focused on a sustainable and conscious lifestyle. Hilmarie is a firm believer that we can all contribute in one way or another to care for our planet and its inhabitants. She created in 2014 the digital platform, The Curvy Edit, dedicated to raise awareness on body acceptance and sustainability, →
Emma is an alumnus from the University of Texas at Arlington’s School of Architecture, with her B.S. in Interior Design. A well-rounded education in architecture, interior design, and furniture design set her up to spend the first 7 years of her career at two of the largest architecture firms in the country. She practiced hospitality →
I always had a divine feeling to reach out and help people. I find myself trying to problem solve and make a difference whether as my position a Purchasing Director for a Not-for-profit foundation or on a personal level helping overseas building back lives from floods in central America. Having a background in domestic and →
Amanda graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Stout with a B.A. in Industrial Design in 2017. After a few years in the craft beer industry she relocated to Minneapolis to work as a CAD drafter then product designer for a local commercial furniture manufacturer. Amanda’s interest in social justice and intersectional environmentalism lead her →
My name is Janet Gonzales. I am a product designer that manages a small design team for Start Studio, and also works on the agent experience at NICE CXone. After 8+ years in finance, I made the career change to User Experience Design and I love how UX Design incorporates both my business strategy and →
I am a product designer, foodie, and outdoor enthusiast. I’ve had the pleasure of growing up in the heart of the Pacific Northwest and continuing to call it home. I’m inspired by my surroundings, locally and abroad, but thrive most in wild spaces. With design comes the power and great responsibility of introducing new products →
Kaitlin is a learner, grower, outdoor enthusiast and she strives to make real, empathetic, and environmentally-conscious change in the world. She is the founder and creative director of Stand Creative Studio, a graphic and web design firm located in Steamboat Springs, CO. Stand serves clients across the United States that has garnered accolades from organizations →
Emily graduated from Rutgers University in 2018 with a Bachelor’s in Environmental Policy, Institutions, and Behavior and a minor in Sustainability. Born on the Jersey Shore, she grew up loving animals and exploring nature with her dad and visiting family in Brazil most winters with her mom. Having a worldly perspective at a young age →
Kate loves learning about how things work and deconstructing her assumptions to cultivate resilience. She’s a photographer and sound artist who has exhibited in Australia, China, Germany, Spain, and throughout the UK, as well as in New York and Montana. Her work has been featured in Next Level Magazine, Royal Photographic Society: Contemporary Photography, The →
As the graphic designer for the Des Moines Public Library, the largest public library system in the state of Iowa, Tania Kac creates consistent branding and marketing pieces for the public and throughout the organization, from small projects to full-blown outreach campaigns. Since 2012, she has worked on a variety of print and digital projects →
Tica Lubin earned a BA in Fine Arts and Biology from CU Boulder. Moving to NYC after college she completed a certificate in Botanical Illustration at the New York Botanical Gardens and embarked on a career in museum exhibit design, fabrication, content creation at the American Museum of Natural History. She was instrumental in starting →
Haida May has a varied professional background, including a Technical Degree in Apparel Design and a B.S. in Human Centered Design and Environmental Studies from the University of Washington in 2008. She has worked as a Technical Designer and Handbag Designer for Tommy Hilfiger in New York and Nordstrom Product Group in Seattle. She currently →
Ethan Mitchell is a recent graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he received his Bachelor’s in Industrial Design and Philosophy. While in school, he engaged with the debate team, the Industrial Design Society of America (ISDA), Engineers without Borders (EWB), and the National Organization of Business and Engineering (NOBE). He currently lives →
Michele Moore is an art director with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), where she strives to communicate to more than 9.6 million people every day. She has been part of Metro’s award-winning in-house Design Studio since 2005, designing everything from billboards to belt buckles in both print and digital formats. Prior to →
Rose received her B.A in Media Arts and African Diaspora Studies in Latin America and the Caribbean from Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA. She is an interdisciplinary artist at the evolving intersection of Media Literacy, User Experience and Sustainability. Rose began her career working in the non-profits sector working with various organizations to combat issues →
Sarah graduated from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities in 2010 with a B.A. in Psychology and English. Currently working as a creative director for an in-context insights agency, she is skilled at understanding consumer behavior and strategizing how to best serve their wants and needs. After working with consumer packaged goods companies for →
A graduate of Pratt Institute in New York, Jessica brings with her over 20 years of experience in High End Residential and Commercial Design both domestically and abroad. A true artist at heart, Jessica has exhibited her own mixed media art installations at Art Basel and frequently travels to cultivate a fresh perspective on design →
Mariska Nell is an artist, designer, environmentalist and host of the Mama Earth Talk podcast. The world is her home and sustainability her passion. As a painter and sculptor, her mediums include acrylic on canvas and recycled materials in both her canvases and sculptural work. Having started experimenting with trash in her artwork, she became curious →
Kelsey graduated from the College of Saint Benedict in 2008 with a BA in Psychology and Spanish. She worked in behavioral sciences for a number of years before changing her focus and studying Apparel Design. As a student of one of the worlds most polluting industries, Kelsey’s interest in sustainability and designing sustainable solutions began →
Engaged in all aspects of the video process, I currently work as a video editor at an advertising agency based in Minneapolis. Storytelling and connectivity are at the heart of my practice as I celebrate ever-evolving life, culture, and individuality. A complementary background in anthropology influences my deep appreciation for a story well told. I am →
Akshaya Patrachari has a Masters in Textile Technology and Management from NC State and over 7 years of product marketing and category management experience in Apparel, Non-woven and Footwear. Most recently, she worked at a Fortune 500 company where she led customer insight and strategy efforts to support launching a new fiber product into performance →
I received my bachelor’s in English language and literature from the University of Maryland-College Park in 2005My career journey has been more of an exploratory meandering than a straight path in any one direction. It has been inclusive of stints teaching ESL to adults, ownership of a pet care service, wholesale beer and wine sales, →
Meg graduated in 2010 from C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Studies. Since her college days, Meg started working in advertising and has built her own design and marketing agency from the ground up. Serving more than 100 clients worldwide, reCreative is her current focus. Not →
Solomon graduated from the original Corcoran College of Art and Design in 2002 with a BFA in sculpture. He then spent years in the art exhibition world as an artist assistant, art preparator, framer, indy curator, and coordinator, all the while trying to emerge as an artist himself, showing with non-profits like Transformer and the →
A Minnesota native, Anna graduated from Carleton College in 2017 with a degree in International Relations. Her interest in sustainable design and creating a more community-centric world was influenced by her field research on post-dictatorship economic development in Southeast Asia and working with small businesses at NEON, a business incubator in North Minneapolis. Currently, she works as a →
Samantha earned her BA in Graphic Design and Digital Media from Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. Upon graduating, she moved to Portland, Maine, and started her own graphic design company, Align Design Company. Samantha hopes to use her future MCAD experience to learn how to best utilize and mainstream sustainable materials, such as hemp and →
Cindy received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a focus on human behavior and social influence. Her professional experiences have led her through all kinds of material exploration including mushroom burial suits, zero-waste and soft goods manufacturing, and flax fiber biocomposites. Having worked closely with cut/sew factories in San →
Virginia graduated from OCADU in Toronto, Canada with a BA in Sculpture/Installation (2019). Her work explores space, viewing materials as a connection to expression with their own inherent meaning. Her works sift photography, video, projections, glass, aluminum, and multimedia. Virginia’s interest in social justice spearheaded her to lead a collaborative public art project, Wiidosendiwag + →
Anna Stark is an Associate Design Director based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After graduating from Iowa State University in 2013 with a B.A. in Graphic Design, she went on to work in design and advertising. She has been doing so for nearly 9 years and continues to enjoy design challenges (the more variety the better), especially →
Jordan is a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) where she earned her B.F.A. in Industrial Design. Currently located outside of Chicago, Jordan works for Creative Werks (creative-werks.com) as the Sr. Industrial Designer for their in-house design entity, Werkshop Design Group. Her role centers around designing packaging for top snack and →
Allison Tenn received her B.A. in graphic design from DePaul University, and currently works as an eCommerce UX/UI designer in the telecom industry. Throughout her career she has helped several small businesses and organizations establish their brand identities and web presence, and worked with numerous non-profits in various capacities on issues relating to education, homelessness, →
Ella Thomson has a background in the visual arts in painting, mixed media, and clothing design. She has a bachelor’s degree in Studio Art from the University of Minnesota and has held positions in jewelry making and as an art and sustainability educator. Raised in the artist cooperatives of St.Paul, MN, historic art district Lowertown →
For the last decade, I have utilized my Community Health background to protect and improve the health of elders in retirement communities through research, education, and promotion of healthy lifestyles. Working with elders nearing end-of-life, I realized that much needs to be improved in teaching preventative and holistic care at a young age, and what beauty →
Brad is an independent design professional living and working in Portland, OR. He graduated from Colorado State University in 1992 with a BFA/Graphic Design concentration. Started his career in Colorado working for small marketing/advertising firms before moving to the Pacific Northwest. While in Portland he has worked as an Art Director, Creative Director, and as →
