What did she see?

Lessons from Leaders

May 4, 2021

Lessons from Leaders

May 4, 2021

Trisha Bauman and Denise DeLuca — both members of the ISSP Governing Board and MASD Faculty — co-organized and co-hosted TEDxISSP, a Countdown event, 24April2021.  Among our goals was to create an opportunity for sustainability professionals to come together to learn and share in a welcoming environment. Another goal was to bring sustainability to a broader audience — to those who are sustainability-curious. To help achieve this goal, we were lucky to have Liza Donnelly live-draw the event. 

Liza has been using drawing to share her insights with the world in a novel and compelling way. She has focused on cultural and political issues, and is now expanding into sustainability.

Cartoonists draw for different reasons; I am beginning to understand that I draw cartoons to try to show people things they may not have noticed before, things that I see. 

~ Liza Donnelly
from: Cartoon Soul Searching | Trying to grasp my place in a new reality
by Liza Donnelly


Below, and in the upper right, is a selection of what she saw — and drew — from our event. 


To read more about what Liza saw, visit her blog post Drawing For The Earth.

Thank you Liza!

Denise DeLuca / Former Director

Denise DeLuca is the Director of MCAD’s Sustainable Design program. She was co-founder of BCI: Biomimicry Creative for Innovation, a network of creative professional change agents driving ecological thinking for radical transformation. Denise is author of the book Re-Aligning with Nature: Ecological Thinking for Radical Transformation, which was illustrated by MASD alum Stephanie Koehler. She also teaches with the Amani Institute.

Denise’s previous roles include Education Director for the International Living Future Institute, Project Manager for Swedish Biomimetics 3000, and Outreach Director for The Biomimicry Institute. Denise is a licensed civil engineer (PE) and holds a master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering with a focus on modeling landscape-scale surface and groundwater interactions.  In addition, Denise is a Biomimicry Fellow and a member of the Advisory Council of The Biomimicry Institute,  Board Member of the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP), on the editorial board of the Journal of Bionic Engineering, and an Expert with Katerva. Denise is based in Oregon.

contact:  [email protected]