Meghan is an Austin transplant who can’t imagine calling another city home anymore. An educator and creative at her core, Meghan is passionate about being a part of a team where she can make a difference, design unique experiences and learning opportunities, and collaborate with amazing human beings on the daily. This is her first year with ADW and she’s thrilled to be a part of this celebration of the Austin creative community.

Currently, Meghan is a project manager for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Meghan’s past professional experiences include building business systems and processes, working in instructional design, developing study abroad programs for college students, and teaching science, art, and healthy relationships in a middle school classroom.

In her free time, you’ll find Meghan spending time with friends, hanging out with her pup, Banksy, exploring the great outdoors, or catching a great live music show.

Lillian Hartman is a User Experience (UX) Designer passionate about human-centered design. She started her UX Design career in 2020 by graduating from the University of Texas at Austin's UX Bootcamp. Before graduation, she started working at a local, small business as the first UX Designer. Using her background in customer service, administration, and hospitality, Lillian creates designs with empathy and a mind for structure.

Lillian first heard about Austin Design Week through her UT connections and wanted to help cultivate Austin's creative community. She joined the Communications and Community Teams and helps to build out ADW's online presence.

She also is in a Chair position at the Young Women's Alliance (YWA), where she works to build a community that supports, empowers, and connects women.

Originally from Louisville, KY, Lillian moved to Austin with her husband and two dogs in 2019. You will find her at different parks with her dogs, trying new local restaurants, and attending various events around town.

Emily was born and raised in West Texas and migrated south for college. She graduated with a BFA in Studio Art from Texas State and has been in the great ATX area since then.

She has been working on a creative team for 8 years in the student housing industry and loves seeing all the changes in marketing as digital opportunities emerge, and the traditional marketing outlets evolve to keep up.

In her spare time, she enjoys crafting, cooking, antique shopping, gardening, and hanging with her two cocker spaniels; Kallie and Kolton.

Lauren Salguero is an Associate Director of Product Design at T3 with over a decade of experience in designing and building digital products. She is also a UX Mentor at DesignLab.

Lauren recently returned to Austin after living in San Antonio for ten years. While in San Antonio, she served on the board of AIGA SA and organized many design community and printmaking events.

Outside of work, Lauren enjoys hikes with her husband and two dogs, Murder Bear and Birdie.

Canan (say “Jannan”) is the media director at Clay Imports, a web-based company that specializes in the design, production and, direct to consumer, sales of handcrafted tile. Canan has joined ADW events since the beginning. In fact, some of her most rewarding collaborations stem from connection made during ADW! This year, Canan’s goal is to create even more space for others to make connections that can advance their businesses and enrich their creative purposes. As the PR Lead, and identifying as part of a small BIPOC owned and operated business in Austin, Canan wishes to spread the word about an inclusive, welcoming organization. Canan’s Mayan Zodiac is Storm.

Michelle is a freelance graphic designer who believes in creating a fun, gate-free creative environment for all. She loves thinking about marketing design and modern branding for food, hospitality and events. Design aside, life is best when her iced tea supply is abundant and her fridge is stocked with pickles and olives.

Kathleen See is an Account Manager with 10Fold Communications, where she leads her teams to deliver on national press coverage and secure industry recognition for their technology.

She was first introduced to Austin Design Week in 2016 and finally found her way back as the Communications Project Manager for the 2021 event. Kathleen has eight years of experience in non-profit communications and technology-focused agencies.

She hails from Mississippi with a B.A. in Communications from Mississippi State University. Outside of work, you'll find her strolling through Brentwood with her husband and Tank the Corgi.

Christian Helms is the founder and Creative Director of Helms Workshop, an independent, multidisciplinary creative agency. Specializing in full-scale brand development and design with a focus on CPG, hospitality and outdoor lifestyle. We build strategic and spirited brands that delight, entertain and inspire.

Clients include Jack Daniel's, Blackberry Farm, Boulevard Brewing, Howler Bros, New Belgium, Chinook Seedery, Sierra Nevada, Southern Comfort, Tecovas Boots Austin Beerworks, Modern Times Beer, Bauhaus Brew Labs, Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, Grander Panama Rum, Fullsteam Brewery.

Joie is a Director of Product Design at Realtor.com, with over 16 years of experience in the digital design space. Though her career started as a web designer/developer, she spent the majority of her career specializing in interaction & visual design (UX) for mobile apps.

She loves problem solving and is passionate about the role design and tech can have in making people's lives easier. She has worked with a wide range of clients in sports, health, finance, logistics, energy, and travel. Prior to her current role, she led a talented cross-functional UX team at Expedia Group to design apps for vacation rental owners and property managers to better run their business.

She is now focused on building a strong design organization at Realtor.com to support the tech needs of real estate professionals, creating successful collaboration tools between agents and homebuyers, and making real estate transactions easier, accessible, and more transparent. Outside of supporting her team, she speaks about design and leadership, as well as mentoring new designers and managers in the industry.

With a well-cultured background in architecture, interior design, and brand strategy, Gerardo works with some of Austin’s largest developers. He’s on the front lines of creating the vision for how the urban, cultural, and architectural landscape is transforming in Austin.

As a member of the steering committee for Gensler’s Community Impact Program, Gerardo helps steer the firm’s vision for community impact by focusing efforts and resources on initiatives ranging from non-profit collaborations, mentorship programs, and community engagement events.

Gerardo is the founding Chairman of the ACE Mentor Program of Austin, a non-profit program dedicated to educating high school students about careers in architecture and design. In addition, he serves on the Business Advisory Council for the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, and has served as the Outreach Commissioner for the AIA Austin, focusing his efforts on education and community-based design. Most recently, Gerardo serves as the Chair for the AIA Austin’s Exhibitions Committee, leading the chapter’s exhibit development and programming.

As a result of his dedication to impacting lives through design and creative thinking, Gerardo was named the 2018 Associate Member of the year by the AIA Austin and is the recipient of the 2020 Austin Under 40 Awards in the category of Architecture, Construction, and Engineering.

Dr. Julie Schell is the Assistant Dean of Instructional Continuity and Innovation in the College of Fine Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. She is also an Assistant Professor of Practice in the School of Design and Creative Technologies and the College of Education, where she teaches classes on design pedagogy, learning, education and supervised teaching. Dr. Schell is an expert in the science of learning and pedagogy. She has written and spoken widely on how to help people learn using research-based principles from cognitive and learning science. She applied this expertise as the creator of Think Before You Design Think­™️, a popular introductory human-centered design course she first launched at AT&T and has delivered to Fortune 500 companies and non-profit organizations throughout the United States. Dr. Schell's approach to design thinking pedagogy focuses on helping people develop the extensive cognitive abilities and activities required to learn complex material and methods. She has supported thousands of new learners in their journey to understand and apply human-centered design to improve lived experiences. Dr. Schell received her doctorate in Higher and Postsecondary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She also completed a four-year postdoctoral fellowship focused on teaching and learning in the Mazur Group at Harvard University.

Chris is all about changing perceptions when it comes to spaces, furnishings and facial hair. His focus is on creating responsible, richly layered designs that tell the unique story of each client. He mostly claims to be a southerner, with roots in Texas and Virginia, and he’s no stranger to a good bourbon and a long afternoon nap.

Chris co-founded McCray & Co., an Austin-based design studio specializing in interiors for home and hospitality, in 2011. Notable projects include many fine Austin establishments like Picnik, Ramen Tatsu-Ya / Kemuri Tatsu-Ya / Dip Dip Dip Tatsu-Ya, Torchys, Taco Flats / La Holly, Lenoir, Vixen's Wedding, and "Casa Cartel".

Elizabeth Gibson is the founder and owner of nationally recognized jewelry boutique which focuses on smaller, independent jewelry collections. Collections feature Austin-based designers, and include fine, fashion and bridal jewelry. Eliza Page has been recognized as "Austin's Best Jewelry Store" by Austin Fashion Week, and has been featured in publications such as LUCKY, Conde Nast Traveller, SELF, InStyle, Texas Monthly, WSGN, WWD, and many more.

Elizabeth is also the Founding President of the Women’s Jewelry Association Austin Chapter.

Calvin is the founder and Principal of Qubicle Design— a Service Design practice in Austin.

His day to day routine brings focus to the practice’s ability to deliver high quality design and design education. Currently, Calvin is focused on the future of education, which includes facilitating innovation workshops and conversations around the world. His philosophy on innovation starts with thoughtful observation and capturing deep insights from the experience owner. Those skillsets come in handy as a design thinking coach at the Stanford d.school, where he’s worked with global executives and SpaceCommand—a branch of the Department of Defense. Calvin’s vision is to provide game changing and equitable solutions, carefully considering the implications of design.

Jen is a queer, Asian-American brand and product designer based in NYC. She’s spearheaded digital experiences for eCommerce, mHealth, fashion, education, and job-matching platforms for agencies and freelance clients — synthesizing research insights through storytelling for startup stakeholders while identifying key business opportunities.

She works on social justice projects rooted in LGBTQIA+ issues, race relations, youth empowerment and women’s advocacy for Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls; and previously, for media outlets including The Heart, Venus Zine and BUST. She currently organizes the event series Design x Activism, a creative think tank working together to address social justice issues through conversations and real-time workshopping in an interactive, virtual magazine format covering themes of Empathy, Language, Access, Invisibility and more. Her work explores ways that story and identity work together to strengthen communities.

After entering the field of product design where Asian-American designers skew towards the norm, she continues owning the status — and is empowered by — being Odd-One-Out when it comes to initiating conversations about social justice and equity-centered design solutions. In the heyday of the Black Lives Matter movement, she feels out-of-place when the media is doubling down on BIPOC communities, with Asians being neither here, nor there. Jen’s lifelong status of being a Misfit fuels her to help us relate to one another by bringing out our shared qualities, while also embracing our differences — so that we are all seen, heard and invited.

Elizabeth is a design leader at Automattic, focused on improving the core WooCommerce experience. She brings 10 years of human-centered design, innovation, and product strategy to transform complex B2B and enterprise software into simple, human products.

Elizabeth found her love of design after graduating with a degree in Politics from NYU. She then went on to complete her MFA in Communications Design at Pratt Institute. She's lived and worked in Madrid, London, and New York City, envisioning the future of products and services for companies such as IBM Watson, Ericsson, Experian, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Harvest.

Her passions have always been in the arts, creativity, and cultural discovery, where she's been a product design and research consultant for many startups. She founded her own startup, Tomorrow & Today, to solve a problem in the art world. When Elizabeth isn't planning her next trip or trying to save democracy, she feels most at home when eating a migas taco at Radio, paddle boarding on Town Lake, or making abstract art.

Passionate about brand design for e commerce and female entrepreneurship, Amelia has worked in social media for 5 years.

Getting her start on accident when she launched a sandal brand and their instagram got her noticed by another startup, landing her a job as a social media manager.

Currently she spends her days at Facebook as a community manager using content to drive engagement amongst various communities and changes pace at night to run her Facebook ads agency Wayfinder.Amelia loves how design can truly empower others and bring a magical experience to the end customer.

Nicole is an Education Designer with IBM, where she helps to plan and execute onboarding programs for designers and design interns.

Her background is in people operations, program management, and tech education. Prior to joining IBM, Nicole worked with the adult learners of General Assembly’s full-time immersive programs, coaching them in their job search journeys as they changed careers. Nicole is passionate about learning and development and creating operational efficiencies, using her people-centered and process-oriented approach along the way. Whether it is brainstorming actionable next steps in one-to-one coaching or sharing expertise in adult learning, Nicole loves connecting people and empowering them in their careers.

When she is not helping with behind the scenes organizational stuff for ADW, you can find Nicole reading or spending time with her husband and pup, Lucy. She’s lived in Austin for 10 years but is always finding new things to check out or new food to eat.

Lyric Metroplos is a UX designer & researcher and social media strategist. She considers herself to be a lifelong student. After graduating from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she unknowingly stumbled upon the world of UX. As she obsessed over the design industry, she began to uncover that this was the field that combined her passion for research as a conceptual artist, her empathy from working in the service industry, as well as my ultimate goal of making the things we do as humans, on a basic level, enjoyable. She takes pride in approaching social media through the lens of human-centered design.

When she's not designing or creating content, she loves playing music and trying new restaurants!

Grayson is a problem solver and ambitious mofo with a deep love for design, interiors, collaboration, Trixie, and/or Katya. After getting his start in fine arts, working for almost every non-profit theatre in Austin, he brought his storytelling talents to the tech industry. As a product designer, his work varies from creating custom content to high fidelity prototypes, and everything in between.

Previously Grayson was the program manager for ORANGE magazine. An Austin lifestyle publication with over 130k annual readers. ORANGE’s mission is to promote meaningful dialogue within the greater Austin community by passing the mic to those with historically-excluded voices. When he is not slouching in front of his computer, he loves spending time with his friends and family. Watching cringe YouTube videos, browsing through piles of antiques, or planning his next overly ambitious project.

Maddie Huey is a Senior Product Designer at H-E-B Digital, where her team creates trustworthy, people-centered digital products that empower Texans to better care for themselves and their families. She is the design lead on the H-E-B Digital Pharmacy team, working with a team of designers to enhance pharmacy customers’ digital experiences.

Maddie has worked in digital healthcare for over 5 years – empowering clinical professionals to provide the best care and delivering seamless customer experiences to patients in their most vulnerable moments.

With 10 years experience in the entertainment industry, Emily has solidified herself as a professional of marketing, brand partnerships and event management.

Emily has worked as Marketing Director at Luck Reunion, Special Projects Manager at SXSW and Associate Marketing Manager at C3 Presents. Throughout her career, her passion has been creating unique experiences for brands and event attendees.

Born and raised in Texas, she attended the University of Texas and has a BA in Public Relations.

Outside of work, you can usually find Emily playing with her dog Stella, enjoying the outdoors, vintage shopping, cooking or crafting.

Jessica is a multi-passionate consultant with a professional background as a small business and nonprofit strategist. A local Austinite and an avid traveler, Jessica is passionate about making the world--and Austin--a smaller place through connecting people, ideas, and opportunities. Current projects, passions, and affiliations include serving as Managing Director for the Austin Smart City Alliance and the Austin Forum for Technology & Society, as well developing business strategies and leadership development programs for a wide variety of companies and organizations.

She is a serial nonprofit board member and volunteer for a wide variety of organizations in Austin. Currently, her community work includes Austin Community Foundation’s Women Fund, Dreams Come True Foundation and the Austin Symphony Orchestra’s BATS Young Professionals organization. She also founded the Heartwood Community Garden, located in South Austin, and is still trying to grow her green thumb. Jessica received her MS in organizational leadership from Colorado State University and BA in sociology from UT Austin.

Alejandra (Alex) Del Taylor is a bilingual art director, graphic designer, and illustrator with a passion for poking holes and bridging gaps. She earned her Bachelor’s in Fine Art at SCAD-ATL and has more than 8 years of experience in Advertising. Her passion revolves around leveraging her skills to create lasting change within her community and empowering others to do the same.

Currently, she is working hard on the AIGA ATX Board as a co-chair for the Changemaker Series. When she's not volunteering her time you can find her laugh crying in a body of water or stuck in a Netflix binge. This year she is embracing the unknown.

Jennifer (Houli) Houlihan is an educator and freelance designer with expertise in UX design and research, facilitation, and content. Currently, she’s an instructor for the 12-week immersive program in user experience design at General Assembly Austin. Raised in Alaska, she has served in creative leadership for more than 30 years, working with non-profit organizations and social impact businesses across the country. An award-winning speaker, Houli has presented and lectured on topics from the nuts and bolts of successful database conversions to networking skills for introverts in classrooms and at conferences across the US and Canada. She organizes the Austin Design Jam, a regular meetup devoted to hosting mini design hackathons matching talented designers with worthy nonprofits, and is a co-organizer of the OpenIDEO Austin chapter. She has published numerous articles on design, civic life, and the future of work. She holds an MA in Social Psychology from Pepperdine University and a BS in Communications from Northwestern University. Before joining GA, she served as managing director for the Austin Forum on Technology & Society. In her spare time, she writes, works in her garden, and tries to learn something new every day.

Kayla Shay is a visual designer currently working with brand and product design experiences. From a young age, she's been completely enamored with art, technology, and people-- always learning how these things come together to speak to one another. She's been a volunteer for ADW since its inception in 2016, and wanted to give back even more to a wonderful community of designers. She's currently working as a Visual Designer at T3 and spends her days daydreaming, creating, and petting her husky, Luna.

After relocating from Boston in 2019, David’s first real introduction to Austin was when he volunteered during the tail end of ADW ’19 where he found an opportunity to support a community that inspired him.

David is a career Technology Project manager, where he has led digital and business transformations across the globe. Recently, he has started a smart home installation and automation company.

Outside of work, David can be found in front of a stove, grill, or live fire where he loves to cook for his family and friends.

Camilla Ferrero Rodriguez is a bilingual graphic/digital designer who enjoys bringing creative strategies to the branding industry.

Camilla started her career in Costa Rica working for design studios with a focus in digital design, re-designing websites and proposing brand strategies. She later decided to pursue professional growth by moving to Austin, Texas where she continues to network and learn from other designers about UX/UI design.

To give back to the community back home, Camilla uses her skills to volunteer at a non-profit that helps teenage girls in Costa Rica. She has used her skills o develop a brand and marketing collateral for the group. She also created a sex education campaign targeting parents to talk to their teenage kids.

Camilla was born in Maine, raised in Austin Texas until she was seven years old until her parents moved back to Costa Rica, where she grew up and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design.

Matt Michalak, Assoc. AIA, is a Technical Designer at Gensler, a global architecture and interior design firm dedicated to creating a better world through the power of design. His day to day work is rooted in caring for and expanding the life giving qualities of urban environments by designing resilient buildings and public spaces that help provide opportunities of upward mobility for everyone.

Matt is a leader within Gensler’s Mixed Use Practice Area focusing on residential, commercial and retail projects, such as The Grove in North Austin, a legacy-quality mixed use neighborhood and model for innovative urban infill development. Within the Austin design community, he is member of AIA Austin and a Leadership Collective graduate.

Matt is passionate about making the architecture field a more diverse and inclusive profession. He is inspired by his friends and colleagues demanding change to systems and structures impacting marginalized communities. Moving forward, he wants to use his knowledge to help create citizen-powered projects to inform large planning decisions.

Elise, a Texas native turned New Yorker, has recently returned to her Southern roots by way of Nashville and now to Austin. Elise spent the last two years with Dream Hotel Nashville from initial construction phases to successful launch; landing clients like the NFL Tennessee Titans, Nissan, and the Billboard Top 100 Awards along the way. Prior to her Nashville move, Elise was Event Sales Manager at the Time Hotel in Midtown, Manhattan.

At 18, Elise started her career in the Fashion Industry, living in Hong Kong, London and New York City. Fashion gave her the chance to see the world as a guest and traveler; It was through this lens, that she was drawn to the world of hospitality.

When she isn't making sure everyone else is having fun, Elise enjoys the great outdoors playing with her dog Reba, and gin martinis.. especially at the same time. Elise is currently looking for a new opportunity back home in the lone star state.

Tulsi is a UX researcher at Blink who loves applying her systems-thinking perspective from mechanical engineering and manufacturing to understand how people use products and services. After graduating from Duke University with a BS in Mechanical Engineering, she spent 5 years as a Manufacturing Engineer leading product quality and systems design improvements in the energy sector. Driven by the belief that human-centered design should be applied across all stakeholders - including those responsible for assembling products - she went back to school, earning her MS in Design Impact from Stanford University. There, she spent a year researching end-of-career transitions, designing a service that proposes an alternative to retirement.

When she’s not nerding out about aging and retirement, you can find her choreographing a Bollywood dance, designing board games, or purchasing a new kitchen appliance to optimize how to cook the perfect meal.

Abydjana is a freelance User Experience Designer and Co-Host of the “Hello UX Podcast, a podcast targeting people pivoting into UX. She has worked to provide branding, creative vision, UX research and UI designs for fin tech, events, and digital agency startups. She has a BA from Tufts University in Bio-Psychology with a minor in Cognitive Brain Sciences.

Currently, she is focused on exploring the cross section between UX Design and Event Planning to help create experiences that build community and foster meaningful conversations that diversifies the design field. It’s important to her to use her voice to speak on issues within the tech & design community that affect women and minorities like herself.

Follow her on Instagram at abydjana.ux and HelloUX.design

Madison Scullin is a brand strategist specializing in concept and campaign development for brands who embrace big ideas. As the Head of Strategy for Austin Design Week, Madison develops multichannel brand strategies that grow the perception and awareness of the brand throughout the Austin creative community. Driven by a core belief that authentic storytelling is what makes brands memorable, she creates content strategies that evoke emotion and activate community. She daylights as a Brand & Content Strategist at Favor Delivery, where she defines and implements cohesive brand strategies, content frameworks, and integrated campaign plans that drive awareness of the brand across Texas. When she's not polishing a campaign brief, you can find her lost in the woods with a perfectly curated playlist and her equally perfect pup, Gumbo.

Alexis Simon is a WELL AP consultant with 9+ years of marketing and business development experience. She is originally from Mexico City, but she stayed in Austin after she graduated from UT. Hook ‘Em! She first volunteered with Austin Design Week in 2018. In 2019, she hosted the #ADWGameChangers event and curated a panel of empowered female entrepreneurs to discuss interior design through the lens of wellness. This year, she is embracing change and exploring new ways to engage a larger audience through social media platforms. She loves sushi, her cat named Jay-Z, and her fiancé, who she plans to marry in September.

With a background in PR, marketing, and editorial writing, Sam is dedicated to thoughtful storytelling and enthusiastic about all things content. She currently works with creative brands, small businesses, and publications to develop and execute content-driven communication strategies as a freelance writer and marketer. Sam is also the founder of Movers + Makers, a blog and event series dedicated to inspiring and connecting creative, entrepreneurial women. In her free time, you can usually find her reading, frequenting local businesses, or hanging out with her dog, Charlie.

Michele is a Registered Architect and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional with over 20 years of experience in architecture, urban design and construction, specializing in sustainable design and operations. She leads urban design initiatives that advance smart, sustainable real estate development and infrastructure at the building and district scales. Michele coordinates partnerships with downtown business owners, stakeholders and city leaders to create vibrant, walkable, activated spaces. She also assists in advocacy efforts for development regulations that promote economic vitality, social equity, public health, and environmental sustainability. Prior to joining Downtown Alliance in 2016, she developed and led Seton Healthcare Family’s sustainability initiatives and practices for the design, construction and operations of Seton’s facilities totaling over 3.5 million square feet. She also founded Monarch Design/Consulting, an architectural design and consulting firm that specialized in healthy, high-performance buildings. She earned a Masters of Architecture from Virginia Tech and a Bachelor’s of Science in Architecture from the University of Illinois.

Leslie Ann Barrientos is a multidisciplinary Designer, Painter, and Photographer with a background in design research and business strategy. Working as a Service Design Strategist at ServiceTitan, she takes on a holistic view to designing sustainable impact by integrating research insights into the implementation of interfaces, digital services, and new programs.

Living in Mexico City part-time, she takes inspiration from the city’s vibrancy, architectural geometry, and spiritual energy. She is currently working on a painting exhibit about intentional living showcasing her journey towards facing fears, undoing patterns, and finding her way towards self-love. For the past 10 years, she’s initiated events and art walks to provide artists, crafters, and musicians an outlet to showcase their talent. Thriving on collaboration and empowering others, she is on a mission to recreate what it means to be a designer and to inspire humans to awaken and align to their authenticity.

Connect with her on Instagram @theregoesleslie

Alisha Moore is a UI/UX product designer, problem solver, and storyteller. Through the use of human-centered design practices, she finds thoughtful solutions to users' problems. She believes all solutions are rooted in empathy, compassion, and a thorough understanding of users' problems and needs.

Alisha is an advocate of elevating the voices of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, (and) People of Color) in the tech industry, specifically in the field of design. She is currently the Design for Good Director for AIGA Austin and co-produces the IBM Racial Equity in Design podcast, "It's about time."

As a native Texan, Alisha has always found that the stars are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas. She is a self-proclaimed snack connoisseur and a big foodie.

Michael Hsu, FAIA, IIDA is the founder and principal of Michael Hsu Office of Architecture, a fully integrated architecture and interior design firm. MHOA was founded in 2005 and has studios in Austin and Houston.

Following graduation from the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture, Hsu worked at OMA in the Netherlands before returning to Austin where he has practiced since 1998. Hsu is currently the Texas Society of Architects 2021 Austin Chapter Director, as well as a member of the University of Texas School of Architecture’s Advisory Council. He is a Past President of AIA Austin and was elevated to AIA’s College of Fellows in 2021. His firm has received numerous design awards from the Texas Society of Architects, AIA Los Angeles, IIDA Texas/Oklahoma Chapter, Heritage Society of Austin and AIA Austin – including Firm of the Year in 2016.

Michael Hsu Office of Architecture was formed with the goal of producing locally engaged, design-driven architecture and interiors. The firm advocates a simple, edited design palette, using creative materials and techniques to create unexpected results. Notable Austin projects include South Congress Hotel, Canopy, Springdale General, Loro, LINE Austin Hotel, Fareground, Uchi, P. Terry's, Home Slice Pizza and ATX Cocina, among others.

Brian McMullen is a brand strategist and operations specialist who cut his teeth as one of Uber’s first employees. Spending just over 7.5 years at the company, Brian helped to operationalize Uber’s community management role and then its global brand design functions before moving into brand strategy. Currently, Brian is putting all of his design thinking and patience to the test by learning video game development in Unity. Having taken on a design-related role at Uber without formal design experience, the support he received from the design community was key to Brian’s personal and career growth. With his role in Austin Design Week, Brian is excited to pay it forward and help others connect in meaningful ways.

Brian’s social media would indicate he’s interested in his cats, vinyl records, gaming, hip-hop, and lampooning popular movie franchises like “Fast and the Furious” for his own amusement.

Amanda Woodward grew up on Marco Island, Florida, and worked as a graphic designer for Artis-Naples, a center for visual and performing arts before joining Hai Hospitality in 2015. When she’s not at work, Amanda enjoys practicing yoga, painting, and playing her ukulele. Casa de Luz is her favorite spot in Austin. Cuc Gach Quán in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is her top eatery in the world.

Matthew leads a team of designers, researchers, and writers who are focused on creating amazing experiences while providing creative vision and design strategy at the executive level. He establishes best practices and puts processes in place to ensure efficiency and excellence which are translated through his team’s work. With a strong focus on ethics, education, and diversity, Matthew fosters a collaborative, inclusive team that focuses on a set of core values, including empathy, efficiency, and excellence.

Born in Banes, Holguin, CUBA. Ricardo’s genuine passion for service has allowed him to serve under various professional organizations and fundraise over $4,000 to establish The Pay It Forward Scholarship dedicated to alleviating the financial burden of architecture students at his HBCU, Tuskegee University. Ricardo is a dedicated and respected Associate member of the AIA Austin chapter where he serves on the Board of Directors as Membership/Community Building Commissioner. Formerly Chapter President with AIAS at Texas A&M University, his service includes the Hip-Hop Architecture Camp in Austin, Thomas H. Keithley Lodge No. 45, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, and the City of Austin’s Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Commission. In 2016, Ricardo was first recognized by his professional organizations as an emerging leader in the field of architecture. In March 2019, he was recognized as a finalist for Austin Under 40. In April 2019, Ricardo became an alumnus of the Leadership Austin’s Emerge Class of 2019 which recognizes emerging leaders in their respective avocations. In May 2019, he was recognized as AIA Austin's Associate of the Year for his contributions to the Chapter, the profession of architecture, and the community. In his spare time, Ricardo enjoys dancing and singing to Afro-Cuban folkloric music, Franco-Haitian, Rumba, and Salsa Casino!

Robert is a Service & Interaction Designer at the global design consultancy Fjord, where he helps the digital services of multinational enterprise clients become more human-centered, profitable, and sustainable. He has proudly attended Austin Design Week since its inception, and is optimistic about the ability of design to solve pressing problems like environmental protection, transportation, and personal wellness. He enjoys bicycling, camping, and thunderstorms, but not all at once. Learn the benefits of reducing car trips in your life at his workshop this year, “Roads are for People”.

https://Boler.work

Isaac is a Junior Account Strategist with experience in public relations across tech, finance, food and beverage brands. His passion for creating and implementing stories for his clients has led him to place these narratives in Elite Daily, USA Today, Forbes and more. He’s excited to work with Austin Design Week to help further their mission and introduce ADW to new audiences.

Isaac lives in Chicago but enjoys all things Austin (especially the breakfast tacos).

Erika Morgan is a Senior Director with 10+ years of experience in public relations across tech, finance, healthcare, and consumer brands. With an innate passion for storytelling, she leads campaigns that speak to the essence of brands. One of her favorite hobbies is decorating and design and she is thrilled to help spread the word about Austin Design Week.

Erika lives in East Austin with her husband and two dachshunds Sophie and Penny.

Katie Kahler is an Integrated Brand Strategist with 7+ years of experience building social/digital campaigns, influencer networks, and real time activations across verticals including CPG, Fin Serv, Tech, and B2B. Her love of the ATX creative scene lead her to Austin Design Week and she is excited to explore new ways to bring these events to a larger audience.

She loves the internet, Micheladas, and long hikes with her dog, Gaspode.

Marisa is a PR strategist, specializing in media relations and brand storytelling. In her current role at Praytell, she works closely with national media to curate meaningful coverage, landing pieces for clients in publications like the New York Times and Huffington Post. She’s excited to be working with Austin Design Week to continue exploring the role between media and brands to find new ways to expand brand dialogue among consumers.

With a background in web development and design, Britney Jo has worked as a Front End Developer, Web Dev Instructor, Freelance Designer and, most recently, landed in Creative Recruiting. Whether it’s teaching others to bring their ideas online by learning to code or finding badass talent and placing them with brilliant companies, her passion lies in helping other people find theirs.

Britney Jo was a SXSW speaker in 2017, 2018, and 2019. She has been on numerous design/developer panels, as well as, moderated many panel discussions in the design community.

Outside of work you can find her spending time with friends/family, eating as much queso as possible, burning it off at spin class, or exploring with her husband, daughter, and 2 pups.

After tripping into design 20 years ago, I realized somewhere along the way, that I loved to share shit I’ve learned. So 5 years ago I co-founded Austin Spark League, an education program for high-schoolers where we help them find their passions, explore what they might be interested in, and what careers pay well - that intersection is the Spark.

On the side, I’ve started a couple of tech consulting businesses, have done design leadership at small and big tech (IBM and now Facebook), and generally get drawn into building cultures of design from these places.

I’m a design thinking nerd, love putting on life-altering workshops, and like to drive my kids around in fast cars or geek out building legos with them.

Kaley is a UX designer, strategist, and educator based in Austin, TX. Her day job involves collaborating on and internal design system strategy for IBM Cloud. Prior to working as a designer, she spent a decade in the education space both locally and internationally, embedded in communities around the world. Kaley believes that the true power of design lies in it's ability to bring people together and empower community problem solving.

While not quoting podcasts or taking on new hobbies, Kaley likes to volunteer with some of her favorite organizations – Creative Mornings, and of course, Austin Design Week!

Erinn was born and raised in sunny Fort Lauderdale, FL, but has called Austin, TX home since graduating from the University of Florida as a double Gator. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Italian Studies and her Master of Arts in Mass Communication with a specialization in Social Media.

While in school, she learned the ins and outs of social media and communications and had the opportunity to work with several startups along the way. She currently works full time as the Social Media Specialist for Lifesize doing all things social media and content creation and is eager to be a part of Austin Design Week’s communications team for another year.

She is an active member in her sorority’s alumnae chapter, serving as a chairman on the Kappa Kappa Gamma Austin Alumnae Association board. In her free time, you can find her running the trails at Lady Bird Lake or playing the piano and collaborating with others to make new music.

Mark moved to Austin from in 2004 creating Mark Odom Studio, an award winning studio revolving around like-minded individuals producing both residential, commercial, & public art projects throughout the Texas region. Prior to m(ødm), Mark worked in Dallas, San Diego, and Hawaii on various urban infll, adaptive reuse, and mixed-use high rise developments with a primary focus on context and site-appropriate design. Mark has fifteen + years of experience in the architecture and construction industry and focuses the studio on collaborative efforts in quality design, material investigation, spatial development, and proper construction practices. Mark held a Professor of Practice position at Texas A&M University between 2009-2013 and has been involved with studio reviews over the years at University of Texas, Texas A&M, University of Texas San Antonio, and University of Houston. Teaching graduate level studio at Texas A&M, Mark’s scholarly interest is Design Process as it pertains to the investigation of Context, Theory, and the Individuals direct intent of realizing architecture as a spatial vocabulary…the belief that every project generates its own set of specifics, the approach is free of preconceived ideas, with every response a thoughtful reference to site specifics. Mark has his Masters of Architecture from NewSchool of Architecture where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2003. Trough Syracuse University, he studied abroad in Florence during 2002, and his undergraduate degree is in Environmental Design from Texas A&M University. Mark is currently a licensed Architect in the state of Texas and Colorado.

Kerry O'Connor is Austin's Chief Innovation Officer. She joined the City of Austin on March 24, 2014. Previously, Kerry worked at the U.S. Department of State, where she established an innovation unit called the Research and Design Center in the Office of the Secretary of State, which offers research, consulting, brainstorming facilitation, and strategic design services. She developed and managed an employee idea generation program, helped architect sustainable management reforms, coordinated logistics for the Pittsburgh G20 Summit, served as an executive staffer, and improved programs and operations at two U.S. Embassies. O’Connor holds a Master of Arts in International Affairs from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from James Madison University.

Guliz Sicotte is the Director of User Experience for Magento, an Adobe Company. In this role, Guliz oversees the UX design, research and documentation for Commerce Cloud, Order Management, Business Intelligence, and Marketplace products. She joined Magento from Volusion, where she lead the UX design for commerce platforms and built a successful design and marketing services division. Prior to spending a decade designing experiences in commerce, Guliz has held several roles in agencies designing marketing experiences for enterprise software companies. She is passionate about Design Thinking and building user-friendly products. Guliz holds a Master of Science degree in Information Systems and a Bachelors in International Business. When she’s not traveling around the world, she likes to explore the great outdoors in Austin with her family.

Stacey Chang is a designer, an unintentional academic, and an unapologetic ringleader for new creative solutions to age-old dilemmas in health. Until 2014, Stacey was the Managing Director of the Healthcare practice at IDEO, the global design and innovation firm. He left to found the Design Institute for Health at the University of Texas at Austin, a first-of-its-kind institution, dedicated to applying design approaches to solving systemic health care challenges as an integrated part of an operating health system and a medical education and training program. As Executive Director of the Design Institute, he considers topics as broad as the design of health services and tools, the built environment, new care models, and the structure and functionality of the health ecosystem itself. Stacey has served as a TEDMED Editorial Advisory Board member, and a Thought Leader for NEJM Catalyst. He holds degrees in engineering from MIT and Stanford.

Nina Means is an alumna of the International Fashion Design program at FIT and has designed for Rebecca Taylor, American Eagle Outfitters, and H by Halston for QVC. In 2016, Nina started her namesake label,

Nina Means, sold in specialty stores and online. As Director of the Austin Community College Fashion Incubator, she is developing a real-to-industry experience that provides students and fashion startups with the necessary educational experience and technology exposure to work efficiently in the fashion industry. The program also provides emerging fashion businesses the product development support to go-to-market in a profitable manner. As a fashion design and fashion marketing instructor, Nina has taught product development, production, introduction to manufacturing, technical design and computer illustrative media. She also speaks and serves as moderator for panels on fashion business and technology.

Sameera is a designer and educator living in Austin, TX, originally from the Dutch island of Curaçao. She is currently a Design Director at thoughtbot. She writes and speaks about Responsive Web Design, Diversity and Inclusion in Tech, and design research and process on her blog and on The Pastry Box Project (2015, 2018). She shares her thoughts on the web in the documentary, What Comes Next Is The Future and formerly wrote a monthly column for net magazine print and online. She makes playlists and travels a lot. She also cooks and dines out and photographs it all.

Danielle is passionate about empowering designers, through education and community building. She is currently the CEO of Women Talk Design, a new social enterprise on a mission to see more women speaking on stage.

She co-founded Austin Design Week in 2016 while she was the Regional Director of General Assembly in Austin, an education institution that empowers individuals to pursue the work they love through education and opportunities in design, tech, business and data. At General Assembly, Danielle wore many hats. She launched the San Francisco campus in 2012, globally managed education programs out of the New York HQ, and moved to Austin to launch and lead General Assembly's campus in December 2014.

While at GA, Danielle initiated and helped launch the first full-time User Experience Design Immersive program, to help aspiring designers transition their careers.

Danielle is double Hoo. She received her B.A. in Art History and her M.S. in Global Commerce for Marketing and Management from the University of Virginia.

Design Strategy Lead for Client Services at IBM

Amber Atkins is a Lead Design Strategist at IBM Design for Services where her team delivers on delightful experiences for clients who are curious about becoming a design lead entity and breaking free from "business as usual". For almost 10 years, she has helped build communities for creative education and design as the Vice President of Education and Mentorship for AIGA Colorado and now in her role on the AIGA Austin board. Amber believes in the power of what a diverse group of humans can do when they challenge one another to think - and then do.

Follow Amber on Twitter at @theambermeister

Partnerships & Events Manager, Vapor IO

Candice has over a decade of experience spanning marketing, advertising, sponsorship development, partnerships, programming, artist and event management. Candice has worked in magazine publication, music/film festivals and global productized events.

In 2011, she helped to open and run artist-owned record label, The Noise Company. In this role, Candice realized her passion for finding innovative platforms to support artists. She took her drive for fostering creative communities to education and startups to General Assembly where she served as the Marketing Lead for Texas and lead marketing efforts, events, partnerships, and community engagement. Candice recently joined Vapor IO where she heads up their partnership program and international event programming.

Candice is also one of the founders of Austin Design Week, which launched in November 2016. Austin Design Week brings together designers from all practices and celebrates Austin’s creative culture. In her free time, you can usually find her enjoying some of the best food the city has to offer, or at a live music show.

Follow Candice on Twitter at @ceedigs.