Biography
Melissa is a Principal and Design Director in Gensler's San Francisco office who believes great spaces come from designing with the user's point of view in mind. You can see it in her work across many project types, including workplace, higher education, aviation, and retail.
She is known for her fresh perspective and collaborative approach, engaging clients and team members in a process that merges programmatic needs, user experience, art, and sustainability to bring out the best in each project. Melissa is passionate about sharing knowledge and influencing the next generation of designers. She serves on the advisory board of the interior design program at UC Berkeley Extension and has mentored and taught at CCA and the Academy of Art.
Great design has the power to bring out the best in people. It helps us feel calmer while traveling, envision a brighter future in educational spaces, and collaborate more effectively at work. When empathy is the tool, design can bring joy, dignity, and power to underserved populations.
Selected Projects
![[NEEDS INPUT: alt text]](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/iexz7ctt/development/4ef1f3d8f5a6292e38fd6969b561ebe153ae0423-5100x2869.jpg?w=3840&q=75&auto=format&fit=max)
![[NEEDS INPUT: alt text]](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/iexz7ctt/development/dd7dd94ae2b0c6a6098286243ab3a51f2361712d-3840x2160.jpg?w=3840&q=75&auto=format&fit=max)
![[NEEDS INPUT: alt text]](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/iexz7ctt/development/489efcd53fe2c058470d097c6e474da40cc42256-5000x3338.png?w=3840&q=75&auto=format&fit=max)
Qualifications and Recognition
Bachelor’s in Interior Design, Pratt Institute
IIDA, NCIDQ, LEED AP
Member, IIDA - International Interior Design Association
Member, USGBC - U.S. Green Building Council
IIDA Ten To Watch
Speaker, “Art Talk,” at George Fox University, 2023
Keynote, “The 2023 Staffing Summit: Recruitment and Engagement in a Post-COVID World,” at the Workability Neurodiversity Conference, 2023
Speaker, “Gensler and DignityMoves,” at CREW Portland, virtual, 2022
Panelist, “From Lemons to Lemonade: Designing for the Circular Economy,” at Portland Sustainable Building Week, 2021