The Design in Public Board Nominating Committee is pleased to announce our incoming slate of accomplished design leaders who were elected to fill seats on our Board of Directors beginning September 1, 2019. The nominating committee solicited board nominations from a diverse pool of designers committed to our mission. Please join us in welcoming our new board members!
Sheryl Cababa—Director
Sheryl is an Executive Creative Director at Artefact and has 2 decades of experience in product design and consultancy. With one foot planted in design research & strategy and another in interaction design, Sheryl has the unique ability to see both the forest as well as the trees. She also helps designers spark their creativity by leading workshops in sketching, interaction design, and design research methods, as well as helping to develop responsible design tools for designers to use in their practice. She has delivered presentations and workshops at conferences including IxDA, Better World by Design, SFU Touchpoint, and Quantified Self.
Rob Deane—Director
Rob’s work emphasizes good old-fashioned drawing and teamwork, crafting client visions from sketches into enduring built environments. This dynamic process facilitates all parties to be heard, act, and appreciate the built result. His experience ranges from single and multi-family residential, government, corporate, civic projects, to tenant improvements. He is interested in how design in robust public and private relationships can foster sustainable and socially-balanced places. When not designing, you can find him with a sketchbook or musical instrument in-hand.
Heather Hargesheimer—Director
Heather is a Senior Associate with Jones & Jones Architects, Landscape Architects, and Planners. She is a registered Architect with over 25 years’ experience, working on a variety of civic, cultural, residential and mixed-use building projects. Her collaborative working style and commitment to client relationships and communication enable her to lead projects to unique design solutions that meet clients’ goals. She believes the keys to good design are creative thinking, open minds and lots of conversation.
SL Rao—Director
Shree Lakshmi (SL) Rao is a researcher, strategist, service and system designer, and a Foster America Fellow working across Washington state through the Department of Commerce’s Office of Homeless Youth. She was previously a Global Health Fellow at the Gates Foundation applying the human-centered lens to health strategies impacting vulnerable populations. Her work included innovations for the last mile, user-centered diagnostics and co-designing strategy for demand-oriented health systems in Nigeria. SL has also worked in big tech and supported start-ups as an Interaction & User Experience designer working across AI, Machine Learning, and search at companies like Microsoft. She has a Master’s in Interaction Design from Carnegie Mellon University and an undergraduate degree in Electronic Engineering. When not convening impacted populations and system stakeholders with whiteboards and post-it notes, SL can be found riding her bicycle, bouldering, backpacking, or finding cook-from-scratch recipes to reduce packaging waste.
Pepe Valle—Secretary & AIA Seattle Liaison
As a skilled and versatile architect, Pepe Valle specializes in technical design challenges with a flair for interpreting, organizing and coordinating project teams. With his rigorous attention to detail and versatility with new technologies, he has implemented several key improvements to various processes across the design spectrum. He provides guidance and leadership in preparing comprehensive documentation, paying careful attention to schedules, budgets, quality control, and sustainable building practices. He provides not just technical leadership but also mentorship for the whole architecture and interior design team. Pepe has over 17 years’ experience in the industry and graduated with a BA in Architecture from ITESM in Monterrey, Mexico. He is a licensed architect in the US with a LEED AP and CSI CDT Certification. He is an AIA and CSI member. Pepe’s inspiration comes from his daughter, Sam, and is expressed through his art, music, and architectural practice. He believes that through design, we have the opportunity to positively impact our communities; it’s during these processes where the right questions will be asked for us to uncover important strategies that will shape our environment. The Design in Public association creates an important avenue to bring the solutions we need to our communities and environment.