Board of Directors

 
Black and white headshot of Kathy Long Holland, a board member of the Center for Design Institute in the Pacific Northwest.

Kathy Long Holland

Kathy is a specialist in the development and launching of new products, strategies and business models. She was at Nike for 7 years as the Divisional Head of New Products and Markets. She founded her consultancy, LongSherpa Design, specializing in new businesses and business transitions, in 1987. She has worked with start-up entrepreneurs, cooperatives, corporate environments, and not-for-profit organizations and she co-founded ECO-D/OMBI, a not-for-profit publicly funded corporation providing business development and advisory services to innovative enterprises. Kathy has lectured at Stanford, The School for Entrepreneurial Leadership at UC Berkeley, the University of Oregon Graduate School of Business and Oregon Health Sciences University. She has presented leadership and entrepreneurship training for the U.S. State Department in the Middle East and currently facilitates an executive CEO forum for women-owned companies. Ms. Long Holland serves on numerous Boards of Directors, both for-profit and non-profit.

 

Paula Rees · President/Treasurer

Paula is the principal of Foreseer, a Seattle-based, multi-disciplinary design firm founded in 1979. She has designed major destinations for public institutions and private companies from Los Angeles to Barcelona, including mixed-use developments, historic districts, civic parks, retail stores, public markets and transit environments. This work involves managing very large collaborative teams of designers, artists, and fabricators. Paula’s expertise makes her a highly desired speaker and writer. She has enjoyed guest teaching at universities around the world. Her award-winning work is featured in many publications on experiential design and urban identities. She has served on the executive board of numerous 501(c)(3) educational foundations, including an early founding member of Women in Design, and a past president of the International Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD).

 
Photo of Linda Kuo as she smiles at the camera, artifacts from around the world can be seen behind her.

Linda Kuo

Linda was previously the Director of Design and Product Development at Pottery Barn Kids & Teen. She is a passionate drawer, writer, and maker of things. During her 15+ years creative adventure with Williams-Sonoma Inc., she bridged high concept and mass production, working with artisans around the world to design a wide spectrum of products from storage solutions for different living spaces, wall organization system, to heirloom toys and school essentials across multiple brands. Linda has a BFA from Parsons School of Design New York and an MFA from Stanford University. Sara Little Turnbull mentored Linda and her team for the IDMM project at Stanford. Linda carries Sara’s words of wisdom ‘She who seeks order creates elegant designs’ in her heart and practices it in the field every day.

 

Luisa Ruge

Luisa is the Founder and Principal of pHauna, a pioneering design firm with expertise in animal-centered design, business, and ethics. A true polymath, Luisa’s personal and professional journey is incredibly diverse and prolific, spanning multiple continents, industries, and roles. For over 20 years, she has helped craft and implement engaging user experiences that foster equitable interactions among users and stakeholders. Luisa is a master communicator, able to explain even the most complex concepts with clarity and precision, informing and inspiring her audience; whether academics, practitioners, industrial stakeholders, or members of the general public. She has a Ph.D. in Animal Computer Interaction from The Open University, an M.F.A. in Product Design from the Academy of Art University, and a B.F.A. in Industrial Design from the Universidad de los Andes. She is also a certified Service Dog Trainer.

 
Mark Shieh looks at the camera for a headshot to go on the board of directors page for the Center for Design Institute website.

Mark Shieh · Secretary

Mark is the co-founder of Take Root, a research-driven real estate company in Vancouver, Canada. Passionately curious about people and places, he started out as a Disney Imagineer and indulged a childhood dream to be a Disney character. Later, he worked as the Director of Research at ECCO Design in New York. Mark has a BS in Civil Engineering and an MS in Engineering Management, both from Stanford University. He was the research assistant to Sara Little Turnbull at the Process of Change Lab at Stanford from 1997 to 1998. He was also a Mayfield Entrepreneurship Fellow. He has served on the board of Vancouver Heritage Foundation, Vancouver City Planning Commission, and Vancouver Contemporary Art Gallery. He currently serves on the board of Building Opportunities with Business.