To bring our Design Pathway to life, I draw on my lifetime of experience as a creative director, entrepreneur, product designer, university professor, and—most importantly, a parent. Fueled by my passion for learning, I have earned one bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a second Bachelor’s degree, plus an MFA in Digital Design. I was principal and creative director for Vining Barton Design, an award-winning strategic communications firm with four Fortune 500 companies as clients. The firm’s award-winning projects included branding, marketing and strategic planning, international trade shows, environmental graphics, commercial interior design, web design, information graphics, product design, print collateral, illustration and more. Concurrently, I taught design at various universities for over 20 years.

Over the past several years, we have built the Samueli Academy’s Design, Business & Technology Pathway to include four, dual enrollment design courses that lead to a Certificate of Design upon graduation, a student-run design studio called the FireHouse where students work with industry partners on real-world design and communication projects, and the FireStation, our fledgling broadcast studio. Our clients have included the Anaheim Ducks, Vans, Portos Bakery & Café, Disney UX, and more.