Our People

BOARD 

Nick Scappaticci, Managing Director and Founder, BIG DREAMS – President

Sara Ossana, Founder, Studio MO – Vice President

Deborah McDonough, VP of Marketing, Bradford Soap Works Inc – Treasurer

Jo Lee, Founder, Pop-Up Rhody – Secretary 

Sophie Weston Chien, Designer-Activist, Harvard GSD MLA ‘23

Amy Devers, Host + Producer, Clever Podcast

Kirtley Fisher, Assistant Teaching Professor, College of Business, University of Rhode Island 

Manan Narang, Founder, Indo-made

Yemi Sekoni, President of Donahue Models & Talent, LLC

Wendy MoMa Michel, NeuroArts specialist, Founder of MINDART, Creative Wellness Research Lab

Moises Valcarcel Gonzalez, Job Captain at DBVW Architects, Co-founder of Rhode Island Minorities in Architecture & Design (RIMIAD)

STAFF

Kat Simonds
Senior Programs and Events Associate 
kat@designxri.com

Bisola Folarin, Bonner Fellow, bisola@designxri.com

CO-FOUNDERS

Lisa Carnevale, Co-Founder, DESIGNxRI

Emily Hall, Charrette Venture Group

Libby Slader, Libby Slader Interior Design

Kelly Taylor, Kelly Taylor Interior Design