More about Steffanie's experience...

EXPERIENCE 

Design Lead
Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) Center for Creative Impact / Apr. 2023–Present 
Design Lead: Sept. 2025–Present

  • Plans and conducts qualitative research, including developing research guides, conducting interviews, observations, and other qualitative research methods.

  • Documents and processes data, including cleaning and tagging interview transcripts, anonymizing data, and preparing for synthesis.

  • Synthesizes data to identify phenomena and patterns, summarizing connections and tensions in HCD insights.

  • Designs and facilitates ideation and other creative workshops with a variety of project stakeholders.

  • Develops and tests prototypes with a variety of project stakeholders.

  • Coordinates and organizes project team meetings and action items for a variety of projects.

  • Supervises and manages Creative Impact Fellows working on various Center for Creative Impact projects.

Co-Design Lead, Multiscale RECIPES for Sustainable Food Systems: Apr. 2023–Sept. 2025

  • Designed and led virtual and in-person activities, workshops, discussions, and gatherings to enable convergence amongst the diverse members of the Multiscale RECIPES for Sustainable Food Systems (henceforth referred to as "RECIPES") network, in collaboration with program management and the Network Coordination Team (NCT).

  • Collaboratively led and manages the Fresh Rescue Champions project, working with RECIPES partners at Johns Hopkins University's School of Public Health and Department of Anthropology and engaging Albertsons Companies' frontline workers to reduce food waste and improve food donation in Mid-Atlantic grocery retail stores.

  • Planned and facilitated monthly "Co-Design Cluster" meetings to ensure ongoing collaboration between RECIPES members interested in convergence and design.

  • Supervised and mentored graduate fellows working on RECIPES-related work.

  • Created and managed documentation of MICA RECIPES processes and projects.

Design Strategist
Booz Allen Hamilton / Oct. 2018–Apr. 2023
Associate: Jan. 2021-Present

  • Leads and manages teams of Design Strategists while providing feedback and communicating opportunities for career development.

  • Collaboratively develops research plans tailored to specific subjects and client questions while balancing timelines and potential project risks.

  • Facilitates weekly meetings, plans design workshops, and reviews and briefs findings and final deliverables to clients and key stakeholders.

Senior Consultant: Oct. 2018-Jan. 2021

  • Supports in-house and federal client-facing Human-Centered Design (HCD) and Customer Experience engagements.

  • Creates final deliverables, including journey maps, personas, service blueprints, slide decks, and one-pagers, leveraging visual design skillset.

Graphic Designer
University of Maryland / Feb. 2016–Aug. 2017

  • Created illustrations and layout designs for various print and web deliverables and publications for departmental and university-wide campaigns and events.

  • Managed TERP Online, the digital publication of the alumni magazine.

  • Developed visual design team standard operating procedure document for team knowledge management and development.

EDUCATION 

Master of Arts in Social Design 
Maryland Institute College of Art / May 2018
Thesis Project: "How might we transform campus food waste into local food equity?" 

Relevant Experiences

  • HealthiAir Community Action Pack
    Collaborated with the Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) to better understand the public housing community’s challenges, relationship to smoking, and knowledge of impending HUD policy changes.

  • Branding for Social Impact
    Partnered with students and faculty from the Moholy Nagy University of Art and Design to rebrand the Trust for Mutual Understanding. 

  • Mitigating Pediatric Patient Misidentification
    Worked with the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute to conduct research with pediatric units to identify opportunities for redundancy and increased patient safety.

Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art 
University of Maryland College Park / May 2015 

  • Concentration in Graphic Design

  • Cumulative GPA: 3.94

  • Graduated Magna Cum Laude 

  • Earned Honors Humanities Citation 

SKILLS 

  • Graphic Facilitation and Recording

  • High-level proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite: Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign

  • Digital and hand-drawn illustration, screen printing, and hand-lettering

ADDITIONAL TRAINING 

  • The Psychology of Diversity and Unconscious Bias. Udemy / June 2020

  • Introduction to Graphic Facilitation. Crowley & Co. / Jan. 2020

  • 508 Compliance. Booz Allen Hamilton / Spring 2018

  • Trauma Informed Care. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration / Sept. 2017

RECRUITMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

  • MICA Master of Arts in Social Design - Booz Allen Studio Visits / Spring 2019-2021
    Facilitated studio visit and presentation, sharing about the Digital Experience capability and roles, as well as presenting case studies of previous and current work at Booz Allen.

  • University of Maryland AIGA - Portfolio Review / Spring 2018, 2019, and 2021
    Invited to be a reviewer for the annual AIGA UMD Portfolio Review Day. Reviewed student portfolios and provided valuable feedback for students looking to become professional Graphic Designers.

  • University of Maryland - Social Design Course Guest Lecturer / Sept. 2020
    Invited to be a guest lecturer for the University of Maryland Graphic Design Concentration’s Social Design course. Provided an introduction to Human-Centered Design and shared examples of past work.