Steffanie Espat
Co-Design Lead at MICA Center for Social Design- Claim this Profile
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English Native or bilingual proficiency
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Spanish Elementary proficiency
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Bio
SaraFrances "Franki" Abraham
I have had the pleasure of not only studying alongside Steffanie at the Maryland Institute College of Art, but have also had the privilege of collaborating with her as a Design Strategist while at Booz Allen Hamilton. Steffanie actually recommended me to my current position at Booz, and I'm so glad she did as it allowed me to learn immensely from her and other talented designers over the last 2 years. I have nary seen someone as thoughtful, proactive, thorough, and dedicated as Steffanie. She prioritizes the needs and nuances of the user, works tirelessly to properly research, understand, and evaluate each stakeholders influence and role, and then leverages her creativity, compassion, and wisdom to produce not only a product that fulfills the requirements of the original ask, but goes above and beyond to serve and address the unsung aspects of the problem space that normally go unserved or unseen. She is flexible, collaborative, and nimble. She is upstanding, kind, and empathetic. And to be around her is to be infected by her passion, quick-wit, and cleverness. She's an outstanding leader and friend to many and would be an asset (and secret weapon) to any team that is lucky enough to have her serve on it. I wish her all the luck in the future and pray that one day I will get to work and learn alongside her again.
Jennifer Fowler
Steffanie is an incredibly organized, diligent, and thoughtful human-centered designer and design thinker. She gives 110% to every project she is a part of, always putting the user at the center of her work. Steffanie is truly one of my favorite people to work with all-time.
SaraFrances "Franki" Abraham
I have had the pleasure of not only studying alongside Steffanie at the Maryland Institute College of Art, but have also had the privilege of collaborating with her as a Design Strategist while at Booz Allen Hamilton. Steffanie actually recommended me to my current position at Booz, and I'm so glad she did as it allowed me to learn immensely from her and other talented designers over the last 2 years. I have nary seen someone as thoughtful, proactive, thorough, and dedicated as Steffanie. She prioritizes the needs and nuances of the user, works tirelessly to properly research, understand, and evaluate each stakeholders influence and role, and then leverages her creativity, compassion, and wisdom to produce not only a product that fulfills the requirements of the original ask, but goes above and beyond to serve and address the unsung aspects of the problem space that normally go unserved or unseen. She is flexible, collaborative, and nimble. She is upstanding, kind, and empathetic. And to be around her is to be infected by her passion, quick-wit, and cleverness. She's an outstanding leader and friend to many and would be an asset (and secret weapon) to any team that is lucky enough to have her serve on it. I wish her all the luck in the future and pray that one day I will get to work and learn alongside her again.
Jennifer Fowler
Steffanie is an incredibly organized, diligent, and thoughtful human-centered designer and design thinker. She gives 110% to every project she is a part of, always putting the user at the center of her work. Steffanie is truly one of my favorite people to work with all-time.
SaraFrances "Franki" Abraham
I have had the pleasure of not only studying alongside Steffanie at the Maryland Institute College of Art, but have also had the privilege of collaborating with her as a Design Strategist while at Booz Allen Hamilton. Steffanie actually recommended me to my current position at Booz, and I'm so glad she did as it allowed me to learn immensely from her and other talented designers over the last 2 years. I have nary seen someone as thoughtful, proactive, thorough, and dedicated as Steffanie. She prioritizes the needs and nuances of the user, works tirelessly to properly research, understand, and evaluate each stakeholders influence and role, and then leverages her creativity, compassion, and wisdom to produce not only a product that fulfills the requirements of the original ask, but goes above and beyond to serve and address the unsung aspects of the problem space that normally go unserved or unseen. She is flexible, collaborative, and nimble. She is upstanding, kind, and empathetic. And to be around her is to be infected by her passion, quick-wit, and cleverness. She's an outstanding leader and friend to many and would be an asset (and secret weapon) to any team that is lucky enough to have her serve on it. I wish her all the luck in the future and pray that one day I will get to work and learn alongside her again.
Jennifer Fowler
Steffanie is an incredibly organized, diligent, and thoughtful human-centered designer and design thinker. She gives 110% to every project she is a part of, always putting the user at the center of her work. Steffanie is truly one of my favorite people to work with all-time.
SaraFrances "Franki" Abraham
I have had the pleasure of not only studying alongside Steffanie at the Maryland Institute College of Art, but have also had the privilege of collaborating with her as a Design Strategist while at Booz Allen Hamilton. Steffanie actually recommended me to my current position at Booz, and I'm so glad she did as it allowed me to learn immensely from her and other talented designers over the last 2 years. I have nary seen someone as thoughtful, proactive, thorough, and dedicated as Steffanie. She prioritizes the needs and nuances of the user, works tirelessly to properly research, understand, and evaluate each stakeholders influence and role, and then leverages her creativity, compassion, and wisdom to produce not only a product that fulfills the requirements of the original ask, but goes above and beyond to serve and address the unsung aspects of the problem space that normally go unserved or unseen. She is flexible, collaborative, and nimble. She is upstanding, kind, and empathetic. And to be around her is to be infected by her passion, quick-wit, and cleverness. She's an outstanding leader and friend to many and would be an asset (and secret weapon) to any team that is lucky enough to have her serve on it. I wish her all the luck in the future and pray that one day I will get to work and learn alongside her again.
Jennifer Fowler
Steffanie is an incredibly organized, diligent, and thoughtful human-centered designer and design thinker. She gives 110% to every project she is a part of, always putting the user at the center of her work. Steffanie is truly one of my favorite people to work with all-time.
Credentials
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The Psychology of Diversity and Unconscious Bias
Udemy AcademyJun, 2020- Nov, 2024 -
Introduction to Graphic Facilitation
Crowley & Co.Jan, 2020- Nov, 2024 -
IRB Training
NIHOct, 2017- Nov, 2024 -
Trauma Informed Care Training
BCHD and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services AdministrationOct, 2017- Nov, 2024 -
Adult First Aid/CPR/AED
American Red CrossMay, 2019- Nov, 2024
Experience
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MICA Center for Social Design
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United States
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Higher Education
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1 - 100 Employee
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Co-Design Lead
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Apr 2023 - Present
- Support Co-Director/Co-PI in overall RECIPES program strategy, planning, management, budgeting and project administration; - Co-design and lead a series of “convergent design studios,” a series (virtual and in-person) activities, workshops, and gatherings engaging members of the RECIPES network across the country in order to enable convergence among diverse disciplines and institutions; - Co-design and manage collaboration with RECIPES partners at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to co-facilitate a human-centered design process engaging a cohort of employees from Albertsons (second largest retail grocery chain in the US) in research, ideation, and prototyping of interventions to reduce food waste in their mid-Atlantic stores; - Co-design and facilitate monthly work sessions and work streams of the RECIPES “Co-Design Cluster” to ensure ongoing collaboration between the three design schools in the network (including MICA Center for Social Design, UC Davis Center for Design in the Public Interest, and the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology); - Co-design and test with Co-Director a strategy for integrating principles of "life-centered design" into the work of RECIPES network to identify and prototype nature-inspired solutions to food waste; supervise and mentor MICA team of Graduate Fellows, Post-Graduate Associate(s), Community Fellows and partners, administrative team, and independent contractors engaged in the RECIPES initiative; serve as primary liaison with RECIPES Program Manager at American University, and attend and co-facilitated regular meetings with RECIPES Network Coordination Team (national team of RECIPES Principal Investigators); - Manage documentation (written and visual) of Center for Social Design process and progress on RECIPES initiative, and coordinate collaborative writing and publishing opportunities with RECIPES partners Show less
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Booz Allen Hamilton
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United States
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IT Services and IT Consulting
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700 & Above Employee
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Associate, Design Strategist
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Jan 2021 - Mar 2023
- 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.
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Senior Consultant, Design Strategist
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Oct 2018 - Dec 2020
- 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.
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MICA Center for Social Design
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United States
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Higher Education
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1 - 100 Employee
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HealthiAir Design Researcher
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Mar 2018 - Jul 2018
- Collaborated with the Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) to build upon research and prototypes created in the fall 2017 Practice Based Studio. - Trained BCHD staff to prototype the Community Action Pack, synthesized feedback, and developed an implementation strategy in partnership with BCHD. - Collaborated with the Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) to build upon research and prototypes created in the fall 2017 Practice Based Studio. - Trained BCHD staff to prototype the Community Action Pack, synthesized feedback, and developed an implementation strategy in partnership with BCHD.
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Made In Baltimore
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United States
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Non-profit Organizations
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1 - 100 Employee
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Social Design Fellow
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Oct 2017 - Mar 2018
Partnered with Made In Baltimore, SewLab USA, and Open Works to create a workforce development program, meeting the growing demand for skilled industrial sewers and machine operators in Baltimore. Partnered with Made In Baltimore, SewLab USA, and Open Works to create a workforce development program, meeting the growing demand for skilled industrial sewers and machine operators in Baltimore.
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University of Maryland
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United States
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Higher Education
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700 & Above Employee
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Graphic Designer
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Feb 2016 - Aug 2017
- Created artwork and weekly updates for TERP Online, the web iteration of UMD's Alumni Magazine - a Wordpress-generated site. - Coordinated, designed, and produced of a diverse range of visual communications, including identities, brochures, booklets, flyers, posters, newsletters, invitations, presentation materials, web site graphics, emails, and eNewsletters. - Worked on branding and marketing for the Alumni Association, as well as university-wide and individual school projects. - Assisted with layout, production, and other related tasks for all assigned projects. - Helped prepare publication plans and production schedules. - Worked with clients throughout the University of Maryland and is able to explain the university's visual identity and guidelines. - Created a Creative Department handbook, including information for TERP magazine, TERP Online, printer maintenance, office supplies, essential Creative accounts, UMD and Stay Fearless branding, etc. Show less
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The ONE Campaign
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United States
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Civic and Social Organizations
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200 - 300 Employee
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Graphic Designer
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Aug 2015 - Dec 2015
- Created graphics for ONE’s various social media platforms, such as Instagram and Twitter. - Worked with ONE marketing team members to conceptualize booth designs for the UK branch’s political conferences, including the creation of banner and ticket mock-ups. - Designed luggage tags and event invitations for different ONE events both in the US and the UK, including World AIDS Day 2015. - Illustrated a number of images for specialty social graphics, such as Snapchat filters, using Adobe Illustrator. Show less
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University of Maryland
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United States
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Higher Education
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700 & Above Employee
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STAMP Student Union Marketing Department Graphic Design Intern
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Jan 2015 - May 2015
- Met and worked with clients in order to create marketing materials for various student events in the Stamp Student Union. - Utilized Adobe Illustrator in order to create promotional materials, such as posters, email images, social media posts, and axis television ads.
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ARHU Academic Technology Lab Intern
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Sep 2013 - May 2015
- Assisted faculty with technological issues and questions about platforms such as ELMS Canvas and educational HTML websites. Transcribed various ARHU faculty and guest interviews. - Helped ARHU faculty scan and organize photographs and files for their classes.
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Creative Director; ARTT 454 "SeeMe: More Than How I Look"
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Aug 2014 - Apr 2015
- Elected by my fellow classmates to lead the group of 20 students in researching a specific social issue and creating an experience to address and help bring awareness. - Oversaw four research groups, looking at the issue of diversity on UMD’s campus, including the research methods of Graffiti Walls, Interviews, Surveys, and Observation. - Listened to the group’s overall ideas, questions, and concerns, and later compromised in order to create what would become the SeeMe Exhibit. - Directed four creative groups, who created the exhibit marketing, content, UMD Diversity Committee logo, and video documentation, in order to ensure teamwork and consistency in designs. - Functioned as liaison between the students, the UMD Diversity Committee leaders, and our professor. Lead the class in installing and working the SeeMe exhibit. Show less
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Design Assistant to Professor Buck-Coleman
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Feb 2014 - May 2014
- Created promotional flyers and posters for design related events (ie. guest lectures and Clarvitt Design Week events). - Edited signage for the art department. - Organized and managed emails for the Design Concentration list serv.
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Marstudio, Inc.
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United States
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Advertising Services
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1 - 100 Employee
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Creative Department Intern
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Jun 2014 - Aug 2014
- Developed marketing concept for Marstudio’s new office build-out, including poster series, marketing material time-line, release of posters and videos, etc. - Designed a logo to brand the Marstudio Build-Out Campaign. - Produced a series of posters as promotional material to gradually reveal the new space and services. - Developed marketing concept for Marstudio’s new office build-out, including poster series, marketing material time-line, release of posters and videos, etc. - Designed a logo to brand the Marstudio Build-Out Campaign. - Produced a series of posters as promotional material to gradually reveal the new space and services.
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University of Maryland
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United States
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Higher Education
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700 & Above Employee
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Curator: [bjutefel] Exhibition
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Sep 2011 - Mar 2013
- Curated an art exhibit based around the theme of female body image. - Researched female body image in the media, eating disorders, body image disorders, and other related topics. - Created multi-media artwork within the theme of the show. - Organized the exhibition, which included: writing the proposal for the show, putting out a call to artists, creating and distributing advertisements, installing the show, holding an opening reception, and uninstalling the show with assistance from advisors. Show less
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Dance Space
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United States
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Performing Arts
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1 - 100 Employee
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Beginning Tap Teacher & Choreographer
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Aug 2009 - Jun 2011
Taught a weekly, hour-long class to beginning tap students and choreographed a two minute dance for the end of the year recital. Taught a weekly, hour-long class to beginning tap students and choreographed a two minute dance for the end of the year recital.
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Education
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2017 - 2018
The Maryland Institute College of Art
Master of Arts - MA, Social Design -
2011 - 2015
University of Maryland College Park
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Studio Art with a Concentration in Graphic Design
Community
