Design Sector Mash-Up: Workplace and Residential

After earning a degree in Behavioral Sciences and an MBA, Charrisse Johnston worked on Wall Street before turning to interior design. Currently a founder of StudioSALT in Cape Town, Charrisse was a principal and the firmwide interior design practice leader at SteinbergHart before moving to South Africa. Prior to that, Charrisse designed learning and commercial workspaces at Gensler. Charrisse is a Fellow and former Chair of ASID and a current Director of the African Institute of Interior Design Professions. She has given talks worldwide about design's impact on human performance and juried many international design competitions. She particularly enjoys speaking with students about designing spaces that go beyond aesthetics to improve physical and mental well-being.

With over 25 years of experience, Kerrie is Creative Director for Kerrie Kelly Studio, an award-winning California based interior design firm.  She is also an author, contributor, product designer, and multi-media consultant, helping national brands reach the interior design market. Her work elevates everyday design, bridging the gap between design principles and life well lived. Kerrie has received national recognition for her expertise in interior design. Kerrie is a National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) Board Member; Fellow, Design Luminary Award recipient and Past-Chair to the National Board for American Society of Interior Designers (ASID); Houzz Advisory Board Member; and Zillow Interior Design National Spokesperson. Kerrie’s work has been featured in The New York Times, Bloomberg, Forbes, The Globe and Mail, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal.

Maria Martin is an interior designer based in Austin, Texas, and a 2019 ASID Ones to Watch Scholar. She believes that design should be as mobile and dynamic as the inspiration that fuels it, and that tech solutions should improve processes and be designed for an interior designer’s lifestyle. After spending years designing interiors, she pivoted into creating solutions for improved client-focused experiences, founding Design Appy, a program that transforms iPads into mobile design studios. Maria was featured in recent Forbes, Fast Company and Architectural Digest articles investigating the intersection of Generative AI and design, leveraging ChatGPT and innovative technologies to refine industry standards. She is a co-host of the Designer Discussions podcast, focusing on marketing, branding, PR, and business advice for designers.

Brooks is a Design Director in Gensler’s New York office, focused on delivering highly complex workplace projects that unify design and strategy for some of the world’s most successful companies. He is a workplace expert who can anticipate the evolving needs of his clients, drawing upon his experience across several practice areas, including tech, media, financial services, and professional services. Leveraging a systems-based thinking approach and critical eye for design, Brooks delivers progressive, innovative, award-winning projects that often total over a million square feet — such as Google’s New York headquarters at St. John’s Terminal, which embodies the company’s future work strategy and sustainability objectives. In 2019, Brooks was honored by the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) as a “Ones to Watch” Scholar. Currently, Brooks sits on the selection committee for future Scholars, helping to extend opportunities to other LGBTQIA+ and minority designers. Brooks studied architecture at both the University of Tennessee and Columbia University.

Laura McDonald Stewart received her bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Southern Methodist University and her MFA in Interior Design from Savannah College of Art and Design. After several years designing corporate projects, she founded Laura McDonald Enterprises and PLiNTH & CHiNTZ, the interior design blog and industry resource. For almost 10 years, Laura also managed METROCON Expo & Conference, the annual two-day event in Dallas focused on the built environment. She has served on the ASID National Board, currently sits on three interior design department advisory councils and was the recipient of the 2009 NCIDQ National Louis S. Tregre Award.