Mission

Design Camp’s mission is to make design and our industry of interior design understandable and accessible to all students, with a focus on grades K thru 12. We aim to inspire and expose the next generation to interior design.

Commission Chairs

image

Rachel Robinson

Studio Design Principal Rachel Robinson leads
clients through the design process, working with
them from the outset to fully comprehend their
needs, requirements, design preferences, and
budgetary concerns. Once a design consensus is

reached, Rachel directs her design team in estab-
lishing and implementing the design concepts and

intent through all phases of the project. She en-
sures smooth hand-in-hand coordination between

her designers and the technical team to bring the

design to life. With over 20 years of experience, Ra-
chel also serves as a mentor to her team.

Rachel has a long history of delivering leading-
edge, successful design solutions that both delight

and bring value to clients. Her acute attention to
detail and ability to communicate well with both
colleagues and clients naturally position her to
seek outcomes that focus on people’s interaction
in the workspace, and the impact this has on them.
Rachel’s thoughtful, analytical approach to design
has led to a timeless body of work that spans the
United States and abroad, and includes large-scale
corporate, hospitality, government, institutional,
and higher education projects.

image

Lisbeth Jimenez

Lisbeth Jimenez is a NCIDQ certified and WELL AP accredited Senior Interior Designer for MKDA with over 9 years of commercial and residential design experience. In addition, she is currently a part time teacher at her alma mater, FIT, the New School, and SVA for their respective Interior Design programs. Lisbeth is a firm believer in human centric design and understands the importance of bettering the community through the built environment. Lisbeth has also performed pro bono design work for multiple not for profit organizations including The Bowery Mission Women’s Center, and Restore NYC.

Committee Members

image

Aaliyah Walker

Aaliyah has a wide range of professional skills as a Designer and specializes in Corporate, Commercial, and Healthcare interiors. She has a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design and a double minor in Architecture and Art History. Throughout her design process, she thoughtfully develops content for the duration of a project beginning with testfits in pre-design through construction documentation. She has worked on several large scale, high-profile projects and demonstrates active involvement in construction administration. Aaliyah ensures the integrity of a design is executed and turned over as it was presented to the client.

She was recently recognized as one of the top 30 designers under the age of 30 by Interior Design Magazine in New York City in 2022. Aaliyah also became an NCIDQ certified Designer in the fall of 2021 and is an active member in the International Interior Design Association (IIDA). She has been a part of the Design Camp committee since 2019.

image

Carmita Sanchez-Fong

Carmita Sanchez-Fong is a Professor and Chairperson in the Interior Design Department at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She fell in love with the very serious and exciting business of teaching while lecturing at Baruch College in New York, 1990-1994. She holds a BS in architecture from City College of New York (CCNY) and an MS in Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology from the University of Albany. 

Before teaching, Carmita contributed at the offices of Swanke Hayden Connell Architects in New York, Washington, and London; Alan Gaynor and Company in New York City and spent two-and-half years in Latin America in the design and construction of Saniz Telecom’s corporate offices in Quito, Ecuador; and Bogota, Colombia. 

Carmita is the founder of the Integrated Service-Learning Project and firmly believes in the value of community service-learning to foster social responsibility.

image

Nicole Muratore

Nicole Muratore is an interior designer with 6 years of professional work experience. She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in 2016 with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from the Interior Design Program. Nicole became professional certified (NCIDQ) in the fall of 2021 and is an active member in the International Interior Design Association (IIDA). She has been a member of the Design Camp committee since 2019. She volunteers as event coordinator, planning creative workshops, portfolio reviews, and student presentations aiming to inspire and expose the next generation of interior designers. 

Nicole joined Gensler in 2018 as a Job Captain. However, she plays both roles of designer and job captain on every project and is responsible for orchestrating preliminary/schematic design, construction documents, and construction administration. Her passion of problem solving, attention to detail and her curiosity of how things are put together are what led her to become a designer, with hopes of her future career to become an architect. Nicole’s work over the past 6 years has been focused on workplace, government and airport projects.

image

Rachel Edwards

Rachel is a diligent Design Professional with a dedication to the
industry. She is skilled at developing and transferring conceptual
ideas into designs that reflect the interests of her clients. Over the
years, she has worked on many projects including education,
corporate interiors, retail, and healthcare. Rachel’s perseverance
and willingness to take on any challenge make her an exceptional
team member.

image

Pamela Ospina

Pamela is a versatile interior designer with five years plus of diverse experience within the design industry specializing in workplace interiors. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design from New Jersey Institute of Technology, along with being a part of the Albert Dorman Honors College. 

Portfolio of achievements include completing full execution of projects, creating excellent client

experiences, and organizing milestones. Furthermore, she has obtained her WELL AP certification to integrate wellness within projects.

Pamela has co-collaborated in mentoring the upcoming classes at NJIT in recent years. She has been nominated for Emerging Designer for the upcoming Design Showcase 2023. Additionally, she has been recognized as 30 under 30 by Interior Design Magazine in Fall 2022. 

image

Richard Bliss

Studio Design Principal Richard Bliss leads clients
through the design process, working with them
from the outset to fully comprehend their needs,
requirements, design preferences, and budgetary
concerns. Once a design consensus is reached,
Richard directs his design team in establishing
and implementing the design concepts and intent.
He ensures smooth hand-in-hand coordination
between his designers and the technical team to

bring the design to life. With over 30 years of expe-
rience in corporate interiors, Richard also serves as

a mentor to his team.
For clients who are looking to make a change in
their workspaces, Richard uses his vast expertise
to produce a design that is geared specifically
toward them – for the purpose of elevating their
work experience and making it more enjoyable and
productive. He turns generic spaces into creative

and energetic work environments that may refer-
ence the client’s history, as well as their direction

into the future. Some of Richard’s notable projects
include CIT and Foot Locker, both of which were
layered and complex, where the redesign focused
on staff well-being, interesting color palettes and
textures, as well as opportunities for collaboration
and interaction between personnel.

image

Katie Murphy

Katie is an optimistic and enthusiastic sales professional with 4 years of experience in the flooring solutions industry. She is skilled at developing the right action plan for each of her client’s unique needs and is committed to helping them choose the best products. Throughout her career, Katie has earned the trust of design firms and national companies and maintained strong client relationships that generate repeat business. She attributes her success to her ability to listen to customers and put their needs first.