Education: University of Florida 2018 Expected Phd Student, College of Design, Construction & Planning University of Nebraska-Lincoln 2014 Master of Science in Architecture with specialization in Interior Design Link to Lorusso UNL MSArch Thesis Simmons Graduate School of Management 2004 Master in Business Administration Wentworth Institute of Technology 2002 Bachelor of Science in Interior Design, CIDA accredited Certifications NCIDQ Certificate No. 021518 & Licenses: Florida Licensed Interior Designer LIC#ID5189 Member American Society of Interior Designers, Florida North Chapter Member American Institute of Architects, Space Coast Chapter Professional Summary: Lesa Lorusso has thirteen years of experience in interior design including academic and professional practice. Her professional experience includes Residential, Commercial, Institutional and Healthcare design, Space planning, Project Management and Computer Aided Drafting and 3d Conceptual visualization. Lesa currently practices in Florida as a licensed Interior Designer, teaches undergraduate level courses in design, textiles and historic preservation and serves as a guest lecturer on the subject of historic preservation and textiles at local museums and universities. She is a doctoral student within the College of Design, Construction and Planning at the University of Florida researching inclusively designed environments. Academic University of Florida 2015-Present Experience: Research Assistant College of Design, Construction & Planning, Interior Design Department Collaborate with faculty and students within the Interior Design and Biology departments on the schematic design development of a proposed new Biology building on the UF campus. Conduct preliminary research study of architectural precedent and gather preliminary programmatic data and requirements Design curriculum and objectives and facilitate two week student project with student teams consisting of Interior Design and Biology undergraduate and graduate students to ideate schematic solutions for the proposed new Biology building. Evaluate student presentations and synthesize interior design concepts into a comprehensive marketing booklet for the Biology department chair, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the university president to enage the campus community and potential donors. CV Lesa N. Lorusso Page 1 of 5
Eastern Florida State College, Melbourne, FL 2012-2014 Program Manager, Full Time Instructor, Interior Design Technology Coordinates course revisions, textbook approval/changes, and mediation of issues relating to curriculum content. Assists with recruiting, credentialing, interviewing, and hiring of part-time faculty. Supervises, evaluates, and mentors part-time faculty. Coordinates class scheduling & coordination for program/discipline. Coordinates marketing and fundraising initiatives with community advisory committee Serves as Interior Design Club sponsor collaborating with students on educational trips, job procurement, and fund raising Course(s): Advanced AutoCAD, Historic Preservation, Interrelationship of Design and the Environment, Materials and Sources, Survey of Materials and Sources, Pictorial Drafting, Textiles, Interior Design Business Practices, Residential and Commercial Studios, Kitchen and Bath Studios, Building Codes, Lighting Design, History of Design. Eastern Florida State College, Melbourne, FL 2008-2012 Instructor Interior Design & Math and Technology Departments Team member working closely with both the Interior Design and Drafting and Design departments facilitating existing courses and developing new course curriculum. Collaborated with department in program preparation for SACS review and NKBA accreditation process. Developed curriculum and structure for the Historic Preservation and Textiles courses. Chair Interior Design Advisory Committee, 2009-2012 Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL 2010-2013 Adjunct Instructor, Department of Humanities and Communication Collaborate with FIT Department of Humanities and Communication to develop courses and teach core curriculum for the University s Textiles Minor. Work closely with Ruth Funk Center for the Textile Arts to facilitate Textile awareness and education. Developed the curriculum and structure for the three core FIT Textiles Minor classes Course(s): Critical Concepts: Historic Preservation, Intro to Textiles, Survey of the Textile Industry Brevard County Schools, Satellite High School, Satellite Beach, FL 2006-2008 AutoCAD Drafting Instructor Course(s): Architectural Design and AutoCAD levels 1-3 Coordinated student involvement with Habitat for Humanity of Brevard County including residential housing program development, CAD drafting of construction documents for use by Brevard Habitat, and design and construction of homes. Facilitated student design competition with Habitat for Humanity where a student s design was chosen for local construction with Brevard Habitat for Humanity. Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA 2004-2006 Adjunct Instructor Art Department, Architectural History program Developed and taught AutoCAD course to undergraduate Architectural History students Course(s): AutoCAD CV Lesa N. Lorusso Page 2 of 5
Suffolk University NE School of Art and Design, Boston, MA 2006 Adjunct Instructor Interior Design Department Worked with Prof. Douglas Seidler at the NE School of Art and Design and Beta tested his drafting text Digital Drawing for Designers: A Visual Guide to AutoCAD 1 st Edition in the course I taught with NESAD students Course(s): Combined Intro to AutoCAD, pictorial drafting course Research Interests: Inclusive Design: Doctoral research explores the inclusive design of residential and community spaces for people living with dementia. Currently planning a pilot study at an assisted living facility to evaluate the impact of Montessori Based Interior Design (MBID) interventions on Affect and Engagement for demented residents living within a specialty care unit (SCU). Article under review for publication exploring an environmental framework combining Montessori Based Programming (MBP) and the principles of Inclusive Design. Masters thesis: Architectural analysis of a non-profit facility serving multigenerational clients with a range of physical and mental disabilities. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies were used to study the effective application of Inclusive Design and Eden Alternative Principles to the interior renovation of a day program facility and learning environments. Coptic Textiles: Research interest related to specific dye known as Tyrian Blue or Tekhelet dye used in the Mediterranean during the first millennium AD. Interested in the economic factors and historical references related to blue Tekhelet dye related to both religious and secular textiles. Interested in semiotic evidence showing the blending of polytheistic, Jewish and Christian religions in the textile motifs and dye technologies from this era. Seminars, Lectures & Publications: Historic Preservation Blog Author, Florida Historical Society, 2011-Present preservation.myfloridahistory.org 2010-2015 Docent Lecture Series, FIT, Melbourne, FL Ruth Funk Center for the Textile Arts, FIT Provided a series of lectures on the subject of textile industry, history, and smart textiles Professional LNL Designs LLC, Interior Design, Melbourne, FL 2006-Present Experience Florida Licensed Interior Designer, Lesa Lorusso FLID5189 Professional Interior Design services including Residential design, Commercial design, Institutional and Healthcare design, Space planning, Project Management and Computer Aided Drafting and 3d Conceptual visualization. Provide professional training seminars in CAD instruction to local businesses. Guest lecturer at the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts, Florida Institute of Technology CV Lesa N. Lorusso Page 3 of 5
Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA 2004-2006 Facilities Project Coordinator Managed design, construction and renovation projects on campus Lulu Chow Wang campus center: worked on behalf of owner in collaboration with design and construction team. Managed and maintained FF&E budget over $2 million. Worked with local and international furniture designers and manufacturers to ensure fire code compliance on custom pieces. Tracked delivery of all furniture and managed off site storage and on site delivery, installation and space planning of furniture and custom pieces. Managed and specified space plan and furniture specification for student-run Café Hoop within campus center. Established and tracked yearly major maintenance project budgets on campus. Implemented & managed university standards for campus design projects including program development, product specification, procurement and installation. Managed competitive bidding, selection of contractors, management of projects and punch-list Managed university CAD room and three student employees. Designed and implemented virtual archival system, database and website to manage the university s extensive architectural drawing library. Fuller Associates, Boston, MA 2002-2004 Interior Designer Met with clients to establish project requirements Coordinated AutoCAD project construction documents and FF&E specifications Collaborated with team members on commercial projects from Schematic design through project completion. Designed project boards and marketing materials for project procurement. Worked with real estate managers to implement tenant design-build solutions Worked closely with clients and project team to establish conceptual designs and schematics for Franciscan Children s Rehabilitation center. Collaborated on design team at Fuller Associates, Boston, MA on the twin elevator lobbies at One and Two Adams Place Chosen for innovative, transformative and contemporary use of 3form material. 2008 3Form Grand Prize winner Best Installation Contest. Office Environments of New England, Boston, MA 1999-2002 Interior Designer in the Solutions Studio Interior Designer specializing in Steelcase systems furniture product specification Collaborated with architects, clients and project management team Implemented AutoCAD space planning layouts Designed project presentation boards and development, 3D CAD conceptual drawings. Coordinated the design studio s materials library and collaborated with manufacturer s representatives on product education and materials for studio CV Lesa N. Lorusso Page 4 of 5
Honors and Awards: Edgren Graduate Fellowship Recipient, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Merit based fellowship for full-time graduate students Research Assistant, College of Architecture, Interior Design Department University of Nebraska-Lincoln online Collaborate with Interior Design Program Director Prof. Betsy Gabb to research and develop courses for graduate certificate in gerontology in design: Senior Housing, Theories in Health Design, and Undergraduate course(s): Program, Standards and Codes National Kitchen and Bath Accreditation, Brevard Community College Collaborated with team of faculty and administrators to document and ensure compliance with rigorous eligibility requirements in curriculum, construction systems, design and business management of Interior Design Program. NKBA accreditation awarded for Brevard Community College s AS Interior Design Technology degree (75 hrs) and Kitchen and Bath Certificate (39 hrs). LuLu Chow Wang Campus Center, Wellesley, College, Wellesley, MA Worked on behalf of the owner, Wellesley College, in collaboration with the design, planning and construction team on 50,000 square foot student campus center building. Architect: Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects, Construction: Richard White and Sons, Landscape Architects: Michael Van Valkenburgh, Project Management Consultants: Genesis Planners. Project Award(s): 2006 ASLA award Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Landscape Architects and 2006 Harleston Parker Medal, BSA. REIT Elevator Lobby Collaborated on design team at Fuller Associates, Boston, MA on the twin elevator lobbies at One and Two Adams Place Chosen for innovative, transformative and contemporary use of 3form material. Project Award(s): 2008 3Form Grand Prize winner Best Installation Contest Software: AutoCAD MS Office Suite PhotoShop Google Sketchup References provided upon request CV Lesa N. Lorusso Page 5 of 5