Industry Experts

Michael Donovan has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Parsons School of Design. Mr. Donovan is a Parsons alumni graduating with a degree in Environmental Design, later teaching, and has served on Parsons Board of Advisors for many years.

Mr. Donovan was the founding partner, with Nancye Green, of Donovan/Green a communication and design consultancy. For decades the firm specialized in inventing new forms of user experience, information design, and storytelling. Mr. Donovan joined Metsera, launched by Population Health Partners, as Chief Design Officer.

Mr. Donovan has served on the boards of the Municipal Arts Society, the American Institute of Graphic Arts, The Society of Environmental Graphic Design, The National Design Center, The Art Directors Club and served as an advisor to the Aspen Design Conference. Throughout his creative career he has received recognition and awards for branding solutions, information design, and environmental design. He was recognized in Richard Saul Wurman’s book, 1000 Most Creative People in America. He is an NEA Fellow and received the Christian Petersen Award for Creativity from Iowa State University, his first alma mater, where he served as an advisor to the Design College. He has taught at Parsons School of Design and Pratt Institute. Michael holds degrees from Iowa State University and Parsons School of Design. Michael Donovan and Nancye Green were awarded the American Institute of Graphic Arts Medal — the most distinguished in the field—in recognition of their exceptional achievements, services or other contributions to the field of design and visual communication. Mr. Donovan received the Distinguished Service Award from the New School for leadership in communication, strategy and sustainable design. In addition to his many accolades, Michael is also, proudly, an Eagle Scout.

I’m a designer who values craft, collaboration, and curiosity. My personal design philosophy lies where MythBusters and Marie Kondo intersect—demystifying the design process while sparking joy. I’m lucky I get to do that often at Redscout. Before this, I held roles at COLLINS, SYPartners, Pentagram, and Base Design. And before that, I studied Communication Design at Parsons School of Design, with a concentration in Branding. I was born and raised in Singapore, and now live in New York City.

A quick glance at Ellen Hamilton’s work is enough to reveal a designer deeply committed to the decorative arts – what you don’t see are the piles of books that inform each project and the intense research and wild inspiration that follow. Drawing on everything from the Convent of St. Marco to The Thin Man, her projects reflect a perennial student dedicated to and enchanted by the complexity of design.

Ellen’s process of translation, iteration, and innovation is one that has made for profound client relationships as she dives into their vision to expand both their base of knowledge as well as her own. With an eye on the unique history of each property, her projects honor the past as a means to bend and shape a home for our time – so these extraordinary spaces can continue to live on in the present. Ellen’s dedication to education, history, and community has taken the form of The Brooklyn Designer Showhouse, which she founded in 2017 with a focus on championing emerging talent and encouraging intellectual curiosity in the design industry.

Ellen’s work has been featured in Veranda, Luxe, Elle Décor, Galerie, House Beautiful, and other leading design publications.

Steven Roberts is the CEO and Chief Innovation Officer of The Echo Design Group. During his 44-year tenure at this heritage brand known for its colorfully designed scarves, Roberts’ contributions to the company include expanding the brand’s footprint both geographically and categorically beyond scarves, developing its longstanding license with Polo Ralph Lauren and building its custom/private label division. Echo products are now distributed in over 15 countries and the collection includes a full range of patterned scarves, cold and warm weather accessories, a swim and beach collection, as well as home and decorative furnishings collections. It was Steven’s personal obsession with innovation that led to the development of the Echo Touch Gloves which launched in 2008 and still remains the company’s single best-selling item.

After graduating from Trinity College in 1978, Roberts joined Echo Design, a company founded by his grandparents 99 years ago. While working at Echo, Steven pursued his MBA at night from NYU. He continued his studies abroad the second year, attending HEC in Paris and working at the French department store, Printemps, for his thesis work. In 1993, Roberts was appointed President of Echo, when his mother Dorothy became CEO. In 2004, Roberts was named CEO and chief innovation officer, making him the 3rd generation of leadership running the company.

Roberts is an avid tennis player and published photographer. He and his wife, Meg Roberts, who is the Senior Design Director of Home and Print Design at Echo Design, have co-authored three books on home decor. They have three children and live outside of New York City.

Sean is a Senior Managing Director within Accenture Song who joined in May 2023. He is responsible for leading and developing Song’s award-winning design, build, communications, and intelligence capabilities. Lyons is a recognized leader in the design, marketing and advertising industry and with over 20+ years of leading integrated creative, technical and operational teams.
Sean most recently served as the CEO of R/GA, one of the world’s leading digital agencies. Building upon R/GA’s deep creative culture he led the agency’s growth and transformation into a global leader in communications, design and digital product innovation across 18 locations and 2000 employees. He created new offerings including R/GA Health, Brand Relationship Design and a global, creatively-driven Media offering. He led the transformation of the HR function and established an industry recognized DEI strategy and methodology. He has played a key role in the development of R/GA’s award-winning work for clients such as Nike, Samsung, Verizon, Reddit, and Google.

Prior to this role at R/GA Sean served as the Global Chief Digital Officer of Havas. He was the executive lead on all digital efforts across the global network while also co-managing the New York office, the network’s largest. He set the strategy for the digital transformation of the network, launched new offerings, helped integrate the creative and media capabilities and attract new acquisitions. He was an executive lead on a group of integrated clients including IBM, Hershey’s, Keurig, Heineken and Liberty Mutual.

Prior to Havas, Sean had his first 10 year stint at R/GA beginning in 2003. He had two keys roles during this time first as the Executive Technical Director on Nike account. He led the technical team in the development of R/GA’s product design and innovation capabilities which included digital products like Nike+ and global commerce platforms Nike iD and Nike.com. Through this work he was promoted to the Managing Director of the global Nike account , the agencies largest, which he held for 5 years.
Sean is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, with a BFA in Art with a focus on Electronic Media. He was fortunate to be taught by inspiring professors with deep creative and technical skills. They fostered collaboration across the art, computer science and engineering schools showing me the wonder and power of combining creativity and technology.
Sean is on the Board of Parson’s School of Design and The Sculpture Center. He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his family.

Jamie Drake is co-founder of the award-winning, multidisciplinary interior design firm Drake/Anderson. Arguably the foremost colorist of our day, Drake brings his singular, exuberant design sensibility—which he has developed over 40 years—to every project. A graduate of Parsons, he is lauded for his ability to distill his vast knowledge of periods and styles with a discriminatingly modern connoisseurship, he creates environments that are both glamorous and eloquent, yet always interpreted through the unique prism of each client and assembled with a sense of contemporary comfort. Equally adept at appointing a cosmopolitan glass-sheathed penthouse, a sprawling oceanfront estate or such commercial interiors as private foundations and state-of-theart medical facilities, Drake is also a prolific designer of luxury products for the home. His collections include everything from carpets, rugs, and furniture, to fabrics, lighting, and bath fixtures and accessories. Drake’s work has been featured in virtually every design publication of note, including Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Interior Design, and more. Among accolades too numerous to mention, he has held a spot for several years on the prestigious Architectural Digest AD100 Hall of Fame and the Elle Decor A-List. He also has been bestowed with the DLN Design Leadership Award, Fashion Group International’s Night of Stars Award for Interior Design, inducted into the ASID College of Fellows, named to Interior Design magazine’s Hall of Fame, and was designated by House Beautiful as a Master Class designer. Extremely active in many causes, Drake currently serves on the boards of The Alpha Workshops, the New York Community Trust and Parsons School of Design. He is cochair of the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse, benefitting the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, and he is a recipient of a Partnership for the Homeless Director’s Award.

After graduating from Parsons School of Design, Kay Unger entered the fashion world in 1968 as a design assistant to Geoffrey Beene. Two years later, she founded her own dress firm, Kay – the first of several successful global fashion companies she both founded and managed, including The Gillian Group, A.J. Bari, Kay Unger New York, Kay J’s Pajamas and Phoebe Couture. In 2012, she formed Kay Unger Design as a means of focusing her boundless energy on unique design projects that benefit from her creative and leadership skills. Kay continues to consult for both design related companies and nonprofit organizations. Kay is currently in collaboration with Line in the Sand, a protective and active waterwear brand where 100% of the profits go to ocean and cancer organizations. 

Kay serves as Trustee of The New School and Chair Emerita of Parsons School of Design, her alma mater. She has been a member of the Parsons School of Design Board of Governors since 2006 where she enthusiastically served as Chairman from 2013 to 2020. 

Kay’s commitment to philanthropy began at an early age with her involvement in the Epstein Fine Arts Fund, formed in honor of her brother, Stephen Julius, who passed away in early childhood. In 2010, she founded her own foundation, The Kay Unger Family Foundation, where she now serves as chief executive officer. With its mission of “venture philanthropy,” The Kay Unger Family Foundation continues her family’s legacy of supporting underserved youth talented in the arts and providing them with the tools they need to make a difference. The Kay Unger Family Foundation also supports already existing foundations for cancer care and research. Kay is also Co-Chair of Fashion for the Front Lines, a New York City based task force that was created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic with the singular goal to secure personal protective equipment (PPE) for the medical workers on the front lines.

Martel Francois was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He started his own lifestyle-consulting firm in 2008 focused on cultivating and expanding the way brands think around multicultural marketing. He has since partnered with major brands such as Zegna, Coach, Omega, IWC, Mercedes Benz, and most recently Lebron James’ Lobos 1707 Tequila. These partnerships have allowed for him to execute unique experiences from a vantage point where fashion, culture, and hospitality intersect. In 2017, he founded “The Look Good Feel Good Program” with his wife, Sydni Francois, which focuses on youth exposure and career readiness through extended learning classroom experiences. The program has since aimed to provide career preparation and readiness for students to exceed academic expectations, inspiring a different approach to learning while building a stronger school culture and spirit.

George Kordaris considers himself a very lucky man. In 1973, while at UCLA, a friend invited him to a party at the Knoll showroom for the launch of the Morrison and Hannah seating series. Seeing a lot of beautiful design people having fun, he cultivated the Knoll connection and a couple years later he joined the firm. Since this first encounter, George’s unique perspective on great furniture designs has grown through decades of work with many of the most prestigious firms in the industry.

Drawing from his extensive industry experiences and relationships, George established Round Table Associates, a furniture consulting firm he still operates, providing strategic product planning, marketing strategies and advice to leading designers and manufacturers.

In 2018, George started teaching a graduate class in “The History of Furniture Production” at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. As John Wooden said “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts!” It has been amazing to teach the history of the industry, charting the future of the global furniture industry.

George’s global understanding of the furniture market and the elite positions that he has held along the way, coupled with a love of furniture design and design history, give him unparalleled insight into what it takes to be a success in this industry.

Carolina Acosta is an entrepreneur, author, and Forbes 30 Under 30 Lister. She is known as the founder and CEO of Tragos Games, the party games that celebrate Latino culture. With a background in graphic and product design, she is dedicated to making beautiful products and authentic experiences that empower the Latino culture. Through Tragos, she has sold over 250,000 games and raised over $20,000 for causes supporting her community. She currently lives and works remotely in New Jersey, focused on developing more products and spontaneously traveling for fun in between.

King David is an abstract artist based in Brooklyn, NY. Born in Flatbush to immigrant parents from the Caribbean, his unique upbringing was heavily influenced by his completion of a program called Prep for Prep. This nonprofit afforded him scholarship opportunities to attend the The Dalton School and Gettysburg College, where he graduated as a Studio Art major with honors. This scholarly achievement would also lead David to the doors of the Leo Marchutz School of Painting and Drawing in France, where he studied for a semester abroad. After the experience of losing his father to suicide in 2016, David found his voice and expressive style in abstract painting, and has been committed to working in this fashion ever since, supplementing his focus on abstraction with similarly conceived drawings, watercolors, sculptures, and photographs. He works out of his Brooklyn studio and is represented by Welancora Gallery in Bed-Stuy.

Jessica Walker is the Director of Illustration and an Associate Professor of Integrated Design at Parsons School of Design in New York. Her creative practice spans visual art, illustration and social engagement. Her work can be found on bookshelves, in exhibition spaces, and inside her classroom where she experiences the joy of teaching emerging artists and designers. Walker’s visual artwork has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions internationally. Her visual artwork draws from the pattern-making and quilting traditions of Southern Appalachia and her writing explores the cultural politics of rural America. Walker is the illustrator of “Baby Feminists” and “Baby Feminists Too,” two board books that invite youngish-to-oldish readers to consider that the most impressive people on the planet were once babies. Walker is currently working on “The Secret Astronomers,” an illustrated novel for young adults that is set in her native Appalachia (Viking Books for Young Readers, 2025). Walker received her BA in Art History from the University of Virginia and her MFA in Fine Arts from San Francisco State University. She lives in Brooklyn.

Anjanette and Dominic Sinesio are both alumni of Parsons School of Design, each with over 30-year careers as creative professionals and entrepreneurs. Although they both grew up and actually knew each other from Jersey City, their paths criss-crossed over multiple decades before reconnecting 13 years ago. Dominic majored in product and furniture design going on to freelance in top agencies around NYC and eventually co-founded his own branding agency. As a boutique creative studio, he’s worked with major brands in beauty, wellness, hospitality, arts, entertainment, publishing, and high end jewelry to name a few for over 30 years. Anjanette, a communication design major, went on to help start the Actors’ Studio School of Dramatic Arts and then into the jewelry industry where she performed many creative roles from designer to marketing professional at all levels of the most exclusive brands, ultimately co-founding her own leading edge brand, Diamond in the Rough. Since reconnecting in 2011, they have built businesses together like their most recent, Crystals for Humanity. In their current chapter, Dominic and Anjanette have turned to education, both joining the select teaching staff at Newark School of Fashion & Design, an innovative school uniquely tailored for public secondary education in collaboration with Parsons School of Design.

Crystal Henry is a photo editor for National Geographic from New York, and currently based in Washington DC. Previously a visual researcher for Redux Pictures she has reviewed for the 37th Eddie Adams workshop, Diversify Photo, and was a finalist for SPD’s 59th awards for digital editing. With a love for the continuously changing visual landscape, she loves to explore both the new and old ways we communicate visually and tell stories.