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A major strength of the MCC Interior
Design program is a team of faculty dedicated to preparing graduates for a future
in the design industry. Our faculty bring a wide range of professional experience
and content expertise to the classroom. Students benefit from the real-world exposure
provided by the faculty. The Interior Design faculty consists of three Residential
Faculty and a team of 12 to 15 Adjunct Faculty.
Residential Faculty
| Sally Kroelinger, IDEC, Program Director |
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Sally Kroelinger received her Bachelor of Science and Master of
Science degrees in Interior Design from the University of Tennessee and her Master
of Fine Arts degree in Textile Design from the University of Georgia. She is a
partner with Michael D. Kroelinger, Ph.D., AIA, FIIDA, LC in MK Design Associates,
specializing in lighting design and space planning. Mrs. Kroelinger is Program
Director for the Interior Design Program, a professional member of IDEC, and an
Allied member of ASID. Her primary interests are in color theory and modern furniture.
She can be identified readily as the one carrying around strange-looking chairs! |
| “There are instructors that teach from a textbook and we learn,
but when an instructor can teach from their heart there is no other choice but
for their students to grow!” |
STUDENT TESTIMONIAL |
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Enthusiastic, organized and motivational are three words that
describe Janice Jennings. She engages in lifelong learning through involvement
with professional organizations and conferences. Jennings received her NCIDQ certification
in 1991 after graduating from Miami of Ohio with a Bachelor of Science Interior
Design. She later went on to complete her Master of Science in Design degree from
Arizona State University. Since moving to the valley she has worked for several
design firms including McCarthy Nordburg, and Dick & Fritsche Design Group.
Her area of expertise is the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines,
ADAAG. |
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CJ Robb comes to MCC with over ten years of project management
experience in design and computer aided drafting (CAD). She began a career with
Bombardier Learjet at the Tucson Completion Center where she designed the interior
component of corporate and private jets. She has also worked with Wilson Garside
Associates in Boston and with Patricia Gorman Group in Philadelphia as a senior
designer and CAD administrator.
Robb completed her BA at the University of Arizona and is working toward her
MS in Design at Arizona State University where she received the Earl and Ellen
Davis Award for achieving the highest GPA in her program. Her graduate studies
have focused on issues of lighting in healing environments. Her hobbies include
traveling and continuing education. She is passionate about issues in design,
design ethics, and skill development. She spends her spare time traveling to training
seminars to keep abreast of current industry trends and future demands, which
she brings back to the classroom. She is also the advisor for the ASID Student
Chapter. |
Adjunct Faculty
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Gema M. Alarcon is an Adjunct Faculty member in the Interior Design
program at the Mesa Community College where she teaches a course in AutoDesk’s
Architectural Desktop 2006. In the studio she encourages students not only to
follow the class textbook but also to explore further into the software program.
She believes in providing a studio environment where students feel free to ask
questions and are unafraid to make mistakes. Her teaching experience also includes
Arizona State University and Mount Ida College in Newton, MA.
Gema has worked for architectural and design companies in Phoenix, Arizona
and Boston, Massachusetts. Some of her most significant projects in the Phoenix
area have been: Bank One, City of Phoenix Municipal Court Complex, Finova Capital
Corporation, and Cox Communications. She also has worked as a consultant for Abilities
Unlimited in Phoenix, a company that specializes in ADA issues.
She has a B.A. degree in Interior Design from the Catholic University of Chile,
a B.F.A. in Industrial Design from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
and an M.S.D. in Facilities Planning and Management from Arizona State University.
She is currently working on a new Master’s in Human Factors in Industrial
Design at Arizona State University. |
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| "You are my mentor. I love the reality of the life of a practicing
designer that you bring to the class. Your enthusiasm for the field is contagious."
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STUDENT TESTIMONIAL |
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Passionate, enthusiastic and sincere are three words that describe
Cheryl Blankenship. Cheryl engages in lifelong learning by attending trade shows
and seminars. She graduated with a 4.0 G.P.A. and received faculty selected scholarships
during her academic years. As a professional interior designer she has received
national recognition for her work. One highlight in her career was the creation
of a gorgeous new window and wall covering department for a major retailer. |
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After having a life-long interest in interior design, Debbi Eischen
decided to bite the bullet and return to school as an adult student. After graduating
with a degree in interior design, she worked for several firms specializing in
residential and model home interiors. She later began her own company, Debbi Eischen
Interiors, in which she is still actively involved. Debbi joined the Interior
Design faculty at MCC in the Fall of 2005. |
| Marcia Graber, Allied Member ASID |
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Marcia Graber has combined Bachelors degrees in Communications
and Interior Design with an MBA degree to develop and run a successful interior
design firm in Scottsdale. She is committed to using her background to inspire
students to learn the woes and great joys of owning a business and to pursue the
entrepreneurial spirit which she believes is the future. Ms. Graber is an Allied
Member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). She is also involved
in "Design for Life" benefiting Phoenix Body Positive and their center
for AIDS research. Ms. Graber is also pursuing an interest in creating miniature
interiors. |
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Anne-Lise Qureshi received her Bachelor's degree in Interior Design
from Brigham Young University. Her professional experience in interior design
has included both residential and commercial projects ranging from single-family
homes and apartments to department stores, boutiques, beauty salons, offices,
a day care center and community center as well as kitchens and baths. Her special
interest is in the area of Historic Preservation. |
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When one hears Penny Yascavage speak, you will notice the east
coast accent in her voice. Penny spent most of her life growing up in the suburbs
of New Jersey, forty-five minutes outside of Manhattan. So it was not unexpected
that Penny would venture to New York City to obtain her bachelors degree. She
attended Parsons School of Design where she received a bachelor of fine arts degree
with an undergraduate thesis study in sculpture. While attending Parsons, she
had a job constructing models and props for commercials and still photographic
shots. For the next several years, Penny, wore many colored hats: manager of a
restoration and conservation studio that worked on pieces from Sotheby’s
and Christi’s auction houses; room set designer for the interior design
industry; established her own interior design and faux finishing company; worked
on graduate studies in counseling, psychology and social work at New York University;
obtained her K-12 teaching certificate in Art and taught Art; established an interior
design consultation service at a Home Depot Store during which she was promoted
to visual department manager for EXPO and assisted in opening the first EXPO store
in New Jersey. Currently, Penny Yascavage is completing her Masters of Science
in Design at Arizona State University, majoring in interior design, with a concentration
in methodology, theory and criticism in design. Her thesis is focused on interior
design education and students strengths. She has been teaching at Mesa Community
College for about four years now and has taught at Phoenix College and ASU, where
she was awarded from the ASU Graduate College, a certificate of excellence for
her teaching. |
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