NYIAD Teachers and Mentors

Through NYIAD's combination of mentorship, course work, and assignments, you'll develop the skills you need to pursue a career doing something you love. Whether you're interested in interior design, wedding and event planning, or UX design, we have experts on staff waiting to guide you.

  • Sarah Abramson

    Sarah Abramson

    Sarah has participated in jewelry exhibitions throughout the US and Florence, Italy. Sarah's work is included in the permanent collections of both the Museum of Arts and Design and Galerie Marzee as well as private collections.

  • Pattie Barbosa

    Pattie Barbosa

    Pattie Barbosa has worked in every venue of the fashion industry including costuming for film, movies, TV, opera, news, soap operas, fashion shows and editorial. Pattie has been teaching at FIT for 14 years and created its Costume Design Wardrobe Technician Program in Continuing Education. Pattie currently works in styling and wardrobe on Broadway, The Metropolitan Opera and for Al Jazeera News.

  • Holly Chapelle

    Holly Chapelle

    Holly is the creative visionary behind Holly Heider Chapple Flowers, Chapel Designers, and Loudon Weddings. With over 20 years of successful business experience behind her, Her work has been published in Martha Stewart, Southern Living Weddings, Weddings Unveiled, Brides, The Knot, Washingtonian, Southern Weddings, Virginia Living, In Touch Weekly Magazine, Elegant Bride, Engaged Magazine.

  • Nicola Chernicoff

    Nicola Chernicoff

    Nicola Chernicoff has been an interior design professional with over twenty years of experience in London and New York City. She started her design career in fabrics under Jim Thompson. Later working as an assistant to prestigious interior designer Nina Campbell at Woodstock Designs for Lady Henrietta Spencer Churchill, Nicola currently works in interior design in New York City for Irwin Weiner Interiors.

  • Regina Cialone

    Regina Cialone

    Regina Cialone is the owner of Cloud Nove Events LLC, which is an NYC based event-planning company. She has executed affairs at many notable venues throughout New York City and Long Island including Central Park Boathouse, The Foundry, The Metropolitan Building, Kontokosta Winery, Bedell Vineyards and Oheka Castle. She has guest lectured at FIT and teaches at NYU.

  • Jocelyn Didier Clisti

    Jocelyn Didier Clisti

    Jocelyn Didier Clisti has eight plus years of event planning and strategic business advisement. Jocelyn's endeavors have included creative and extravagant children's themed events. For six years, Jocelyn partnered with an established local wedding coordinator and contributed as co-coordinator and creative assistant. Jocelyn is also active in her support of small businesses and is an active advocate of Woman and Minorities in Business (WMBE).

  • Kelly Cobb

    Kelly Cobb

    Kelly Cobb is the owner of 2h flowers, an NYC East Village based home floral studio. Kelly has had the opportunity to work with many amazing clients and friends and be featured in Bergdorf Goodman, J Brand, Gant Rugger, Conde Nast, Pamela Love, KiDs Creative, SHoP architects, Pink Olive, Alice Gao, VICINUS Project, Shoptiques, Garance Doré, New York Times, Paper Magazine, and Good Morning America Live.

  • Joseph DeAcetis

    Joseph DeAcetis

    Joseph DeAcetis is a fashion industry veteran and Creative Style Director for Forbes Media. His specialties are menswear and luxury markets. His career highlights include Global Fashion Director at Playboy Magazine. Joseph has contributed to countless videos and articles for USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and WWD to name just a few. He currently teaches at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.

  • Xochitl Gonzalez

    Xochitl Gonzalez

    Xochitl Gonzalez is co-founder of a successful New York-based event design and wedding planning business, AaB Creates, formerly "Always a Bridesmaid." She also has extensive experience in corporate event planning and has been featured on the television show, "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?"

  • Jes Gordon

    Jes Gordon

    Jes stumbled into the industry at age of thirteen and applied her keen eye for design and passion for the unexpected to building her own event design and production firm. Jes has created captivating corporate events for Target, Tommy Hilfiger, Nissan, Budweiser, Rowenta, Swatch, King World Media, and many others, and continues to dazzle brides and socialites alike with dream-like weddings and dazzling private affairs.

  • Valerie Halfon

    Valerie Halfon

    Valerie Halfon was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She received a Bachelor's degree in Intercultural communication from Florida Atlantic University. In October 2010, Shop With Val was born. Valerie currently has a number of partnerships with boutiques and designers throughout Manhattan and is the featured personal shopper at some of the city's top boutique hotels.

  • David Handy

    David Handy

    David M. Handy is an established, dynamic, and trendsetting event and floral designer. DMH Events has been featured in top industry publications such as Grace Ormonde Wedding Style, Southern New England Weddings, Simply Elegant Platinum Wedding New England and Bliss Celebrations. David's work is also a favorite pick on many wedding blogs including The Knot, Style Me Pretty, Wedding Wire and Well Wed.

  • Melissa Estrada

    Melissa Estrada

    Melissa is the Founder and Head Designer of Strada's Spaces, a residential interior design online-based firm. She holds degrees in Architectural Studies and Interior Architecture, with a focus on Sustainable Design. She became a LEED AP for Homes in 2016, and is currently working on incorporating Feng Shui principles and construction to her repertoire of services offered.

  • Judy Meltzer

    Judy Meltzer

    Judy Meltzer has over 25 years of experience in providing AutoCAD training and production in a variety of disciples: Cellular Site, Structural, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Civil/Site and Architectural Disciplines. She is also proficient in Revit, AutoCAD, Architectural Desktop, GTX Raster CAD and Sketchup applications with a specialty in AutoCad.

  • Haley Mindes

    Haley Mindes

    Haley Mindes studied for her BFA at Hartford Art School, after which she traveled to Florence, Italy, where she discovered her passion for creating jewelry. The combination of her graphic design background and jewelry-making passion launched a successful photo charm business selling nationally to small boutiques.

  • Garrett Morrison

    Garrett Morrison

    Course Author Garrett Morrison approaches landscape design and installation with a broad range of experiences. In addition to operating his own landscape design and installation business, he has done extensive hardscape installation work utilizing various materials. Related experience includes research at Penn State, from which he obtained a degree in Horticulture Business and Production, in areas ranging from plant production strategies, plant pest management, and greenhouse system development and maintenance, to mushroom production.

  • Janet Ramin

    Janet Ramin

    Janet has been a residential designer for many years. Starting out in San Francisco where she graduated from the Academy of Art with a degree in interior design, she began her career working on commercial mixed-use projects in the Bay Area.

  • Serena Van Rensselaer

    Serena Van Rensselaer

    Serena Van Rensselaer grew up in New Jersey and studied Art History and Cultural Anthropology before re-visiting her childhood passion of jewelry design in San Miguel D'Allende, Mexico. It was there that she took her first metal class and fell in love with the creative process. Serena worked, studied and traveled to Europe and the Caribbean, honing her skills as a metal smith.

  • Sandra Serrant

    Sandra Serrant

    Sandra Serrant has been a New York City based Events Professional for over a decade. She has planned, coordinated and executed a variety of events ranging from multi-day national conferences and fundraisers to large weddings, galas and other social events.

  • Ai Johnson

    Ai Johnson

    Ai is a self-employed feng shui interior consultant doing business as Ai Feng Shui Interior Consulting. She obtained a feng shui interior coordinator certification and color therapist license in Japan. She has practiced Japanese-style feng shui interior coordinating since 2006 in both Japan and New York. She is experienced in both residential and commercial feng shui coordinating.

  • Alicia Goodwin

    Alicia Goodwin

    A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Alicia has been designing jewelry for most of her life. She now runs her own jewelry line, Lingua Nigra and teaches hands on classes spaces across New York City.

  • Cindy Lin

    Cindy Lin

    Cindy Lin, founder of Staged4More, has worked for 10+ years in the home staging industry. She has received notable accolades and was a finalist for RESA's Stager of the Year and Innovative Stager of the Year Award in 2009. Additionally, Cindy has appeared in major press outlets like the Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, San Mateo County Times, HGTV, and many other media outlets.

  • Jacqueline Elfe

    Jacqueline Elfe

    Stellar Style Events, Floral & Event Design was established in 2007, led by Jacqueline Elfe. Starting her career in planning events for over 12 years, she found designing events more intriguing and fulfilling to her artistic senses. Stellar Style Events floral pieces have been published in: It's All About The Dress and featured in New York Weddings, Ceci Style, Munaluchi Bride, and more.

  • JLisa Talabac

    Lisa Talabac

    Lisa Talbac earned her degree in interior design at the New York School of Interior Design and has worked on both residential and commercial projects since 2000, when she began her own interior design business in Connecticut. She also holds a B.A. in education and has worked as a teacher and school director for over 25 years before entering the design world.

  • Marilyn Van Dam Jacobs

    Marilyn Van Dam Jacobs

    Marilyn Jacobs has been working as an Interior Designer for over 16 years. Marilyn graduated from The Delaware College Of Art and Design and received further training specifically in the field of Interior Design. She has worked for Ethan Allen as an Interior Designer before going out on her own for several years. Currently she is the sole proprietor of Van Dam Interior Designs

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