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About Us

Providing support through diverse experiences

Our team

The Lab team is composed of a group of design professionals with expertise across many disciplines including design, digital design and development, creative and art direction, business, education, architecture, journalism, content strategy, community organizing, urban design and public policy. Our team brings formidable skills, deep curiosity and a commitment to service to our work. 

Sean Baker

Director of Design Strategy and Operations

Sean oversees design projects and has led the development of the design training offered at the Lab. Prior to joining the Lab, Sean founded several design initiatives ranging from developing data visualization kits for post-disaster response to designing a platform for crowd-driven urban development in low income communities. Sean has a master’s in transdiciplinary design from Parsons School of Design in New York.

Patty Beirne

Principal Designer

Patty’s practice of design leadership leverages the design process to build understanding of complex systemic challenges and shape experiences that will help bring positive transformation on many scales. As Principal Designer, she helps to shape the creative strategy of the Lab’s portfolio. Patty comes to the Lab with 18 years experience as a strategist and educator addressing challenges in complex spaces such as healthcare and global trade, with a focus on building programs and teams that apply systems thinking to the human-centered design process.

Andrew Bernard

Visual Designer

Andrew is a visual designer who seeks to communicate complex concepts and systems in a concise, transparent, and accessible way. A graduate of ArtCenter’s MFA program in Graphic Design, his work is centered on identity, exhibition, and motion design. Andrew joins the Lab as a Human Innovation Fellow after previously having worked with the Lab as a Summer Fellow. Andrew’s prior experience includes corporate identity and art direction for clients in the entertainment industry, editorial work in tech and entertainment news media, and business development for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA). Andrew holds a BA in English from Bowdoin College.

Anjali Bhalodia

Anjali enjoys leveraging education and design to support meaningful community-driven change. She brings a decade of experience in workplace strategy and organizational effectiveness. Prior to the Lab, her most recent engagements focused on building capacity for design within healthcare and humanitarian aid non-profits such as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the International Rescue Committee. She holds bachelor’s in Architectural Studies from Mount Holyoke College and master’s degrees in Transdisciplinary Design from Parsons School of Design and Interior Design from Pratt Institute. She is a former Division III college tennis player and a huge fan of Rafael Nadal.

Kelly Bryan

Kelly is a visual and interactive designer grounded in human-centered design practices. At the Lab, she works with federal partners to improve their design systems through research, strategy, and consistent use of design best practices. She is driven by the belief in design to provide tangible solutions to public services, and has previously worked with NYPL, Yale, Aspen Institute, and Consumer Federation of America. Prior to joining the Lab, Kelly led redesigns of digital interfaces for legal and financial service companies. Kelly has undergraduate degrees in Sociology from UC San Diego, and in Graphic Design from Parsons School of Design.

McKenna Cole

McKenna is a designer with experience working in contexts including human rights, child welfare, education, and cultural institutions. Before joining the Lab she was a fellow through Foster America, working on design projects for a collaborative program developed between the Santa Clara County Office of Education and the Department for Family and Children Services. She has worked for and with institutions such as The Equal Justice Initiative, the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, Amnesty International, and the Museum of Modern Art. McKenna has degrees in Landscape Architecture from UC Berkeley and the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

Kate Fisher

At the Lab, Kate combines applied research, capacity building, and service design toward strengthening government. Before joining the Lab, Kate worked to inform services, tools, and research frameworks with the UN, various NYC public agencies such as Small Business Services, Department of Veterans Services, Center for Health Equity, and groups such as The Digital Equity Lab and The Engine Room. Kate has a master's in transdisciplinary design from Parsons, a bachelor's in user experience from Columbia Chicago, and is pursuing a master's in policy & leadership from Hunter.

Nadine Foik

Nadine is a civic service designer with expertise in design research and strategy, human-centered and social impact design, and organizational capacity building. She helps teams and organizations navigate ambiguity and complexity to design holistic experiences grounded in real needs, well-being, and delight. Her approach is highly collaborative, people-centered, and research-led. She seeks to identify and build on individual and organizational capabilities, human experiences, and constructive constraints.

Gabby Fulco

Gabby is passionate about using human-centered design to help government agencies grow as empathic learning organizations. She is particularly interested in capability building, developing creative leaders, and designing new ways of working. Prior to joining the Lab at OPM, Gabby worked on human-centered organizational change initiatives at global design firm IDEO. She holds an MA in Latin American Studies from Stanford University and BA in International Relations from St. Joseph's University, Philadelphia. She is pursuing training in Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) to use art and visual stimuli to develop critical thinking, inclusivity, and collaboration.

Jennifer Gardner

Jennifer is an applied researcher and strategist whose work in the field of urban planning promotes equity and opportunity through human-centered design and policy. Jennifer’s career has focused on the ways the built environment and public policy affect quality of life—particularly the health and sustainability of communities and cities. At the Lab, Jennifer brings over a decade of experience working across disciplines and sectors to strengthen government services through research and evaluation, capacity building, and innovation in program design. Jennifer has an MS in City and Regional Planning from Pratt Institute and a BA in English Literature from Cornell University.

James Gasapo

Jim is a Management & Program Analyst with the Lab. He contributes to the Lab’s operational administration and management. In addition, he develops quantitative and qualitative analytical products, to inform leader decision-making. Jim also supports design-based tasks as needed. Prior to the Lab, Jim was a Presidential Management Fellow and performed data analytics and internal consulting at DHS-FEMA for several years. He also served as an officer in the US Army, deploying twice to Iraq. Though his collegiate training was in the liberal arts, he’s always had a strong interest in the visual arts and design.

Alina Hoffman

Alina is a multi-disciplinary designer with a passion for public sector work that prioritizes accessibility and individual experience. At the Lab she helps agencies understand the complex systems in which they operate, develop strategic best practices, and strengthen their service offerings. Her past experience includes design and research work building digital services for state and federal governments with Nava, healthcare products with Clover Health, and architectural projects at Gensler. She holds an MS in Interior Design from Pratt Institute, a JD from Georgetown University Law Center, and a BA in English from Wesleyan University.

Mickey Kramer

Design Strategist

Michaela uses human-centered design to create systemic and sustainable change. She draws from her experience in urban planning and design, utilizing mapping, visualization, civic engagement, and capacity building to navigate complexity at any scale. Prior to joining the Lab, Michaela worked at urban planning and social impact consulting firms, collaborating with city and state government agencies on initiatives that ranged from flood resilience to renewable energy to arts programming. Michaela holds a Masters in Design and Urban Ecologies from Parsons Schools of Design.

Erika Lindsey

Designer & Researcher

Erika Lindsey is a designer and researcher with over a decade of experience in advocacy, urban planning, and social change initiatives. Erika is dedicated to collaboratively improving public services and making design accessible for all. Erika uses applied research to inform interventions to transform models of practice. She comes to the Lab from Public Policy Lab, where she was a Senior Research Lead. She was previously a UX Researcher with Objectively, and a Senior Policy Advisor for the New York City Mayor’s Office focusing on climate resiliency. Erika earned her Master in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania School of Design.

Arielle McInnis-Simoncelli

Arielle is a design researcher and strategist who is passionate about using human-centered design to collaboratively create public policies, programs, and services that center equity, justice, and community needs. She is driven by the belief that upstream government innovation can improve public health outcomes. She brings over a decade of participatory research experience to her design practice from work with The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Service Design Studio in Philadelphia, Wondros design agency, and the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Arielle is a former Fulbright scholar and holds a master’s degree in public health and a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology.

Arianne Miller

Managing Director

Arianne builds capacity for innovation among federal employees by teaching human-centered design through both workshops and mentoring in addition to managing a variety of design projects that address the high-priority needs of OPM and other federal agencies. Arianne came into the federal government as a Presidential Management Fellow at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau after earning an MBA from the University of Michigan. Prior to that, Arianne worked to build and improve access to high quality public schools through a variety of organizations, including Chicago Public Schools, the U.S. Department of Education, and DonorsChoose.org.

Patricia Morris

Design Project Manager

Patricia provides a 10,000 foot view of programming and strategy. For over a decade, Patricia designed, communicated, and implemented U.S. and international programs for good governance and human rights. She has supported youth to tackle suicide rates, advised the UN on justice for children in war, and helped Americans vote. She is driven by the question of how government constantly strives to serve citizens. She holds an MSc in Conflict Studies from the London School of Economics and a BA in Political Science and French from Wellesley College.

Emily Moss

Designer

Emily collaborates with federal agencies to advance human-centered services and systems for the public. She brings multidisciplinary experience to the Lab through contextual inquiry, co-design, and prototyping. Previously, Emily worked at The Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry and Innovation (Ci3) at the University of Chicago where she designed platforms and in-clinic tools to provide adolescent-centered sexual and reproductive healthcare throughout the Chicagoland area. She is former chair of AIGA Chicago’s Community Engagement Committee and holds a bachelors in Visual Communication from Loyola University Chicago.

Maggie Ollove

Maggie draws from her experience as a designer and researcher to find ways to make government interactions easy, productive, and even pleasant. At the Lab, Maggie develops meaningful ways to engage government officials in the design process through project-based trainings, workshops, and classes. Previously, Maggie worked at the Center for Civic Design to make it easier for people to vote. She also worked to solve the challenge of childcare for low-income families by co-founding a service that builds relationships between grandmothers and parents to exchange childcare. Maggie taught at the University of Minnesota and Parsons School of Design.

Cheryl Olszowka

Management & Program Analyst

Cheryl joins the Lab as a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF). She works with the Lab team on operational management and administration and projects that respond to public sector challenges. Cheryl brings 15 years of problem-solving, coordination, and implementation experience in the arts, film and television, and academia Cheryl earned her Master of Public Administration from American University and her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Stage Management from Boston University.

Kate Maitland

Kate Maitland is committed to leveraging human-centered design to help government agencies operate efficiently and empathically. Prior to joining the Lab, Kate worked as design researcher in the social sector developing people-centered services, policies and products. Partnering with organizations such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Chicago’s Office of the Mayor, and New America, she has experience in the built environment, early childhood development, and organizational change. Her design practice is informed by her background in public health with a focus on food justice. She has holds a Masters in Public Health in Health Behavior from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.

Christopher Patten

Designer

Christopher is dedicated to helping civil servants apply human centered design in practical ways that support and compliment their work. His critical eye to the design process comes from 7 years working in local, state, and federal government. He comes to the Lab at OPM from the Center for Civic Design, where he worked directly with election officials in cities and states around the US. Christopher has a master’s in transdiciplinary design from Parsons School of Design and a bachelor’s in landscape architecture from Ball State University.

Dory Pogers

Visual Designer

Dory's visual design practice is led by empathy and the pursuit of clarity. At the Lab, she uses design to surface knowledge, engage participation, and foster a greater sense of belonging. With a love of learning through design, she is passionate about designing government experiences that are inviting, straight-forward and relevant to all those we serve. Dory brings 15 years’ of prior experience, including leadership of Johnson & Johnson’s brand, employee experience, and health & wellness design portfolios.

Paul Roberts

Paul brings over 15 years of experience helping teams navigate complexity by leveraging research and design to make better strategic decisions. At the Lab, he collaboratively develops strategies with our partners to make government services more understandable, accessible, and effective for everyone. Prior to the Lab, Paul worked with non-profit and corporate clients to tackle problems ranging from improving the online donation experience for PayPal users to developing a global gender equality strategy for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He holds a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and an MS in Human Centered Design and Engineering from the University of Washington.

Sara Romanoski

Presidential Management Fellow

Sara is a core contributor to design operations at the Lab, working closely with leadership to scope and deliver design innovation efforts in collaboration with federal partners. Sara joined the Lab as a Presidential Management Fellow with more than a decade of organizational development, community planning, and project management experience in the non-profit sector. She is a Master of Urban planning who brings a wealth of experience working in close partnership with local government and activists on issues of preservation, housing, economic development, and public health. In collaborating with federal partners, she ensures resources are allocated to maximize the value received from engagements with the Lab.

Simone Saldanha

Simone is passionate about applying design research to drive empathic government services. She is particularly interested in examining power and equity in the design process and supporting diverse teams to come together. Prior to the Lab, Simone facilitated participatory design programs with East Oakland residents to improve neighborhood health outcomes, with San Francisco high school students to reimagine their school lunch experience, and with youth ultimate frisbee athletes to progress gender equity in their sport. Simone holds a Master’s in Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley and a BA in Multidisciplinary Studies from the University of Oklahoma.