Littman Library Hosts Interdisciplinary Alumni Event
Thursday February 4th at noon, the Littman Library is hosting an interdisciplinary (online) gathering of alumni for tea and conversation with students about design careers and forging a path with the education and degree earned from Hillier College. Class of 2021 is especially invited to join as you begin your networking and planning for life after graduation. Guest bios are listed below. All alumni are invited to attend, the event will be live streamed via Streamyard here, and questions can be submitted on the Youtube live stream comment tab.
Taryn Petrela, '11 M.Arch, RA, CFM, NCARB, holds a BA in Physics with a Minor in Mathematics from Rutgers University, and a Master of Architecture degree from New Jersey Institute of Technology. Upon graduation she was awarded the School of Architecture Medal for Academic and Design Excellence. As a project architect, and later as a project manager, Taryn has worked on the design and construction of projects that vary in type, scale, and location: including large-scale public transit, commercial, residential and healthcare projects. Taryn serves on the ARE Examination Committee of NCARB. She has also served as an adjunct studio professor at NJIT Hillier School of Architecture. She is a Registered Architect and holds NCARB and Certified Floodplain Manager certifications.
Audrey Ngo '16 B.S. Industrial and Product Design, is a senior design manager for L’Oreal, who is focused on crafting the best retail experiences for consumers all over the world. She’s obsessed with the integration of digital connectivity with the physical world, and is always thinking of ways to engage others in more immersive and purposeful experiences she crafts.
Monica Nelson '18 B.A Digital Design with a Minor in Information Technology. Since then, she has worked with several studios and companies including Ntropic, Deluxe Entertainment Services, Kim. Wendell Design LLC, Company3, and Kodak Film Lab. She also teaches and coordinates several foundation level courses at the Hillier College of Architecture and Design including Communication in Digital Media and Color and Composition. Currently, Monica is pursuing a Master’s degree at NJIT in Information Systems with a focus in UI/UXDesign and Data Visualization.
Anita Mueller '12 Interior Design has over eight years of experience in the design industry. During the summer after her third year at NJIT, she interned at Gensler’s Morristown office - in their retail studio. After graduating, she went back to work full-time for 3 years, where she worked primarily on financial center and department store projects. Transferring to Gensler-Philadelphia, she spent about 1 year in their Flex studio - working on various projects in multiple sectors, such as Education, Sports, Workplace, etc. Following work at Gensler, she spent about 2 years in the Healthcare sector, working for Veritas - a company who specializes in providing radiation shielding solutions for cancer centers around the world. She currently works as a program manager at CBRE, for a financial service company, where she has spent the past 2+ years.
Nadene Taylor ’12 B.Arch is an Associate at Beyer Blinder Belle Architects in NYC where she has experience working on hospitality, multi-family residential, and cultural projects. Some of her more noted projects include future renovations to the W Hotel in Union Square, Le Jardiner & Shun Restaurant on Lexington Avenue in collaboration with Joseph Dirand Architecture, and Greenpoint Landing Block D in Brooklyn in collaboration with OMA and Marmol Radziner. Nadene also has a strong passion for diversity in design and for giving back to her community. She leads an initiative at BBB called "Our Voice" which aims to recruit, retain, and promote black and brown talent within the profession. She is also a member of the firm's EDI Task Force and serves as a juror for the firm's John Belle Travel Fellowship. She has been featured on the online storytelling site “Plotlines” and currently serves as an alumni committee member for the ACE Greater New York Mentoring Program.
Kate Maher '08 M.Arch, RIAI architect, Senior Director Nike Global Marketplace, loves working on creative solutions, experimenting, collaborating for the best result, building strong relationships & inspiring teams to find purpose & meaning in what they do and in turn making the world we live in that little bit better. Kate’s focus is on defining and implementing strategic and creative direction to achieve a brand retail vision, as well as building and leading creative teams to achieve consumer centric brand experiences. Her design style is purpose driven, lending itself to celebrating expression and innovations through a brand's aesthetic language.
She has completed projects in multiple cities across the USA, Europe, Asia, Central and South America. Her professional experience includes design and development Brand Flagships for HMS Host, Ferragamo, Omega, Intercontinental Hotels, Tate Modern, Absolut, Asics, Adidas, Yojhi Yamamoto, Stella McCartney, Les Printemps, Concepts, Microsoft, Harrods, and Nike Kate strongly feels the design community has an opportunity to change the perception of how people use products every day. She continues to work closely with education communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, creating an International School in Kivu, and designing a scalable architecture program for the rollout of more schools throughout DRC.
