Meet the Team

Through collaborative relationships with clients, Maureen helps businesses level-up strategically and creatively. As CEO + Chief Strategist at 29 Design Studio, she ideates solutions to the challenges clients face in building their brand. Maureen’s team executes smart creative that is fresh and innovative and never compromises on quality.

Maureen grew up on a dairy farm in Central New York and is proud of the values she’s gained from her family farm. She volunteers for a number of local and national non-profit organizations and was nominated for an ATHENA award in 2019. Maureen also owns and operates a network of coworking spaces in Rochester and the Finger Lakes.

Maureen is a graduate of Nazareth College of Rochester with a degree in Graphic Design and Illustration. She has won multiple international awards for branding and design.

View Our Founder’s Story

Colleen is the orchestrator of client projects and behind the scenes operations that keep our team working like a well-oiled machine.Like our Founder, Colleen also grew up on a dairy farm in Central New York and, prior to joining our team, spent 11-years in the financial industry managing a $200+ million-dollar portfolio.

Colleen’s operational experience and insight from the financial services industry supports the agency’s growth and efficiency while maintaining the highest level of standard for our clients.

Colleen attended Cayuga Community College for Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.

Courtney is the lead creative on our team. She specializes in building brand experiences and carrying the brand elements through all parts of a client’s business.

Courtney has worked on international brands including Pampers, Olay and Starbucks. She has experience using learnings from shopper research to design experiences that help drive brand and category sales in a variety of retail environments.

She graduated from RIT with a major in Graphic Design and minor in Advertising and Public Relations.

Pilar is our data-driven strategist who is just as comfortable designing a survey or moderating a focus group as she is crafting a creative strategy.

She grew up outside of Letchworth State Park. Before joining the team, she worked in advertising and marketing in both the east and west coasts, taught at the university level, advised businesses in agriculture economic development, started two businesses, and finished a Ph.D. in Social Research Methodology.

Pilar attended the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University and UCLA.

Kathy brings her love for the strategic and creative use of words to 29 Design Studio’s clients. She has helped create content for companies with food and agriculture brands such as DuPont, Merial, Pfizer and Perry’s. Owner of one of the 100 top pizza restaurants in the United States, she intimately understands the farm to table channel and its many stakeholders – especially farmers and consumers.

She did her doctoral work in technical communications from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and also holds a Masters in Public Administration and Bachelors in Journalism. With six kids and 10 grandkids, Kathy has a passion for romance novels, live music of all kinds and a well-earned reputation for killing house plants just by looking at them.

Alice brings a diverse background of design, illustration, and creative problem-solving to the team. She is a Rochester native and before joining the team, worked and taught in higher education marketing and design. She has led a variety of projects from print & video campaigns, to event design, packaging systems, and brand redesigns.

Alice is a graduate of Nazareth College with degrees in Graphic Design & Illustration and Anthropology, and RIT a masters in Graphic Design. She loves a good sans serif typeface, and is also down to discussing the ins and outs of a well-made spreadsheet.

Mary is our Social Media Specialist and she loves to highlight the amazing work of 29 Design Studio’s clients through social media initiatives.

She has worked with local businesses in Rochester and the Finger Lakes region to amplify their voices and presence in the area.

Mary graduated from St. John Fisher College with a major in Marketing and a minor in Strategic Communications. She also has her MBA from St. John Fisher College.

Franca is a graduate of Nazareth College with a B.F.A in Visual Communication Design and a minor in Business Management. Rochester is where she calls home and plans on being rooted in the Rochester community to continue her growth as a Graphic Designer. Franca has strong interests in branding, typography and photography. You can find Franca spending her free time with her family and friends, line dancing, or at Aerial Arts of Rochester. Franca is excited to continue her journey of creating an impact through design in her community.

Jonathan is our account and project manager, a multi-skilled professional who enhances his operational talents with broad experience in research, planning, sales, team building, and client service.

Prior to joining us, he worked in advertising, marketing, and the wholesale trade sector with clients large and small, ranging from Kellogg, Post Cereal and PepsiCo to Stokoe Farms, Jerry Smith Produce and Pumpkin Farm, and Pavilion Gift Company.

After growing up outside of Boston, he graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a degree in marketing and earned an MBA in global business leadership with a concentration in marketing from Johnson & Wales University. In his spare time, you’ll find Jonathan going to the theater, traveling, or enjoying the company of friends and family.