# Grace L.

> Sustainability MBA ’26 @Presidio | Founder & Artist @Ocurrió Studio

Location: San Francisco Bay Area, United States
Profile: https://flows.cv/gracel2

Grace Lihn is an MBA candidate who translates complex data into clear strategy for organizations committed to social and environmental progress. With seven years of experience in technology and consulting, she is an expert in leading cross-functional projects, financial modeling, and developing rigorous impact evaluation frameworks that center people and the planet. Previously an Advisory Innovation Designer at IBM, Grace specialized in scaling data & AI solutions for government clients and was recognized with the IBM Top Talent Award in 2022 and 2023 for her exceptional project leadership and client relationship management.

Outside of her strategic consulting work, she runs an e-commerce shop featuring her original watercolors and ceramics, inspiring people to love and appreciate nature and our planet's resources: Ocurrió Studio (https://ocurrio.studio/)

## Work Experience
### Founder & Artist @ Ocurrió Studio
Jan 2025 – Present | San Francisco Bay Area
Founded and built a fine art business creating functional ceramics and watercolor paintings. Launched first solo exhibition "Love Letters to the Ocean" in July 2025. Exhibited work at the Pacific Art League 104th Anniversary show, juried by Veronica Roberts, Director of the Cantor Arts Center (November 2025 - January 2026).

Managing all aspects of the business including artistic production, exhibition curation, marketing, and sales while developing a practice rooted in sustainability and connection with nature through art.

Building toward a dual-career path integrating fine art entrepreneurship with work in the climate sector.

### MBA Consultant @ Presidio Graduate School
Jan 2024 – Present
• Developed dynamic pro forma financial models to evaluate capital expansion scenarios for a Sonoma County farmer-owned food hub. Analyzed public-private partnership structures, revenue projections, operational costs, cash flows, and investment returns to guide funding strategy and inform resource allocation decisions for cooperative stakeholders. Researching impact fund development and community capital solutions for similar investment opportunities.
• Designed and executed Scope 3 GHG inventory for a large tech company case study and developed decarbonization strategies aligned with corporate climate commitments.
• Designed executive presentations, dashboards, and reports that combine strategic data synthesis with clear visual design for diverse stakeholder audiences.
• Managed multiple consulting projects simultaneously, coordinating timelines, stakeholder contributions, and deliverables while maintaining clear communication across cross-functional teams.
• Developed expertise in sustainability reporting frameworks including GHG Protocol, and ESG disclosure standards through coursework and applied projects.

Expected graduation: May 2026

### Climate Corps Fellow - Upcycled Food Association @ Environmental Defense Fund
Jan 2024 – Jan 2024
• Selected from a pool of over 1000+ candidates, a cohort of ~200 EDF Climate Corps Fellows receive training in sustainability consulting and spend a summer with leading companies and public-sector organizations to reduce emissions, increase efficiencies, and make the business case for sustainability.
• Conducted mixed-methods research combining market analysis, stakeholder interviews, and supply chain data to develop data-driven stakeholder engagement strategies and identify opportunities for entrepreneurs transforming surplus food into upcycled products.

### Advisory Innovation Designer @ IBM
Jan 2021 – Jan 2024 | San Francisco Bay Area
• Directed 20+ cross-functional projects pioneering data and AI solutions for state and local government clients.
• Drove organizational change management by leading stakeholder engagement and facilitating Design Thinking workshops with government clients, navigating complex leadership dynamics to build alignment and achieve strategic consensus.
• Distilled complex technical concepts for executive audiences, creating accessible and elegant PowerPoint presentations and reports for leadership and clients.
• Coordinated a team of 10+ highly technical cloud experts and client stakeholders on a groundbreaking proposal resulting in a $15M sales contract, building strong client relationships that sustained the project through significant challenges and earning the IBM Top Talent Award twice (2022, 2023).
• Led a data maturity initiative; designed and implemented Salesforce and Airtable systems to manage 20+ concurrent engagements, establishing structured workflows that delivered data integrity and clarity across a 15 person cross-functional team.
• Distilled complex technical concepts for executive audiences, creating accessible and elegant PowerPoint presentations and reports for leadership and clients.

### Lead Product Designer – IBM Sustainability Accelerator @ IBM
Jan 2023 – Jan 2023
• Managed a volunteer team of researchers, designers, and engineers to deliver beta product launch within one quarter.
• Analyzed user research data and synthesized insights into actionable design priorities for the team.

### Board Member @ Rescuing Leftover Cuisine
Jan 2022 – Jan 2023
Designed and implemented digital systems enabling volunteer coordination for surplus food redistribution to communities experiencing food insecurity, resulting in streamlined operational efficiency.

### Product Designer & Researcher @ Madison Reed
Jan 2020 – Jan 2021 | San Francisco, California, United States
• Directed product design for DTC e-commerce platform, enhancing user experience and increasing customer satisfaction by 40%.
• Established systematic user research program, implementing data collection frameworks and conducting user interviews to inform product strategy.
• Streamlined design-engineering operations, resulting in faster turnaround times and improved efficiency in product development.

### Design & Marketing Consultant @ Nova Cat Studio
Jan 2019 – Jan 2020 | San Francisco Bay Area
• Managed design and marketing projects for nonprofits and startups in the sustainability and social impact sectors.
• Improved customer engagement and generated significant increases in donations or sales for clients.
• Led teams of designers and cross-functional stakeholders to co-create solutions and increase organization-wide adoption of human-centered design principles.

### Customer Experience & Operations Associate @ Next Insurance
Jan 2018 – Jan 2018 | Palo Alto, California
• Distilled customer pain points into actionable UX projects; collaborated with Principle Designer for project execution
• Collaborated with Product Managers to develop Minimum Viable Product for Commercial Auto insurance
• Advised small business owners on insurance products; enhanced customer understanding and satisfaction

### Development & Communications Associate @ Techbridge Girls
Jan 2017 – Jan 2018 | Oakland, CA
• Managed editorial calendar, newsletter campaigns, and donor database across three branch locations.
• Streamlined internal communications by onboarding staff onto Slack, enhancing interdepartmental collaboration.
• Coordinated monthly staff socials to foster a positive workplace culture.

### Cooperative Finance Models Research Fellow @ Beneficial State Foundation
Jan 2017 – Jan 2017 | Oakland, CA
• Conducted research on cooperative finance models to inform Beneficial State Bank's impact strategy.
• Launched Equity & Inclusion Resource Library to enhance employee engagement programming

### "Cooperatives: Alternative Business Models for a Resilient Economy" Instructor @ University of California, Berkeley, College of Natural Resources
Jan 2015 – Jan 2017 | Berkeley, CA
• Designed and co-facilitated undergraduate course on cooperative business models at University of California, Berkeley
• Hosted conference workshops nationwide on developing cooperative curriculum for environmental economics programs

### Experiential Learning Fellow @ UC Global Food Initiative
Jan 2016 – Jan 2017 | Berkeley, CA
University of California Global Food Initiative Fellowship, in conjunction with the Berkeley Food Institute.
› Designed and conducted an oral history research project about cultural experiences related to food and food literacy
› Interviewed eight students and compiled transcriptions and synthesis into an interactive visual online
› Maintained Salesforce database with updated records of campus organizations

### Board Chair @ Berkeley Student Food Collective
Jan 2014 – Jan 2016 | Berkeley, CA
› Facilitated Board of Directors meetings, training retreats, and internal communications
› Managed and supported Directors’ projects
› Spearheaded anti-oppression committee to create a more socially responsible business
› Co-designed internal training workshops to increase engagement and inclusivity
› Served on and advised hiring committee in hiring processes for operations manager
› Coordinated Advisory Board communications and member involvement
Formerly Food Events Director, Education Committee member, and storefront volunteer
Awarded “Member of Distinction” for sustained commitment, April 2017

### Math Teaching Fellow @ Breakthrough Collaborative
Jan 2015 – Jan 2015 | Oakland, CA
› Collaborated with department staff in rewriting summer curriculum to accommodate
student needs in math and mentorship
› Taught 7th-grade math and elective courses (e.g. gardening) to 36 students
› Advised students one-on-one in academics & college preparation

### Theme Program Advisor & Resident Assistant @ Global Environment Theme House, Clark Kerr Residence Hall
Jan 2014 – Jan 2015 | Berkeley, CA
› Served as a mentor for 23 first-year students in the sustainability-themed residence program and co-supervised 105 students in total.
› Coached students in managing year-long sustainability projects.
› Coordinated and facilitated weekly seminar classes for 23 students with campus partners and faculty.
› Coordinated residence hall meetings, socials, and other events.
› Independently managed a budget of $2000.


## Education
### Master of Business Administration - MBA in Sustainable Solutions
Presidio Graduate School

### Bachelor of Science in Conservation & Resource Studies
University of California, Berkeley

### UX Academy in UX Design
Designlab

### Study abroad program in Urban Planning & Environmental Design
Københavns Universitet - University of Copenhagen


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/glihn
- Website: https://ocurrio.studio

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Source: https://flows.cv/gracel2
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/gracel2/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-04-08