# Kathleen Gleason > Interior Designer & Creative Leader | Translating Vision into Beautiful, Cohesive Environments Location: San Francisco Bay Area, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/kathleengleason Kathleen is an interior designer with 20+ years of experience designing environments that are both beautiful and deeply attuned to the people who use them. Across a range of sectors - including workplace, residential, hospitality, and education - she brings a thoughtful, human-centered approach to design. Her work is driven by a belief that well-crafted spaces can elevate everyday experience, balancing aesthetics, functionality, and a strong sense of place. Kathleen combines creative vision with technical expertise, allowing her to translate ideas into cohesive, fully realized environments. She is a natural collaborator and mentor, valued for her ability to guide teams, foster creativity, and build meaningful client partnerships. Her work is defined by clarity, warmth, and attention to detail, resulting in spaces that are both inspiring and enduring. ## Work Experience ### Project Manager @ IA Interior Architects Jan 2024 – Present | San Francisco, California, United States ### Studio Director @ Warner Design - A BD Studio Jan 2023 – Jan 2024 | San Francisco Bay Area ### Meta Design Studio | North America Design Project Lead | @ CBRE Jan 2023 – Jan 2023 | San Francisco Bay Area ### Meta’s Workplace Design Team, North America Planner @ Hines Jan 2021 – Jan 2023 | San Francisco Bay Area ### Project Manager @ IA Interior Architects Jan 2020 – Jan 2021 | San Francisco Bay Area ### Design Manager @ Gensler Jan 2018 – Jan 2020 | San Jose, California ROLE DESCRIPTION: Project management and leadership of internal and external teams; main point of client contact. PROJECT TYPES: Tech-Sector Workplace; Financial Services Firms DUTIES: Develops contracts, fees, budgets, and schedules; hires consultants; organizes agendas and runs project meetings; ensures that the design is executed from start to finish keeping the desired vision maintained and aligning the design to budget. Reviews billing, invoicing, and overall project financial performance. QA/QC of all design and construction drawings; specializes in developing pricing packages and working through value engineering. Oversees internal team staffing and mentorship. ### Senior Designer @ Design Source, Inc Jan 2016 – Jan 2018 | Richmond, Virginia ROLE DESCRIPTION: Lead designer and project manager; oversight of team in developing complete design packages including but not limited to finish, furniture, lighting, artwork, and accessories. PROJECT TYPES: Senior Living – Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Support, Dining Services, Physical Therapy, Wellness and Amenities Spaces, Office and Internal Support Services DUTIES: Advocate for clients and residents during the design and construction process for both renovation and ground-up work. Programmed requirements for new spaces types through methods of interviews, site observations, and surveying. Wore multiple hats as lead designer, studio/team manager, Revit and CAD manager, operations, HR, and client liaison. Redeveloped internal systems including the presentation drawing and construction documents templates, file folder structure and organization, introduced project numbers to align accounting with record keeping, developed trainings, and onboarded new hires. ### Senior Interior Designer @ Baskervill Jan 2015 – Jan 2016 | Richmond, VA ROLE DESCRIPTION: Point of contact and team leader for interior renovation projects, as well as the interior designer for architectural ground-up/new construction projects. PROJECT TYPES: Corporate Workplace; Financial Services and Banking, Hospitality DUTIES: Lead projects from start to finish as main point of client contact. Lead internal teams with a focus on cultivating design and construction knowledge, creative solutions, and educational opportunities. Daily tasks included overseeing design presentation creation, finish and furniture selection, construction documentation, and construction ad-ministration. Created new method of programming/visioning, and worked with marketing team to develop programming summary deliverables in periodical-format. ### Project Design Lead II @ Shlemmer+Algaze+Associates Jan 2012 – Jan 2015 | Los Angeles, CA ROLE DESCRIPTION: Lead designer; supervised team through all design phases. Co-project manager on large confidential account. PROJECT TYPES: Workplace; Landlord and Tenant Services, Account Services DUTIES: Played an integral role from the schematic design phase through construction administration, as well as furniture installation, as the point of contact serving as a liaison between the client, consultants, contractor, and furniture dealers. Developed new formatting for furniture specification and bid documents. Was the furniture specification advisor for several buildings across a clients’ portfolio, including new animation studios, and occupancy planning/restacking across three film studio/corporate office campuses. ### Interior Designer @ Aref & Associates Jan 2011 – Jan 2012 | El Segundo, CA ROLE DESCRIPTION: Project designer and furniture installation manager. PROJECT TYPES: Workplace; High-profile Brokerage, Developer, and Law Firms, ranging from tenant improvement to new construction. DUTIES: Test fit plans, finish selection, working drawings, furniture design/selection and specifications, presentation development, LEED research, and construction management and administration. ### Designer @ Systems Source Jan 2010 – Jan 2011 | Los Angeles, California, United States ROLE DESCRIPTION: Knoll, DIRTT, and Kimball furniture systems designer. PROJECT TYPES: Workplace Furniture Systems and Ancillary DUTIES: Headed systems and ancillary furniture space planning, occupancy planning, and design on high-profile and local clients utilizing an architectural background and expansive knowledge of technical furniture specifications. ### Designer @ Office Environments of New England Jan 2010 – Jan 2010 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States ROLE DESCRIPTION: Steelcase furniture systems designer. PROJECT TYPES: Workplace Furniture Systems and Ancillary DUTIES: Combined a strong space planning background with detailed product and application knowledge to create high performing, sustainable work environments. Unique perspective as a designer working as a sales liaison contributed well to the overall sales margin. Gained expert knowledge on systems furniture, specializing in Steelcase. ### Interior Designer @ DiMella Shaffer Jan 2005 – Jan 2009 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States ROLE DESCRIPTION: Project designer PROJECT TYPES: Multifamily Housing, Workplace, Higher Ed, Senior Living DUTIES: Responsibilities included the development of finish, furniture, lighting, artwork, and equipment specifications, as well as construction documentation and detailing. As a furniture and accessories purchasing agent, managed local and long-distance budgets and schedules on a variety of project types. ### CAD Tech/Designer @ Northeast Aquatic Design Jan 2005 – Jan 2005 | Greater Boston ROLE DESCRIPTION: Project Designer PROJECT TYPES: Aquatic design projects including large- and small-scale waterparks, commercial, competition and therapy pools, and fountains. DUTIES: Assisted on schematic through CD phases. Collaborated on hand and SketchUp renderings and 3D models for clients’ marketing documents and permit approvals. ### Intern @ Miller Pollin Architects Jan 2002 – Jan 2002 | Amherst, Massachusetts, United States ROLE DESCRIPTION: Intern PROJECT TYPES: Higher Ed DUTIES: Assisted with schematic drawings, model making, and architectural slide electronic conversion for future lectures. ## Education ### BFA Cum Laude in Interior Design, Art History Minor University of Massachusetts Amherst ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kathleen-gleason --- Source: https://flows.cv/kathleengleason JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/kathleengleason/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-13