Interior Design Faculty

All well-respected and top-notch interior designers in their own rights, our Interior Design faculty brings a wide range of experiences to the classroom. The projects they’ve worked on encompass a large part of the industry; from commercial projects to residential interiors and projects that specialize in the concerns of sustainable design. Our instructors know the industry inside and out.

Department Chair

Lauren Pillote
MA, Design Education, Regis University; BA, Interior Design, Michigan State University; NCIDQ certified. Member of IDEC, CIDC; IDEP Mentor for NCIDQ.

Ms. Pillote has over 20 years of professional experience in design and actively advocates for advancement of the profession through the maintenance of rigorous educational and professional standards, with sustainability at the core of good design practice. Her research interests and areas of specialization include design pedagogy for creativity; curriculum development, accreditation and assessment; lighting design; sustainability; and environmental impact upon human behavior. She presents at national and international conferences, and conducts workshops and seminars for members of the architectural and design community. Publications and presentations include: "Preliminary Teaching Manual for Sustainable Design Education" (2006); "Educating the Educators: Approaches for Teaching Sustainability" (2006); and "The Lighting Calculation Workbook" (2003). She received the IDEC Regional Chairs Award in 2005 as co-author of "Creating a Sustainable Design Area of Emphasis in a FIDER Accredited Program of Interior Design."

Department Co-Heads

Nicole Naillon
MBA, Project Management, Jones International University; BFA, Interior Design, Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design; NCIDQ certified. Member of IDEC.

Ms. Naillon has been actively involved in project management for large-scale commercial design projects. Her areas of specialization include space planning, construction documentation and AutoCAD and BIM protocols for interior design and project management.

Brook Yeagle
BS, Interior Design, Florida International University; NCIDQ certified. Member of IDEC.

Ms. Yeagle has worked for several award-winning commercial and residential design firms gaining the experience and opportunity to work nationally as well as internationally. She is a partner in Studio 9000 LLC, a multi-media and design studio. Areas of specialization include space planning, construction documentation, project management, and office design.

Core Faculty

Daniel Bohlen
M Arch, University of Colorado at Denver; BA, Colorado State University. Member of the American Society of Architectural Illustrators.

Mr. Bohlen’s current area of creative work is in architectural illustration; research topics are green design in interior architecture and development of a sketching workshop and textbook. Mr. Bohlen has experience as a K-12 educator and college instructor in interior design and art. He is a commercial and residential designer, architectural illustrator and real estate developer; clients have included Denver Mayor’s Office of Economic Development (MOED), Colorado Center for Community Development and Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe. He is an associate with Spector and Associates Architecture. Awards include: USGBC Greenbuild 2006 Legacy Project; USGBC Colorado Chapter 2006 Exemplary Project; 2006 Mayor’s Design Award: “It ain’t easy being green”; Austin Building, 1997 Stephen H. Hart Award for Historic Preservation - Colorado Historic Society.

Neil Katz
M Arch / Energy Efficient Design, University of Texas at Austin; BS Education, University of Colorado at Boulder. Registered Architect, NCARB; LEED AP. Member of American Institute of Architects, National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Mr. Katz has practiced architecture for over 25 years in both large and small architectural firms and currently is the president of Architectural Solutions, a full service architectural firm located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Within Architectural Solutions, he has completed over 200 residential and commercial projects that include ground-up office buildings, tenant improvements, custom homes and historic preservation. Because of his specialized interest and expertise in energy efficient design, Mr. Katz has earned several recent commissions that promote green design using the latest technology. Prior to his architectural career, Mr. Katz taught school for five years including two years overseas and several years in western Colorado.

Laurie Lee
MS, Design and Merchandising – Interior Design emphasis in interior design education, Colorado State University; BA, Interior Design, Ringling College of Art and Design. Member of IDEC, NEWH.

Ms. Lee has over 22 years experience as an interior designer specializing in the hotel and restaurant industries and as a hotel brand representative for Intercontinental Hotels and Marriott Hotels. As an interior designer, she spent many years practicing in Atlanta, Georgia with CMMI working on projects in the US, and the Caribbean with clients such as Hyatt Hotels and Ritz Carlton Hotels. Ms. Lee led the interior design department with Seiber Design, also in Atlanta, working with restaurant brands such as Houston’s Restaurants and many custom conceived restaurants throughout the U.S. Ms. Lee’s most recent position was Director of Interior Design for Exclusive Resorts, a luxury vacation club with private homes around the world. She has been published in Hospitality Desig magazine and in the book Bar Excellence Designs for Pubs and Clubs, and has received awards and recognition from both ASID and Hospitality Design.

Rebekah Matheny
MArch, University of Oregon; Technical Teaching Certificate – Sustainable Design, University of Oregon; BS, Interior Design and BS, Architecture, University of Cincinnati. Member of AIA, IIDA, USGBC.

Ms. Matheny joined the RMCAD faculty because of her love for the small class size, the creative multi-disciplinary culture, and focus in Green Design. Her research interests are in the area of sustainable materials and daylighting. She has worked for many different firms across the country with experience ranging from education facilities to corporate interiors and branding. She was awarded the AIA Ohio Honor Award for a bus transportation hub she designed while working at MSA in Cincinnati, Many of her designs have placed in national and international design competitions. She is always striving to create identifiable spaces that affect the users experience and are environmentally conscious.

Brandy Von Kaenel
M Architecture/ M Urban Design, and Certificate in Historic Preservation, University of Colorado at Denver; BS, Interior Design, Colorado State University. NCIDQ certified, LEED BD+C AP. Member of AIA, ASID, USGBC, Colorado Preservation Inc., National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Ms. Von Kaenel’s research is focused in sustainable design and historic preservation. In addition to teaching at RMCAD, she owns and manages her own design consulting business focusing on residential and light commercial projects. Formerly, she has worked for architectural firms in Denver focusing on skilled nursing, assisted living, educational, multifamily and high-end residential design projects. Her historic preservation research work was recently published in the 2011 Historical Studies Journal.

Joy Wagner, Interior Design
MS, Design and Merchandising – Interior Design, Colorado State University; BS, Interior Design, Colorado State University. Leed AP, Member of IDEC, USGBC.

Adjunct Faculty

Jennifer Burianek
BFA, Interior Design, Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design. LEED-AP BD+C.

Ms. Burianek is Project Manager, Sustainable Design Team Leader for Ambient Energy.

Nhia Cassie
MBA, University of Phoenix; BA, Interior Design, Art Institute of Colorado. NCIDQ Certified, ASID.

Ms. Cassie's academic experience started with volunteering for CABPES (Colorado Association of Black Professional Engineers and Scientists). She was a teaching assistant in the architecture class, and taught AutoCAD to high school students. Her experience in higher education includes acting as the Assistant Program Director for an online College, technical course development focused on drafting through 3D visualization. In addition, she has developed various online tutorials teaching different software programs that interior designers use.

Gina Heumann
MArch, Specialization in Lighting Design, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; BS, Architectural Studies, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. NCQLP Certified, IESNA Certificate of Technical Knowledge.

As an educator, Ms. Heumann seeks to inspire her students and share her passion for interior design, lighting, and architecture. She has been a lighting designer for major projects at Mayo Clinic, the Minnesota Governor’s Mansion, Northfield Hospital, Pentair Executive Offices, and Eden Prairie Center shopping mall, all in Minnesota. She has received many awards through the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) for lighting design and service to her professional society. Ms. Heumann has published several articles in lighting trade magazines. She is currently working toward a Master's in Education, specializing in adult learning, and teaches professional development classes for the IESNA in her spare time.

Debbie Hindman
BA, Education and Dance, New School of Creative Dance and Ballet. LEED AP, Past president of SMPS Colorado, member of ADPSR, AIA COTE and USGBC.

Member of Denver design firm, Associates III since 1981, Ms. Hindman began marketing the firm’s services in 1987. She has been a researcher and co-editor for four editions of the Sustainable Design Resource Guide for Colorado and the Western Mountain Region, an AIA COTE/ADPSR publication. Ms. Hindman speaks regularly on the subject of sustainable design, and Associates III is recognized as one of the country’s foremost experts in green residential design. Turning Green, the story of the firm’s work, was published in 2002 in collaboration with ASID and made available to ASID members nationwide in 2002.

Jennifer Nelson
Certificate in Sustainability Leadership, Ithaca College (In Progress); BFA, Interior Design, Emphasis: Green Design, Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design. LEED Green Associate. Member of USGBC Colorado 2009-Present.

Ms. Nelson has worked as a designer in a variety of capacities, but has focused on green design and sustainability through her volunteer work with the USGBC Colorado.