ESI Staff

Susan Okon draws upon 20-plus years of experience to lead finance and operations of ESI Design as its Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. She also has financial responsibility for two other ventures for Edwin Schlossberg, The Perfect Client, LLC and Schlossberg Flynn, LLC.
 
Susan is responsible for all financial affairs and operations of the companies including all accounting and finance functions as well as information technology, human resources, and project management.  Susan also heads the Leadership Group at ESI.

Susan joined ESI in 2000 from two successful entrepreneurial ventures: Biscotti & Company and Tactics, Inc., a database marketing company.  In her roles, she was responsible for the overall management of the financial and business operations.
 
Earlier in her career, Susan was Director of Marketing Services at Shearson Lehman Brothers. She began her career in Public Accounting and is a CPA.
 
Susan received her MBA from NYU and her BA from Brooklyn College.

Areas of expertise:
Accounting and Finance
Operations
General Administration

Gideon D’Arcangelo oversees conceptual design and creative strategy for ESI Design. He is also an accomplished interactive designer and experienced project leader who guides strategy for several of ESI’s main design projects and clients.

Gideon is a frequent speaker and writer on design, including for the Adobe Design Center. Prior to joining ESI, Gideon worked closely with musicologist Alan Lomax. Highlights include his contributions to The Land Where the Blues Began, a recipient of the National Book Critics’ Circle Award. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Lomax’s Association for Cultural Equity.  

Gideon is also a contributing producer for Public Radio International’s weekly arts and design program, Studio 360, and serves on the faculty at New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program in the Tisch School of the Arts, where he instructs thesis students and has developed curricula for two graduate courses, “New Interfaces for Musical Expression” and “Interactive Design for Public Places.”

Areas of expertise:
Design Strategy
Communication Design
Interactive Design
Media Production

In her role as Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, Michelle is responsible for providing overall marketing strategy and support for ESI’s global business development efforts. She has over 15 years experience in strategy, marketing and business development. Prior to joining ESI in 2004, Michelle worked closely with museums and cultural institutions as director of client development for Acoustiguide and led marketing and new media strategy for several organizations including METROPOLIS Magazine, artnet.com, and Christie’s.

Michelle is a passionate advocate for creating collaborative, participatory systems to help solve environmental and social challenges. She is one of the co-founders and acting director of desigNYC, a new design service network that is amplifying the work of NYC nonprofits, community groups and city agencies through the power of pro bono design. She earned an M.B.A in Sustainable Management from the Presidio Graduate School in 2008, a pioneering business school that is revolutionizing the degree by integrating environmental and social responsibility into every aspect of the curriculum. At Presidio, she consulted the global humanitarian design organization, Architecture for Humanity as well as the San Francisco Department of the Environment’s Green Business Certification Program.

Michelle lectures on the topic of design for sustainability and social impact. She is co-teaching the Team Project course with Mark Randall of Worldstudio at the School of Visual Art’s summer intensive, Impact: Design for Social Change.

Press and Video Links:

How To: Use Your Artistic Talents for Good
By Rebecca McQuigg Rigal of GOOD Magazine, Pepsi Refresh Blog, March 8, 2010

WNYC - The Brian Lehrer Show
With Enterprise Community Partners and Robin Key Landscape Architecture, February 24, 2010

desigNYC: A star-powered matchmaking organization pairs New York designers with social causes
By Julie Lasky, Design Observer, February 5, 2010

DesigNYC Matches Designers with Non-Profits in Need
By Alissa Walker, Fast Company, December 22, 2009

On Mercy Corps' Action Center
ESI Design's Vimeo stream

Areas of expertise:
Marketing
Business Development
Sustainability
Social Media

Alexandra Alfaro joined ESI Design in 1999, and has broad experience in the arts, education, and museum programming. She is ESI's Director of Project Management and guides many projects from concept to completion. Alexandra is key to ESI's projects, ensuring that all design decisions meet client goals and aspirations. Prior to coming to ESI, she worked for the Children's Museum of the Arts as an Exhibit Developer and Manager of External Affairs and Special Projects. She has Professional Degree in Business Project Management from New York University, a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design, and also completed RID's European Honors Program in Rome. An accomplished painter, Alexandra consults to a variety of non-profit arts institutions and maintains her own studio. Her work was recently featured in a Soho gallery show. At ESI, Alexandra has played a key role in projects that include Tryon Palace Historic Sites and Gardens, Ellis Island National Immigration Museum, ImaginOn Children's Library and Theatre‚ John F. Kennedy Library Website, and the Best Buy Communications Network.

Areas of expertise:
Project Management
Client Team Liaison
Design Strategy
Content Research

Clay Gish oversees the team that articulates the vision for new projects, and develops the content, educational goals and scripting for all exhibits, media and interactives. Under Clay’s guidance, the team has tackled diverse assignments ranging from hands-on educational programs for children to training programs for medical specialists. Clay joined ESI in 1989.

Before coming to ESI, Clay worked as a journalist, editor and teacher. During a 7-year tenure at the American Foundation for the Blind, she edited numerous books and a journal for professionals in the field. She also wrote articles on issues confronting people with visual impairments, including a groundbreaking series on environmental barriers.

As an historian and educator, Clay has written several articles on child labor during the Industrial Revolution and has taught American history and  government at the City University of New York.

Areas of expertise:
Writer
Historian
Researcher
Educator

Joseph Karadin leads ESI’s physical design team, and has more than twelve years of experience in exhibit and experiential design. Prior to joining ESI, he worked at Thinc Design, Interbrand and other notable design and branding firms. Joseph is a graduate of Cornell University and has won several awards and distinctions, including acknowledgement as a finalist for his design of the World Trade Center Memorial.

Areas of expertise:
Exhibit Design
Experience Design
Architecture Design

Joe Mayer oversees the creation and development of a variety of ESI projects, including their environmental, graphic, and interactive design components. Joe joined ESI in 1987.

Joe’s previous experience includes design of architectural signage and graphics programs at prestigious firms such as Pentagram Design, Ltd., and E. Christopher Klumb Associates, as well as project design and production supervision for Lance Wyman, Ltd.

Areas of expertise:
Graphic Design
Interactive Design
Industrial Design
Environmental Graphic Design
Project Management

Trip Kyle joined ESI in 2006 to oversee delivery of the firm’s three-dimensional projects, including production design, project management, architectural coordination, technical detailing, cost estimation, scheduling, fabrication and installation supervision.

Prior to joining ESI, Trip was a key player in the growth and success of an internationally recognized design and build firm. In addition to his corporate responsibilities as Vice President, he directed project management, and was the primary contact for many high profile clients. Trip has extensive international experience, launching a successful exhibition operation in Cannes, France, and delivering projects throughout Europe. 


He has supervised large installations across the U.S., Canada, Central America, and Asia.

Areas of expertise:
Engineering
Production Design and Management
Project Management

As the Director of Interactive Media and Technology Design at ESI, Meg Roebling draws upon her expertise in digital platforms and emerging technologies to lead the firm's Interactive Media and Technology Design department. With over 15 years of experience, she drives and manages digital design initiatives from concept through completion and is responsible for creating the overall vision for ESI's digital strategy and interactive technology development. Meg is interested in exploring the intersection between the virtual and the physical, the real and the perceived, as well as the impact of organic forces on computer-generated behaviors.

Prior to joining ESI, Meg was the Founder & CEO of Megamorphosis Design as well as Elysium Media, a company that provides digital design and marketing services such as augmented reality content for mobile applications. She also spent time as the Creative Director at C4 Technologies and as a Senior Art Director at Digitas. In addition to her work, Meg spent several years teaching portfolio web design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.

Areas of expertise:
Digital Marketing & Media
Emerging Technologies
Creative Design & Direction
UX Design & Direction