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Kathleen Valkuchak
Director
School of Interior Architecture & Design
A native of California, Katie Valkuchak received her BA in Art History from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 2003, and her BFA in Interior Architecture and Design from Academy of Art University in 2006. After working for several firms in the Bay Area, including Backen Gillam Kroeger Architects, and later as an independent Design Consultant, Katie returned to Academy of Art University in 2010 to teach and share her experiences.
Since then, Katie discovered that she had a great passion not only for design, but also for teaching and found the perfect opportunity to pursue them both here at the Academy.
Position: Instructor
Education:
Publications: My chapter “Gamifying Cultural Anthropology: A Pedagogical Case Study“ in Routledge’s upcoming Gamify Your College Classroom: Strategies to Foster Critical Thinking and Life Skills Across Disciplines
Position: Part-Time Faculty
Industry Credits:
David Riffert has taught at the Academy of Art University for many years. He helped initiate the study abroad programs to Europe that have been running for over twenty years. He taught art history and architectural history at Penn State and Principia College, prior to coming to AAU. He used to teach Bernard Maybeck seminars at Principia (a National Historical Landmark District; later he served as a board member to help preserve the City of Berkeley’s only National Historic landmark, Bernard Maybeck’s First Church). David teaches for IAD, ARCH, and the Art History departments at AAU. On his travels with students, he has given talks at historic landmarks in Glasgow (on Charles Rennie Macintosh), Utrecht (Gerrit Reitveld), Poissey (Le Corbusier), Brussels (Victor Horta), and many others. He sometimes contributes to exhibition catalogues (his essays have been included at an exhibit at the Mihaly Munkacsy Fine Art Museum in Hungary, “Paintings of Tibor Simon-Mazula, and “Dawning” at the Shooting Gallery, San Francisco). David earned his MA in Art History from The Pennsylvania State University. He has authored numerous online graduate classes.
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education:
Website: hashhadi.com
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education:
Industry Credits:
Peace Fellow, Rotary Foundation – University of Chulalongkorn, 2017
Introduction to Construction Documents
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Industry Credits:
Ivan is a designer and creative strategist with over 25 years of experience across architecture, interiors, and emerging media. He earned his degree in architecture from UC Berkeley and began his career at BA Architects in San Francisco, where he developed a strong foundation in modern design principles.
His design perspective expanded significantly during his time living in Asia in 2010, where he became increasingly interested in how cultural heritage and contemporary design can coexist in powerful and unexpected ways. This led to a return to Asia in 2015, where he and his business partner led several hospitality projects throughout China and Southeast Asia.
He is the founder of MANTL, a new design venture exploring the intersection of architecture + interiors, culture, and artificial intelligence. His work navigates the edges of physical and digital space, pushing toward new design languages grounded in clarity, atmosphere, and conceptual rigor.
In addition to his professional work, Ivan has taught at Academy of Art University for over 20 years, developing and writing several of the institution’s early online design courses for IAD. He has also served as a returning guest critic at the California College of the Arts (CCAC) Architecture Department, contributing to an ongoing dialogue about design education and its future.
Website: mantl.design
Commercial Design Studio
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Industry Credits:
Dan Bohlen is an architectural consultant, illustrator, and developer based in Littleton, CO, originally from Denver. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Architecture. With a focus on creating an educational environment that incourages the mental, emotional, and social development of students, Dan believes that every student is unique. He strives to cultivate an atmosphere where students can realize their full potential by providing a safe space for them to share ideas, take risks, and direct their learning through curiosity and choice.
Dan finds that the most rewarding aspect of teaching at AAU is the synergy, which is dedicated entirely to the arts. This immersive environment allows him to experience student work across a variety of programs, which profoundly influences his growth as both a teacher and a designer. Outside of work, Dan is happily married, a father of four boys, and a proud grandfather of a granddaughter and grandson.
Dan’s work keeps him closely connected with the Colorado building community, particularly through his collaboration with Spector and Associates Architecture, a firm specializing in sustainable building practices. Through this partnership, the team received several prestigious accolades, including the Stephen H. Hart Award for Historic Preservation from the Colorado Historical Society for the renovation of the Austin Building, a 102-year-old National Historic Landmark at 2400 East Colfax. Their work also earned recognition as a U.S. Greenbuild Legacy Project, a Colorado USGBC Chapter Exemplary Project, and the Mayor’s Design Award for Nine 10 Arts, which involved the restoration and conversion of five buildings in the Santa Fe Arts District.
Residential Design Studio
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education:
B.Arch., Architecture, University of Oregon
Industry Credits:
Licensed Architect, State of California
Digital Imaging
Color Rendering Techniques
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education:
BFA, Architecture, Rhode Island School of Design
Industry Credits:
Publications: Render Floor Plans with Photoshop
Websites: rfassoc.com
rhfstudio.com/
Robert Frank Fine Art
Residential Design Studio
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education:
Winthrop University, Rock Hill, South Carolina (Bachelor of Fine Arts, Interior Design)
Industry Credits:
Website: callangaines.com
Drawing for Advertising
Sketching for Communication
Perspectives for Advertising
Sketching and Perspective for IAD
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Industry Credits:
Website: jimgleeson.com
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education
Industry Credits:
Gail Goldman, BArch, MFA, is a versatile, highly organized professional designer with excellent interpersonal, written and oral skills. Her career has involved diverse areas of the design profession and, as you will find from her resume, is definitely one who is continually striving to reach her full potential.
She began her career in the field of architecture and subsequently branched out into interior, product, package, user-interface, graphic design and art direction. She has earned a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture (including Graduate work) from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and an MFA in Communication (Visual/Graphic) Design and Interior Design from The University of North Texas. In addition, she holds two U.S. Patents for a product she developed and brought to market.
She is a member, by invitation, of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and was recognized as an outstanding instructor by the Zeta Sigma Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma at The University of North Texas where she taught in multiple design areas including: Drawing I & II, Design Foundations I & II, Graphic Design: 3-D Packaging, Graphic Design: Color Rendering & Production, Graphic Design Studio, Introduction to Graphic Design, Typography, Publication Design, and Interior Design Drawing.
Her interdisciplinary experience has provided her with the depth and breadth of knowledge needed to excel in the field of design education. Gail has been active in the professional design community for over 25 years creating diverse projects for both nonprofit and for-profit clients in the US and UK. She is excited to bring her education, experience and enthusiasm to contribute and be an asset to the Academy of Art University.
Presentations:
FATE (Foundations in Art: Theory and Education) Conference, “Voyage”, Columbus College of Art & Design, Columbus, Ohio Panel title: “A Foundation for Teaching: Training and Support of GTAs,” Paper: “Teaching in the Trenches: An Overview of Issues”.
Exhibits:
Solo Exhibition, “Recent Works on Canvas,” Lightwell Gallery, The University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
Professional Practice for Interior Design
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education
Industry Credits:
Websites: gouveiadesign.com
Linkedin
Identity, Creativity, and Career Flexibility Lecture
Materials
Introduction to Lighting Design
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education:
Industry Credits:
Exhibitions:
Model Making in the Design Process
Color Rendering Techniques
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Industry Credits:
David has always been captivated building things. As a child, his favorite pastime was creating objects out of Lego and drawing. In junior high, he participated in wood and metal shop, as well as every art class available During senior year, David studied Independent Art, he served as a teacher’s assistant and was required to produce a drawing every week.
After high school David pursued Graphic Design and Industrial at the Academy of Art University, where he was lead model builder of Graphic Blade Studio. At Graphic Blade, David worked as a professional model builder, creating, photo models, prototypes of toys games, cologne bottles, in-store signage, and event props. Some of his clients included Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Teva Sandals, Muni, California Earthquake Museum, Hasbro, Parker Brothers, Usaoply, Mirvo Toys, P.C. Publisher, The Black and White Ball of San Francisco and The Gay Pride Parade Francisco.
David began teaching at the Academy of University in 2001. He teaches Perspective Drawing, Color Rendering, Elements of Design, Building, and the Design Process.
From to architectural models David has been building models for most of his life and continues to do so.
Spatial Development Studio
Residential Design Studio
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education:
Industry Credits:
Website: 64-design.com
Advanced Commercial Design Studio
Computer Aided Drafting
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education:
Industry Credits:
Website: jemymassie.com
Digital Imaging
Enhanced Studies
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education:
Industry Credits:
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education:
Industry Credits:
Introduction to Construction Documents
Comprehensive Design Studio
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education
Industry Credits:
Materials
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education
B.F.A. in Interior Design, Academy of Art University
Industry Credits:
Creative and detail-oriented Interior Designer with 25 years of experience delivering timeless, functional, and visually stunning spaces across residential, and commercial sectors. Expert in leading full project lifecycles from concept development to execution. Proven ability to balance aesthetic vision with client needs, budget constraints, and technical specifications. Adept at collaborating with architects, contractors, and clients to ensure seamless design implementation.
Awards and Recognition:
Thermador kitchen design awards 2018 & 2022
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education:
Industry Credits:
Introduction to Construction Documents
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education:
Industry Credits:
Website: rchitectos.com
Digital Imaging
Introduction to Lighting Design
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education:
Master of Architecture at Georgia Tech Institute of Technology
Survery of Sustainable Design
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education:
Building Codes and Systems
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education:
Industry Credits:
Building Codes and Systems
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education
Website: assemblyarch.com
Building Codes and Systems
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education:
Industry Credits:
Websites: auroradesignarchitecture.com/
Digital Imaging
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education
Associate of Art, Graphic Design, Academy of Art University, 2014
Industry Credits:
Website: Portfolio
Computer Aided Drafting
Position: Part-Time Instructor
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Industry Credits:
Lauren Trujillo holds Bachelor (2006) and Master of Fine Arts (2014) degrees in interior design from Florida State University. She is a licensed interior designer (ID5858, since 2011) and was a LEED Green Associate (2017 through 2019). Since completing her graduate studies, Lauren has served as an adjunct interior design and art history professor at state and private colleges. In addition, Lauren has created original course content for deployment on ground, online, synchronously, asynchronously and in hybrid formats for home staging programs, two-year Associate degree programs, and four-year bachelor’s programs at CIDA-accredited colleges. Lauren has also created ADA-compliant master course content at the staging certificate, Associates, and Bachelor level that is used by professors within the various state and private interior design programs for which she has worked.
In addition to teaching and creating course content, Lauren regularly participates in professional development opportunities to improve the quality of her instructional methods and delivery and to ensure that the educational content she creates is learner-centered and inclusive. Lauren has published several articles on intercultural design and most recently the book, Homelessness and the Built Environment: Designing for Unhoused Persons, with her colleagues at Florida State University.
Lauren Trujillo is an experienced educator who has been involved in online education since 2014. Lauren has first-hand experience with how educators and institutions interact with online educational content and how this interaction affects their programs and their students’ learning experience. As a result of this experience, Lauren can forecast challenges and see opportunities for growth and refinement throughout the development of an online educational program.
Awards and Honors:
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Position: Part-Time Instructor
Industry Credits:
Archibald attended architecture school at the University of Nebraska where he received both his bachelor and master degrees in Architecture.
Since moving to San Francisco in 1990, Archibald has worked mainly on healthcare and medical research facilities for some of the major healthcare providers in the Bay Area such as Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health as well as both private and public research institutions such as Bayer Healthcare and the University of California system. Archibald has also worked on major K-12 school projects for school districts throughout the Bay Area, including Palo Alto, San Leandro, Dublin, Petaluma and the Fremont Union High School District in Cupertino.
Archibald first teaching experience was with the San Francisco chapter of the American Institute of Architects where he started teaching a seminar helping licensee candidates prepare for the licensing exam. Since then, Archibald has helped thousands of candidates get their architects’ license. For this the board of directors at AIA San Francisco has conferred on Archibald their Presidential Commendation in 2006 and again in 2011. He was also awarded the chapter’s Community Alliance Award for Education in 2016.
Since 2011, Archibald has also taught undergraduate and graduate level architectural and interior design classes at the Academy of Arts University. Classes Archibald taught at AAU include design studios as well as more technical classes in building codes and building materials and systems for both architecture and interior design.
Comprehensive Design Studio
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education:
BS, Interior Design, Florida International University
Industry Credits:
Position: Part-Time Instructor
Education:
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Mrunalini Kulkarni is an accomplished architectural and interior designer with over a decade of experience across institutional, residential, and community-based design sectors.