Industrial Design Faculty

Bachelor of Fine Arts California College of Arts and Crafts (Oakland, California, Industrial Design)

Bachelor of Arts, University of California, San Diego (La Jolla, California, Economics and Interdisciplinary Arts)

Education: Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design, Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale

As an industrial designer and obsessive 3D modeler, David continues actively contributing as a freelancer in the design process and development of biometrics, electronics, furniture, cookware, tableware, surgical room technology, collaborating with designers and startups.

As a model maker, animatronic models created by David were part of the Jurassic Park attraction in Universal Studios theme park, Walt Disney World, and other attractions in Orlando, Florida, and also the Rockefeller Center NY, Pokemon 2001 store.

Position: Adjunct Faculty

Education:

• M.A. in Industrial Design with a focus on New Media, HDK Berlin
• Mentored by Burkhard Schmitz, designer for Herman Miller + founder of Studio 7.5

Industry Credits:

• Art Directors Club Award, Germany: Honored during the celebration in Cannes, France.
• Signature Sponsored Collaborative Classes: Recognized student work from 2015 to 2025 across various Product and Transportation Design clients at ArtU for polished presentations, solid ideas, and commercially viable, compelling projects.
• Group Exhibition in San Francisco: Showcased a newly developed product line in a Lower Haight gallery space.

Publication Contributions:

• Provided case studies for the book Small Screens by Studio 7.5, published by AVA Publishing.
• Information Source Book, IIDj, Institute for Information Design Japan, Graphic-Sha Publishing Co., Ldt.

Bachelor of Fine Arts, Academy of Art University (San Francisco, California, Industrial Design)

Melvin Dominguez is a multi-disciplinary designer in the automotive industry. As a graduate from ArtU’s School of Industrial Design, he has worked at Stellantis, Volvo, Toyota, and SAIC, designing exteriors, interiors, and special mobility projects. Today, he is designing intelligent cabin experiences.

Bachelor of Fine Arts Maine College of Art (Portland, Maine, Painting)

Diane holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design and a Master’s in Human Factors/Ergonomics. She brings over 20 years of industry experience in design research, having worked with leading companies such as IDEO, Leapfrog, Plantronics, Google, and now HP. Throughout her career, Diane has worn many hats simultaneously: championing qualitative research, serving as the in-house human factors expert, leading teams from behind, and mentoring new hires with a blend of kindness and high standards.

She is deeply passionate about empowering the next generation of designers to find their creative confidence and apply it toward meaningful, positive innovation. Diane’s teaching style emphasizes a thoughtful balance of foundational knowledge and hands-on learning experiences.

She feels fortunate to be part of the ArtU community, working alongside a dedicated team of inspired industrial design professionals

Position: Adjunct Faculty

Education:

• BFA Industrial Design, Academy of Art University
• Stanford University Graduate School of Business
• LEAD Executive Professional Certification

Industry Credits:

• 2 x MOJO Top 100 Most Influential Individuals in the Toy and Game Industry
• 10 year adjunct faculty at ArtU
• Consulted Kanye West for his LA and Wyoming Off-Grid Sustainable Housing project

Position: Instructor

Education:

• BFA, Filmmaking and Electronic Media, University of Illinois at Chicago
• MFA, Industrial Design, Academy of Art University

Industry Credits:

• Part of the team awarded “Toy Inventors of the Year, 2015” at Hasbro’s Annual Toy Fair ceremony in New York.
• Designed and contributed to large‑scale permanent installations and room‑specific artwork collections for boutique hotels across the U.S., including Manchester Hyatt in San Diego, Four Seasons in Austin, Marriott Gaylord Rockies Resort, Hyatt Place Athens, and more.

Position: Instructor

Education:

• B.A., Teaching, Juhasz Gyula Teacher Training College Hungary
• M.A., Industrial Design, San Jose State University
• M.S., Biomimicry, Arizona State University

Industry Credits:

• Acuson P10 Handheld Diagnostic Ultrasound Unit, Gold Medical Design Exc. Award, ‘08
• Acuson Cypress Plus Portable Ultrasound for Siemens Medical, Good Design Award, ‘06
• Digidesign Digi002 Mixer, Design Distinction, Annual Design Review, ID Magazine, 07 ‘03
• Motorola iRadio, Honorable Mention, Annual Design Review, ID Ma

Bachelor of Science San Jose State University (San Jose, California, Industrial Design)

Bachelor of Fine Arts Academy of Art University (San Francisco, California, Industrial Design)

Position: Adjunct Faculty

Thomas McNulty has served as a brand and package design consultant for over 30 years in United States and Europe. Thomas has taught at the Academy of Art University since 1991 received his degree from Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California.

During his career, he has worked with renowned designer Robert Miles Runyan, Enterprise IG, CFNAPA, Neworld Associates, Dublin, Ireland, and the Co-founder, Vice President of Profile Design, San Francisco. Thomas has successfully managed and directed many multi-national brand and packaging programs includs: Anheuser Busch, Apple, Raychem, Oracle, Charles Krug Winery, Trinchero Family Estates, Anomaly Vineyards, Lynch Vineyards, Coca-Cola (Ireland), Mrs. Fields, Mileeven Fine Foods, Ireland, Otis Spunkmeyer and Safeway Stores, winning numerous awards and recognition for design excellence.

Publications include: American Corporate Identity, Communication Arts, Graphis, Graphic Design U.S.A., International Packaging, Print Magazine, CMYK, and Graphic Design Business Association, Europe. His company, Profile Design, was featured numerous times as a leading graphic design agency in the San Francisco Graphic Design Showcase publication.

Education:

• Art Center College of Design, BFA Degree – Packaging & Graphics, Received the RitaSue Siegel, Humanitarian Honors Award

Industry Credits:

• Graphic Design USA – Featured as Educators to Watch, 2021

Master of Arts Coventry University (Coventry, United Kingdom, Design)

Bachelor of Arts, Western Washington University (Bellingham, Washington, General Studies Art)

Bachelor of Fine Arts Academy of Art University (San Francisco, California, Industrial Design)

Bachelor of Science, Art Center College Design (Pasadena, California, Product Design)

Position: Part-time Instructor

Education:

• B.S. in Transportation Design , Art Center College of Design

Industry Credits:

• Senior Vehicle Designer Nikola Motor
• Former designer for Cobb Performance, Geely, Lynk & Co, Lotus, LEVC, Smart, Zeekr, Fisker and Ford.
• Exterior and Interior design for production and concept programs.

Bachelor of Fine Arts, University Illinois Champaign Urbana (Urbana, Illinois, Industrial Design)

Education:

• BFA – San Francisco Academy of Art University
• Independent Study – Art Students League of New York, NY

Industry Credits:

• Afternoon Tea: 54th Venice Biennale, The Quaffers Pavilion, Campo San Polo, IT
• 2-time CLIO Award nominated MTV videos, New York, NY
• Global Exhibit System for AT&T and Olivetti, Milan IT – Burdick Group, San Francisco, CA
• In the Beginning: Exploring Origins in Contemporary Art, Penn Humanities Forum, Philadelphia, PA
• Columbus on Trial with Lourdes Portillo, Whitney Museum Biennial, New York, NY
• Grants: San Francisco Arts Commission, Friends of Urban Arts and Culture, The Puffin Foundation Grant.
• Taught and lectured at the University of California at Berkeley Extension and the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, CA.

Bachelor of Arts San Francisco State University (San Francisco, California, Cinema)

Bachelor of Science Art Center College Design (Pasadena, California, Industrial Design)

15+ yrs of experience in Industrial Design