Kaizen is a woman-owned, impact driven pioneer in the design and construction industry that is transforming the status quo to empower owners to lead capital improvement projects with purpose and strategy improving outcomes.

Developing and implementing processes and tools to manage design projects for healthcare owners.

While at Stanford Health, I pioneered the Interior Design Management program. Stanford was experiencing its largest period of growth with the construction of a new Adult and Children’s Hospital as well as significant expansion in their outpatient health centers. My role was dedicated to partnering with Stanford’s architectural and design consultants to ensure that we achieved our design brand and quality consistently between projects. This was achieved by developing and implementing design guidelines on over 50 projects. As an Interior Design Project Manager I provided the connection between the users and designers so that information was not lost in translation by:-Developing strategies including mock-ups, renderings and surveys for user engagement ensuring their understanding of the design development.-Arranging departmental reviews to get feedback on their requirements. -Reviewing design drawings and presentations prior to internal review to verify that all standards and guidelines are met.-Coordinating with FF&E managers to ensure equipment meets requirements and will fit appropriately into the space.By managing the process, I assured a successful project delivery accomplished according to schedule, quality and budget requirements. In my role, I was responsible for;-Managing the bid, selection & contract negotiation for consultants, contractors and vendors.-Planning, scheduling, assigning and overseeing the work of project participants and consultants.-Preparing furniture/equipment budgeting, specifications, installation plan and punch list.-Executing the activation process so that outstanding tasks are prioritized and completed for a successful opening.Most importantly, I implemented lessons learned and continually strived toward new innovations. I led design teams toward sustainable design solutions focused on value that expressed the organization's mission and brand

HDR is a full service architectural, engineering, and consulting firm with offices in the United States, Canada, Europe and corporate headquarters located in Nebraska. HDR is ranked No. 1 in the 2009 issue of Modern Healthcare magazine's Annual Construction & Design Survey of Healthcare Architects for 2008. HDR has received that honor thirteen times since the survey's inception in 1978 and has never ranked below No. 4. HDR in San Francisco is proactive in sustainability with continued education, LEED exam training, and a specialized LEED and Sustainability team. I moved to San Francisco to be a part of the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi design team. The client’s objective for the project was to create a 7 star hospital that met or exceeded United States standards for healthcare and potentially achieve LEED Gold certification. The clients also wanted state-of-the-art technology infused throughout that would assist caregivers’ efficiency and the patient’s ability to control their own comfort and entertainment. The hospital is equal to a five star hotel in quality and then exceeds the five stars in the service provided by Cleveland Clinic. The experience for patient, staff, and guests was thoroughly investigated in order to provide the ultimate evidence based results. This hospital will provide for their affluent residents as well as draw patients from other countries interested in healthcare tourism.To handle a 2.5 million square foot hospital many strategies had to be initiated in order to get the work done in the short amount of time we were given. Common threads and design guidelines were established throughout the project which allowed different teams to tackle portions of the project and still maintain a cohesive design.

During the four years I spent working at Davis Design, a full service Architecture and Engineering firm in Lincoln, NE, I gained valuable life-long experiences. I had the fortune to work with great people, many with whom I will always be friends with. I believe working for a smaller firm, in this case approximately100 staff, provided more diverse opportunities, increased face-to-face client contact and allowed development of personal accountability and management skills. At any given time I worked on up to 8 projects, requiring me to develop skills in time management. Another advantage of working in a smaller firm was the ability to see various projects completed start to finish including healthcare, corporate, educational, financial, and institutional market sectors. Davis Design has been in business nearly 100 years and has built a national reputation as a reliable and high quality firm. In fact, they pride themselves that 80% of their business is repeat business. Davis Design was also socially and environmentally responsible and was a leader in getting all divisions of the office LEED accredited.