We really believe that our people are one of the best things about working here. Each team member brings a unique set of skills and strengths, and we value those diverse perspectives. It’s our goal to help new hires feel welcome and at ease from their first day on the job.
“ Design is the application of intent — the opposite of happenstance and an antidote to accident.
ROBERT L. PETERS
We’re experts from diverse fields—business, neuroscience, data science, and design— providing human-centered solutions that go beyond architecture.
We exist to solve both design and organizational challenges, giving clients more value and elevating the human experience. We offer humancentered consulting that complements our architecture, making Perkins Eastman a onestop solution for clients.
Perkins Eastman’s recently launched human-centered consulting team leverages research, strategy, and design thinking to drive and assess impact across diverse sectors and projects. We partner with project teams and clients to deliver evidence-based insights and tailored solutions that prioritize improving the human experience.
Our team offers a full suite of sought-after capabilities in three core areas: Research & Visioning, Adoption & Continuous Improvement, and Knowledge & Skills. We engage early in a project to lay the foundation for success, working closely with stakeholders to gather insights and build alignment. After project completion, we continue our involvement to support culture change, ensure smooth adoption, facilitate ongoing improvements, and measure impact.
Driven by a commitment to Perkins Eastman’s Human by Design ethos, we approach every project with an eagerness to learn and solve problems together, partnering with clients and stakeholders to create meaningful change.
Constraints are advantages in disguise.
JASON FRIED
• We are committed to a human-centered approach in everything we do.
• We invest in relationships and foster partnerships built on trust and mutual respect.
• We make it our business to question assumptions and challenge the status quo.
• We invest in continuous learning to deepen our knowledge, broaden our perspectives, and increase our capabilities.
• We combine diverse skill sets, backgrounds, and expertise to set the stage for innovation.
• We actively pursue external partnerships with academic and research institutions to explore and test new ideas.
• We use design thinking to generate elegant, empathetic solutions for complex challenges.
• We define problem sets to capture all angles and stakeholders’ needs.
• We identify patterns and relationships to make informed decisions.
• We plan for possible scenarios rather than a single “most likely” outcome.
2024 by the numbers 16,845 stakeholders engaged 20 presentations 11 publications
3 awards 1 research grant
Asking the right questions is as important as answering them.
We offer a diverse menu of in-house services designed to make the process smoother, faster, and more focused on what matters to clients and stakeholders.
Prior to Design Work…
We gather and translate insights into a collective vision.
Menu of services:
1. Market research and future-forecasting
2. Quantitative insights
3. Qualitative user research
4. Visioning and storytelling
When the Design is Complete…
We help people adapt and thrive in their new environment for the long term.
Menu of services:
1. End-to-end change management services
2. Impact measurement (PreOEs/POEs)
Empower Others…
We help others learn more and be better.
Menu of services:
1. Actionable insights
2. Upskilling workshops
• Team and meeting effectiveness
• Team and culture building
• Change management 101
We aim to extend a warm welcome to new team members by facilitating introductions and social opportunities.
Welcome lunch with the Toronto team
Take the Truity Enneagram for the Workplace Assessment and Dope Birds Test
Get to Know You Workshop with Only Human Team
Craft an introduction via email to internal contacts
Meet senior-level colleagues and other members of core network:
• PE Strategies (Sustainability, Research, Design Intelligence, etc.)
• Practice Area Leaders
• CEOs
• Marketing & Communications
• Graphics
• IT
• Operations
• Accounting
Rebecca Milne r.milne@ perkinseastman. com
+1 646 225 5866
Katie Gluckselig k.gluckselig@ perkinseastman. com
+1 212 353 7229
Kristina Koch k.koch@ perkinseastman. com +1 437 292 2400
OPERATIONS
Hanna Negami h.negami@ perkinseastman. com
+1 212 353 7201
Charlotte Bohning c.bohning@ perkinseastman. com
+1 212 353 7243
Emily Chmielewski e.chmielewski@ perkinseastman. com
+1 412 894 8366
Rosann Colosimo r.colosimo@perkinseastman.com
Alison Smallets a.smallets@perkinseastman.com
ACCOUNTING
Emily Smith e.smith@perkinseastman.com
MARKETING
Tracey Colabella t.colabella@perkinseastman.com
Christine Hluska c.hluska@perkinseastman.com
Kim Rader k.rader@perkinseastman.com
COMMUNICATIONS
Jennica Deely j.deely@perkinseastman.com
Abby Bussel a.bussel@perkinseastman.com
SOCIAL MEDIA
Emily Bamford e.bamford@perkinseastman.com
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Jess Knapp j.knapp@perkinseastman.com
HUMAN RESOURCES
Salema Gumbs s.gumbs@perkinseastman.com IT
Anthony Lee a.lee@perkinseastman.com
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE LIAISON
Jeff Young j.young@perkinseastman.com
Widya Ramadhani w.ramadhani@ perkinseastman. com
+1 202 384 1890
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
IT Director
Design Technology
BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Director of Business Operations
ACCOUNTING
CFO Controller
MARKETING
Marketing Director
COMMUNICATIONS
Communications Director
HUMAN RESOURCES
HR Director
GENERAL COUNSEL
Associate General Counsel
OPERATIONS
Director of Operations
Brad Perkins Mary-Jean Eastman Andrew Hilary Bertsch
Jeffrey Brand
Stephanie Kingsnorth Barbara Mullenex
Arts + Culture
College + University
Commercial + Office
Government
Healthcare
Hospitality
K-12 Education
Planning + Urban Design
Residential
Retail + Experience
Science + Technology
Senior Living
Sports + Entertainment
Transportation +
Infrastructure
Workplace
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Andrew Adelhardt Shawn Basler Nick Leahy
Brand Paul Grillo Salema Gumbs
Mullenex Supriya Thyagarajan Jeff Young
FUTURES COUNCIL
REGIONS AND STUDIOS
NORTHEAST REGION
INTERNATIONAL REGION
Dubai Guayaquil Mumbai Shanghai Singapore
CENTRAL REGION
Austin Chicago Dallas
North Carolina Philadelphia Pittsburgh Washington DC
WEST REGION
Costa Mesa
Los Angeles Oakland
San Francisco Seattle Vancouver
AFFILIATES/ SPECIALTY STUDIOS
BFJ ForrestPerkins
Frank: EGD Studio RGR Urbanomics
GLOBAL INITIATIVES + SPECIALTY GROUPS
Computational Design + Data Unity
Visualization
Diversity, Equity + Inclusion
Sustainability
PEople Mentoring
Project Management Committee
Design Strategy/ Design Research
Technical Resources
Women’s Leadership Initiative
We aim to position new hires for success by ensuring they have the information they need to be effective in their role. This includes tools, current & ongoing projects, business & administrative processes, and other important information.
Complete Perkins Eastman Employee Orientation
Complete IT Orientation
Attend one-on-one and small-group sessions with Only Human team members:
• Rebecca: Outline workflow logistics & expectations
• Rebecca, Kristina & Katie: Business & strategic planning, projections & pipeline projects, staffing
• Charlotte: Miro basics, File structure & naming, location of important materials
• Kristina, Kim, Charlotte: Open Asset & InDesign basics, presentation development
• Hanna: Past & current research projects, survey building & data analysis capabilities (themes development/two-question survey results)
• Emily, Katie, and Widya: Research practice, current studies
• Charlotte: Outlook tour & best practices (creating calendar invites for PTO, scheduling meetings, etc.), infographics
• Alison & Rosann: operations and timesheets
PE New Employee Resources
Team Introduction
Perkins Eastman
Brand Guidelines
Design Strategy
Time Codes
Design Strategy
Brochure
Whitepapers
Topic Presentations
Visioning Playbook
Rubrics
Graphic Resources
Proposals
Surveys
Strategy Reports
Change Management
Samples
https://perkinseastman.sharepoint.com/hr/ Pages/New-Hire-Resources.aspx
M:\Consulting\Design Strategy\Strategic PlansGroup Dvpt\2025\STRATEGY AND BUSINESS PLAN
M:\Consulting\Design Strategy\Resources and Tools\Onboarding\PE Brand Guidelines_080123. pdf
M:\Consulting\Design Strategy\Resources and Tools\Accounting
M:\Consulting\Design Strategy\Firmwide Initiatives\Brochures
M:\Consulting\Thought Leadership\Thought Leadership Library
M:\Consulting\Design Strategy\Resources and Tools\Topic Presentations
M:\Consulting\Design Strategy\Resources and Tools\Visioning Tools\Workshop Exercises\ _Workshop Exercises Toolkit
M:\Consulting\Design Strategy\Firmwide Initiatives\Tools\Engagement Rubrics
M:\Consulting\Design Strategy\Resources and Tools\Graphic Resources
M:\Consulting\Design Strategy\Resources and Tools\Proposal Examples\Proposal Samples_2022
M:\Consulting\Only Human\Resources +Tools\ Research Tools\Surveys
M:\Consulting\Design Strategy\Firmwide Initiatives\Strategy Reports
M:\Consulting\Design Strategy\Resources and Tools\Change Management
As a newly-initiated department, Design Strategy’s capabilities and processes are continuing to evolve and take shape. Part of this evolution is the development of administrative procedures that enable us to track, optimize, and manage time spent on various efforts. Taking steps to accurately account for our time will help us plan for projects ahead, establish realistic goals, and measure the real impact of our work. In addition to wide-ranging client work, Design Strategy’s work supports wider initiatives throughout Perkins Eastman. This includes education and training, firm-wide thought leadership efforts, department management, and other internal engagements. Unique opportunity numbers, tied to internal marketing budgets, will be assigned to the majority of design strategy/research efforts. Marketing support shall be tracked and billed to the respective practice area’s marketing number (e.g. workplace proposals use the overhead code M0070.00).
In addition to using the appropriate project or overhead number, it is important to include a short description in the comments section for each entry. For consistency, comments should be short and descriptive, e.g. “market research for x” or “proposal development for x”.
Please refer to the guidelines below when filling out your next timesheet. If you have any questions, contact Rosann Colosimo or Emily Smith for assistance.
During this first week, please use the following codes: Project Number BFT0020.00.0 | Phase: 002 FMW HR Trainings
Number DPT0086.67.C, phase 030 | Comment: Orientation Week
Strategy\Resources and Tools\Accounting
MEETINGS
Microsoft Teams
Miro
MESSAGING Teams
WORKSHOPS
Miro
https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVLhehJJ8=/
https://miro.com/app/dashboard/ SURVEY
SurveyMonkey
GRAPHICS
Canva
StoryTribe
FILE
PDF Restrict Editing
Username: h.negami@perkinseastman.com
Password: Strategy123
Username: c.bohning@perkinseastman.com
Password: DesignStrategy123
Username: k.gluckselig@perkinseastman.com
Password: Studiostory!!70
Password: Strategy123
We aim to empower new hires to start contributing right away. This means keeping the lines of communication open, providing ongoing support and feedback, and upholding a culture of learning, trust, and transparency.
Outline SMART goals
Establish regular check-ins
Determine necessary resources, e.g. staffing, access to documents or information
Participate in and/or shadow client meetings, workshops, etc.
is a
JONATHAN GOTTSCHALL
Welcome to your first month with us! To help you settle in smoothly, we've put together a 30-day roadmap to guide you through your first day, week, and month. This outline will give you a clear path to follow and ensure you feel supported as you get started in your new role.
I’m curious about everything — even things that don’t interest me.
ALEX
TREBEK
What to expect on your first two days
first two days
Meet the Team
Get to know your colleagues, their roles, and how we collaborate as a team.
Get to know your colleagues, their roles, and how we collaborate as a team.
Explore the office, key areas, and resources available to support your work.
Explore the office, key areas, and resources available to support your work.
Learn about the essential processes, tools, and resources that will help you succeed.
Learn about the essential processes, tools, and resources that will help you succeed.
Presentations are communication tools that can be used as demonstrations, speeches, reports, and more.
Presentations are communication tools that can be used as demonstrations, speeches, reports, and more.
During this first week, please use the following codes:
Project Number BFT0020.00.0 | Phase: 002 FMW HR Trainings
Project Number DPT0086.67.C, phase 030 | Comment: Orientation Week
Research Practice
Introduction
*EC, WR, KG
Timesheets + Work Planning
Orientation
*KK
Lunch Break
Orchard Training
Review Department Materials
Intro
Department
Initiative Start-Up
*RM, KK, KG, EC
Lunch Break
Team Synergy Kickoff
*All hands
Mastering
Review
Department Materials
Indesign + Open
Asset Orientation
*KR Communications
Connect *JD
Lunch
Week One | 3/10 Foundations + Connections
Week Two | 3/17 Initiative Planning + Start-Up
Week Three | 3/24 First Deliverables
Week Four | 3/31 Review + Reflections
Develop Department Marketing Assets
Collaborate on developing marketing materials and assets for our new department.
How We Human Insights Framework
Develop a yearly outline for our first "How We Human" report and quarterly newsletter.
Create presentation and engagement materials for the department roadshows.
Below is a collection of our favorite books, TED Talks, and other design-related materials. If you are interested in learning more about design thinking and strategy, we hope you will enjoy these resources!
READ
The Art of the Long View | Peter Schwartz
Change by Design | Tim Brown
The Design Thinking Toolbox | Michael Lewrick
Design Thinking Bootleg | d.school Stanford
The Field Guide to Human-Centered Design | IDEO
IDEO U Creative Confidence | Podcast
Awkward Silences | Podcast
The NN/g | Podcast
WATCH
Design Thinking for Every Endeavor | Robyn Richardson
Your Strategy Needs a Strategy | Martin Reeves
Designers -- Think Big | Tim Brown
The Secret of Design is...Noticing | TED Talk
How to Think Better | Positive Psychology
Decision Making -- Processing the Environment | Khan
Confirmation Bias in UX Research | NN Group
What is Design Thinking? An Overview | AJ&Smart