The College of Design is excited to welcome a number of new, full-time faculty and staff to the college this fall. In addition, a number of our current staff and faculty have moved into different positions within the college.
Charles Burck — Assistant to the Dean
Charles Burck was raised in south Minneapolis and studied fine arts and real estate at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. Prior to joining the College of Design as the new assistant to Dean Carol Strohecker, Charles coordinated faculty affairs and academic operations for the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Minnesota. Previously he held positions with the Greater Twin Cities United Way, the Office of the Provost and the Office of the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Portland State University, and the Oregon University System Office of the Chancellor.
Dominique Gant — Academic Advisor
Professionally passionate about issues of race, gender, and sexuality, Dominique Gant earned her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish language and literature from Vanderbilt University before moving to the Midwest and earning her Master of Education from Iowa State University in student affairs with a certificate in education for social justice. For the past three years, she has served as a residence hall director at the U, and will now advise landscape design and planning, product design, and architecture students.
Dzenita Hadziomerovic — Lecturer, Architecture
A graduate from the School of Architecture, Dzenita Hadziomerovic has worked on a number of award-winning projects as an associate at the Minneapolis firm VJAA. An adjunct assistant professor since 2010, Hadziomerovic teaches design processes such as materials and theoretical concepts at a variety of levels, bringing her own design expertise into the classroom. One member of the lecturer position search committee noted Dzenita’s “incredible rigor and passion, a talent for design, commitment to education and practice and knowledge of [a] wide spectrum of intellectual components.”
Zang Lee — Human Resource Generalist
With experience as a human resources partner and payroll specialist in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota, Zang Lee is now a human resources generalist/partner for the College of Design. Lee earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources Development and Business and Marketing Education from the University of Minnesota.
Terresa Moses — Assistant Professor of Graphic Design and Director of Design Justice
After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in fashion design and a minor in African-American studies from the University of North Texas, Terresa Moses worked as a graphic apparel designer for six years at a sports agency before returning to the University of North Texas to complete a Master of Fine Arts in design research with a minor in anthropology. She is continuing her education as a Ph.D. Candidate in social justice education at the University of Toronto. She is the Creative Director at Blackbird Revolt, a design studio that centers on issues of social justice. A proud Black queer woman, Moses is dedicated to the liberation of Black and Brown people through art and design. Her design work focuses on race, identity, anti-violence, and social justice.
Adalia Samuel — Academic Advisor
Adalia Samuel is a two-time golden gopher, having studied biology, society, and the environment with a minor in leadership as an undergraduate, and multicultural college teaching and learning at the graduate level. Samuel has spent the last three years with the U of M Office of Admissions, the last two of which, serving as a freshman admissions counselor for the College of Design. Her professional interests include student development, advancing equity and diversity, and improving the first-generation student experience.
Cecilia (Xi) Wang — Research Assistant Professor in Graphic Design
Joining the Graphic Design Program as an assistant professor in user experience, Cecilia (Xi) Wang has a Doctor of Philosophy from Jiangnan University and worked at the University of Cincinnati as a postdoc in the past two years. Wang has a strong background in graphic design, and a strong focus on UX design particularly related to healthcare.
Jennifer Yoos — Head of the School of Architecture
Jennifer Yoos received her graduate diploma in design from the Architectural Association in London and her professional degree from the U’s School of Architecture. After practicing architecture both independently and with firms in Minneapolis and London, Yoos joined the design firm VJAA as CEO and Principal. She has taught architecture as the NADAAA Visiting Professor at Cooper Union, the Ruth and Norman Moore Visiting Professor at Washington University in St. Louis, and as the John G. Williams Distinguished Professor at the University of Arkansas.
Position Changes
▪ Professor Hye-Young Kim (Retail Merchandising) was named Interim Design, Housing, and Apparel Department Head.
▪ Jess Lindley-Curtice was hired as the graduate program coordinator in the Department of Landscape Architecture.
▪ Jessica Rossi-Mastracci (Landscape Architecture) is now a tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture.
▪ Molly Sanford has been hired as the College of Design’s fabrication shop director.
When Molly Sanford accepted the position as fabrication director for the College of Design’s Fabrication Shops in March 2020, her most urgent problem was a dust collector on the fritz. Two weeks and one global pandemic later, Sanford began working to reframe the crisis as an opportunity for open-hearted collaboration, creative resourcefulness, and new beginnings.
On June 8, 2020, the College of Design named Jennifer Yoos, FAIA, as the new head of the School of Architecture. Her career in architecture is driven by a lifelong love for art, buildings, and design in general as well as childhood summers spent with her artist aunt in Chicago. In our interview, Yoos shares her visions for the school, the new semester, and the future of the profession.
