Partner, Creative Director
Talie helps organizations own their true voice through communications and brand in a methodology she calls “Design Therapy.” Her empathetic facilitation style guides people through sometimes uncomfortable change. Talie has been positioning organizations for growth through values-driven communications for more than 20 years. She draws upon her background in visual design, literature, and years working at the Soros Foundations to infuse the work at Smith + Connors with deeper meaning and impact. Her vision is to strengthen others who are working toward positive social change. Her boundless enthusiasm for design (and life!) make her a valuable partner. Read Talie's articles: Design Therapy for the Purpose-Driven Organization and To Be Fair: On Equity in Design.
Partner, Technology Director
Becca brings a wide spectrum of experience and standards to Smith + Connors from her 9 years as software engineer at Sun Microsystems, where she architected, managed, and implemented complex projects. Her meticulous approach to technology sets the bar high for our projects. Becca’s deep experience in software engineering, website development, and project management—coupled with her resourcefulness and creativity—is integral to making great things happen at Smith + Connors. Her logical mind keeps us rooted in reality, while her creativity challenges us to push for new solutions.
Partner, Strategy Director
Scott is a writer, strategist, and facilitator who mobilizes teams to examine the “why” behind their work and move toward important change. He is a master at translating complex information into simple, insightful systems, themes, and creative concepts. Scott has been crafting compelling content, strategies, experience design, and user experiences for well-known brands, universities, and cultural institutions for 15 years. He aligns and synthesizes content and messaging with visual and technical concepts to communicate with multiple audiences across media channels. His early career was focused on creative writing and copy editing for various magazines in New York City and working as an adjunct writing instructor at the City University of New York (CUNY). Scott always encourages people to move beyond the expected into big, bold, and different spaces. His strategy guides every project at Smith + Connors.
Producer
No one is exactly sure where Stephen came from, or how he became so good at managing projects. The few records that do exist indicate he received a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Communications from Lewis & Clark College, and subsequently received a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management from Portland State University. His professional record is as diverse as it is impressive. He has applied his unparalleled project management skills to the nonprofit sector, a financial services firm, and digital media projects for the better part of a decade. His passion for spreadsheets and project management software has been described as both “awe-inspiring” and “uncomfortably obsessive,” depending on who is asked. When solicited for comment on Stephen’s impressive resume, Bill Gates once exclaimed, “I’m sorry, who are you talking about?” In his free time, Stephen enjoys skiing, hiking, and recreational time travel.
We work with expert and talented folks on a regular and ongoing basis. We consider them more than contractors – they make it possible for us to do great work.
Senior Designer / Art Director
Eleazar has been designing brands for over a decade. He's helped countless brands reach their customers effectively through measurable design solutions and user experiences. His mission is simple. To help brands create goodwill design experiences for people. In the process, he creates work that matters. Originally from the Dominican Republic, he lives in Vancouver, WA, with his wonderful wife Bekah and incredibly fluffy labradoodle, Lola.
Coaching. Consulting. Training & Development.
Charlene Martinez is an equity and inclusion specialist and coach who guides individuals, leaders, and organizations toward bold change and greater purpose. She has twenty years of experience leading EDI (equity, diversity, inclusion) initiatives in multiple sectors, with the focus of her work in higher education. She is the author and contributor of multiple chapters in various higher education books, highlighting the importance of storytelling, relational leadership, and immersive learning as strategies for social change. She is affiliated with the Teachers Advisory Council for the Portland Art Museum, the University Innovation Alliance, and the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture.
Web Developer
Designer
Cassandra is a designer, printmaker, strategic thinker and problem solver. Over the past decade she has worked with a wide variety of clients with wildly different needs and goals. Above all, she loves to help people who are passionate about their cause connect with their audience through design. Creating work that clients love is a great feeling, so she spends a lot of her time doing that. She also got into gardening during the pandemic, and not having to pay for lettuce has been thrilling. Cassandra lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, son, and twin cats. She graduated with a BFA in Communication Design from Pacific Northwest College of Art, and started Ocelot Creative in 2011.
Marketing Strategist
Bethany brings a brilliant strategic marketing mind with the perfect formula of superior communications, client relationships, and account management.
Art Director
Carlos is an experienced Art Director with a demonstrated history of working in the design industry. He's skilled in art direction, design, video direction, editing, motion graphic design and 2d/3d animation. He has a strong background in animation, art and design.
Developer
A native Californian and current Oregonian, Dave has been making websites since first learning PhotoShop and HTML in 1999. His long-time interest in design and typography has always fueled his interest in a web that has highly-evolved since those Web 1.0 days. Fast-forward 20 years later and he is still excited to start a new project using a multitude of gained skills and many tools and technologies which have emerged. Keeping the user-experience at the forefront of his work has always been his M.O.. Life offline is spent enjoying the Pacific Northwest with his wife and son. When time allows, he might be catching up on horror movies and his wife’s reality TV shows.
Art Director & Graphic Designer
Dave is an Art Director and Designer specializing in brand creation for a range of clients, spanning arts organizations to technology start-ups. He believes visual branding requires a holistic approach but always with the understanding that the best design is ‘in the details.’ This perspective has led to a strong reputation for both quality and consistency in his work. An enthusiastic collaborator, Dave is always looking forward to the next exchange of ideas that gets to the strongest design solution.
Designer
Diana is a versatile designer who brings a thoughtful, strategic, big-picture-meets-fine-details approach to every stage of every project. Her passion is collaborating with cause-driven brands and organizations that put people first. Over the course of her career, she’s had the opportunity to partner with clients in industries ranging from education to philanthropy to technology to publishing to F&B and more. She is fueled by a love of letterforms, salty snacks, her dog, and adding new tools to her design arsenal.
Creative Director. Designer. Illustrator.
Senior Developer
Nils is a web and games developer with a background in anthropology, giving him a unique perspective on user experience and usability. He is passionate about interactive technologies with a fierce attention to detail and extensive set of skills, spanning both front- and back- end aspects of a project. He is also currently serving as Director at the Bristol Games Hub and was previously CTO at VODO, working with independent media distribution. Outside of work, Nils holds an Anthropology and Political Science degree from Stockholm University and was a member of the now-disbanded think tank Piratbyrån (The Bureau of Piracy).
Web Developer & UI/UX Designer
Sean is a Boston-based front-end developer and UI/UX designer. After graduating from Boston University in the late 00’s, Sean began his career as a full-time contributor to several local start-ups. Soon after, Sean began his career as a consultant, having been fortunate to work for a variety of major universities, agencies, artists, and entrepreneurs. Since 2016, Sean has worked alongside Smith + Connors on a variety of high-profile, highly customized projects.
Creative Developer / Consultant
Sean has over 20 years of experience in web and environmental interactive spaces. There isn’t much he hasn’t done in his career at this point, but he's always looking to stretch out his brain on technically challenging projects. Beyond this, he mainly likes working on projects where he is part of a creative, interdisciplinary, and humane team.
