ASID WI Incoming Board 2023-2024

• Bio:
  • I am the Director of Customer Experience with Brothers Business Interiors and Coakley Brothers, and am proudly serving as the President for ASID Wisconsin for 2023-2024. I am looking forward to a year with ASID that is focused on our legacy events, internal chapter growth, expanding our Regional Design Initiative, and increased outreach to partner organizations. I am a believer that having a well connected team of leaders has an incredible return on the time investment, and will in turn benefit all of our members, volunteers and interior designers across the state!

Amanda Coplan Pena, ASID, NCIDQ, LEED-AP; President-Elect, 2024-2025

• Bio:

  • As The Community Builders’ Senior Interior Design Manager, Amanda Coplan Peña leads TCB’s design efforts across the non-profit's portfolio of more than 12,000 apartment homes, community amenities, and commercial spaces. She is an NCIDQ-certified Interior Designer, Professional Member of ASID, and LEED Accredited Professional with a specialty in Interior Design and Construction. She holds a degree in Interior Design from Harrington College of Design and received her B.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Chicago.
    
    Ms. Peña’s responsibilities at TCB range from initial project concept review and space planning to amenity and unit design, architectural finish selections, FF&E specifications and procurement, and management of third-party ID firms. She chairs TCB’s Design Committee, which reviews every new property at schematic design and provides formal comments to each project architect. In the past seven years, Design Review has provided design and construction guidance and standardization to more than 70 projects. Ms. Peña also manages relationships and selections with national vendors, and maintains TCB’s Standards for Design & Construction.
    
    Before joining TCB, Ms. Peña worked in high-end residential design in Chicago for ten years. Prior to her design career, Ms. Peña served as Acquisitions Manager at the National Equity Fund, a low-income housing tax credit syndicator, placing more than $25 million of investment funds per year into the company’s affordable housing portfolio.

Melissa Wessing; Finance Director, 2023-2025

• Bio:

  • My career has evolved over the last 20 years in the design industry. My experience started in Chicago working at an event décor company where I was able to help create beautiful events for both weddings and corporate parties. After I graduated from design school, I worked at Holly Hunt for 7 years in high-end custom furniture. After moving back to Wisconsin in 2012, I decided to combine my love for design and business and have been a specification rep for the last 10 years with the last 4 years being at Formica.  

    I am new to ASID and joined as the Finance Director just this past fall. I am excited to be apart of a community that I love. I look forward to getting to know more members throughout my term. When I am not working, I love spending time with my husband and two daughters. I am also a huge animal lover and have a goldendoodle name Annie, and a Balinese cat named Oatmeal. Some of my hobbies include cooking, gardening, traveling and biking. I also love nature and try to be outside as much as possible when the weather in nice.    

Katie Starosta, Allied ASID; Communications Director, 2023-2025

• Bio:

  • By simply embracing my creativity my parents have always fostered my passion for design. The best moments of my childhood were coloring pictures for the refrigerator and transforming my parents empty shoe boxes into miniature rooms. Design has always been something I've gravitated towards because it takes a significant amount of grit, a unique way of looking at obstacles, and an innovative soul. I was introduced to ASID in college and immediately knew it was an organization I wanted to continue to be a part of. In school I enjoyed being the Student Chapter Treasurer, Assembly Bill 320 (Stamp & Seal) Student Testifier, and Government Affairs Student Rep. Upon graduating I was delighted to join the Emerging Professionals Committee as a current Co-chair. Now, I am honored to embark on this new chapter in life as a Board Member for the WI chapter.

• Bio:

  • ​​​​​​​Over my 25-plus year career I've had a variety of involvement with ASID but never on this scale. I hope I can continue to provide growth opportunities to our members. I'm looking forward to chatting with members at future events and learning more about what we should keep doing and what else we should be doing. When I'm not working as the Design Manager at M&M, I enjoy hiking, yoga, dining out and exploring life as an empty nester.

Genevieve Szeklinski, ASID; Director At Large, 2023-2025

• ​​​​​​​Bio:

  • ​​​​​​​Associate Professor and Department Chair of the Interior Architecture & Design Department at Mount Mary University. Gigi is an ASID member and has participated on various committees. She is certified through the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ), is a LEED Accredited Professional and is a WRID, Wisconsin Registered Interior Designer. Gigi is also a member of IDEC, Interior Design Educators Council.

    Previously, Gigi served as an instructor at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) and Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC) in addition to interior design positions at Eppstein Uhen Architects and G.G. Interiors. She holds both Master's and Bachelor's degrees in Architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a Bachelor's degree in Interior Design from Mount Mary University.