154
Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman
Adjunct AssociAte Professor
B.F.A. Fashion Design, Pratt Institute; M.I.D., Pratt
Institute; Computer Graphics and Graphic Design,
School of Visual Arts; Millinery Design, Fashion Institute
of Technology; experience as design director of Starter
for Nike; Champion Athletic Apparel; C-9 by Champion
for Target; Fila U.S.A.; accessories designer for Liz
Claiborne, art director, Everlast, BUM Equipment, and
Nautica kids; freelance product, graphic, and interior
designer; has taught fashion and industrial design at
Pratt since 1998.
Jeanne Pfordresher
Adjunct AssistAnt Professor
B.F.A., Industrial Design, B.F.A., Sculpture, Cleveland
Institute of Art; experienced in teaching product
studios in the undergraduate, graduate, and design
research classes; a founding partner of Hybrid
Product Design and Development, her projects
have included housewares, consumer electronics,
personal care, medical devices, and sustainable
transportation systems.
Russell Robertson
Adjunct Professor
B.F.A., Cleveland Institute of Art and Design; his focus
incorporates a comprehensive balance of academic
theory and professional practice; has worked on
corporate design staffs in Korea and The Netherlands
for Samsung, LG Electronics, and Philips Electronics,
and for design consultancies such as Brook Stevens
Design, Insight PD LLC, ECCO Design, and 4Sight;
participates and designs within a wide range of product
segments: POP displays, exhibits, recreational
sports equipment, medical equipment, agricultural
equipment, housewares, personal care products,
structural packaging, and home audio/video
equipment; a founding partner of Hybrid Product
Design + Dev. Inc., which develops innovative product
solutions and meaningful experiences for global
consumer culture; from 2002–2004, he served as chair
of the IDSA/NYC chapter and director of the design
magazine POPSICLE, which highlighted the NYC design
scene and schools; has built curriculum and taught at
Pratt for more than 10 years: Sophomore and Junior
Design Studio, Experimental Transportation, Drawing
for Design, Portfolio and Professional Practice, and
Internship courses; infuses strategic design process
with the student’s unique vision, resulting in clear and
direct presentations.
Andrew Schloss
Adjunct AssociAte Professor
B.A., Biology, University of Oregon; M.S., Biomechanics
and Human Movement Studies, University of Oregon;
M.I.D., Industrial Design, Pratt Institute; has a diverse
professional background that includes corporate and
retail identity and branding, the design of retail and
other branded interiors, consumer product design,
furniture and lighting design, and packaging and
graphics. Schloss’s design experience includes over
200 retail specialty stores, concept shops, showrooms,
and exhibits, and includes work for CBS Television, Sony
Pictures, Spike TV, Lego, Starwood Hotels and Resorts,
Penhaligon’s Perfumers, Aarohi Diamonds, and many
more. His product work includes design for such clients
as Artemide, George Kovacs, Zelco, Hands On Toys,
Disney, and ABC School Supply.
Arthur Sempliner
Adjunct Professor, cce
B.S. Industrial Design, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor;
M.B.A. Marketing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; has
taught the Production Methods classes in the Industrial
Design department for more than 15 years; varied
work experiences early on in his career include being
a designer at Dorwin Teague and later rising to the
position of vice president; president of Construciones
Sempliner in Spain for three years, before founding
Chelsea Design Associates in New York; relationship
with the Pratt Institute began in 1969 when he was
the assistant to Professor Gerald Gulotta, a visual
literacy instructor; in 1995 developed and taught two
Production Methods courses for the Industrial Design
department; is recognized for his vast knowledge and
experience in all areas of design and manufacturing;
holds over 35 US patents; winner of won several awards
including first prize at the Popai Show for his Vacuum
Coffee Dispensing System; has worked on a large
variety of projects in several different fields, including
architecture, packaging design, exhibit design, point of
purchase, and industrial design.
Martin Skalski
Professor
B.A., University of Toledo; M.I.D., Pratt Institute; teaches
transportation design, color theory, three-dimensional
design, and drawing; director of Pratt Transportation
Design Program; received grants from the NEA, Ford,
General Motors, Honda, Mitsubishi, Subaru, and
Daimler Chrysler; directed design projects for Northrup
Grumman, BASF/Mearl, Black and Decker, NASA, NEC,
Corning, Nissan, Ford, and GM.
Jordan Steckel
Adjunct Professor, cce
Music and Art High School; Cooper Union; B.F.A. Yale
University; two Guggenheim Fellowships (1959–1960);
design and fabrication of exhibitions, displays,
prototypes for Tiffanys, Bonwitt Teller, IBM, Lever Bros.,
Revlon, Henry Dreyfuss; commissioned cast bronze
entranceway doors for the Statue of Liberty; various
sculpted medals and awards; sculptures for hotels,
restaurants, banks, ships, churches, synagogues, private
residences; taught design at SVA (1963–1970); presently
teaches 3-D design in Pratt Foundation Department
(since 1984); also 3-D design, drawing, and moldmaking
in the Industrial Design Department (since 1992).
Irvin Tepper
Adjunct Professor, cce
M.F.A., University of Washington; B.F.A., Kansas City
Art Institute; Tepper’s works are in many museum
collections around the world including the Victoria and
Albert Museum, London; Museum of Contemporary Art,
Kunstmuseum, Bern, Switzerland; and the Los Angeles
County Museum of Art. Tepper’s work is the subject of
a book, titled When Cups Speak: Life with the Cup—A
Twenty-Five Year Survey (Silver Gate, 2002).
Jonathan Thayer
AssociAte Professor
B.I.D., Pratt Institute; in his professional design work, he
has developed projects in lighting, furniture, and house
wares but remains focused in the field of structural
packaging, where he has been awarded nine U.S. utility
patents for technology developed on behalf of the New
Venture Packaging Department of the Estee Lauder
Corporation, where he has held a position for well over
a decade and is the recipient of international awards