Executive Committee

  • Elle Pechiney

    Elle Pechiney

    President

  • Sadie Makarechi Coulter

    Sadie Makarechi Coulter

    VP/Administration

  • Michelle Madison

    Michelle Madison

    VP/Development

    Michelle is owner of MICHE.studio,which specializes in Revit for Interiors and Interior Design Consulting. Shehas been in the…

    More about Michelle Madison ›
  • Michelle West

    Michelle West

    Secretary

  • Beth Reymer

    Beth Reymer

    Treasurer

  • Julie Kaufmann Unger

    Julie Kaufmann Unger

    Past President/Parliamentarian

  • Jennifer Farris

    Jennifer Farris

    Executive Advisor

    The last fifteen years have taken Jennifer on a winding path of discovery that led to opening BANDURAdesign in the summer of …

    More about Jennifer Farris ›
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Board of Directors

  • Alexandria Seimetz

    Alexandria Seimetz

    Scholarship

  • Rebecca Winnick

    Rebecca Winnick

    Student Relations

  • Martha  Vlahakis

    Martha Vlahakis

    Membership

  • Amy Montgomery

    Amy Montgomery

    Programming

  • Colin Hart

    Colin Hart

    Fundraising

  • Jessica Casiano

    Jessica Casiano

    Equity, Inclusion, & Diversity

    As of January 2020, Jessica Casiano moved to the DC Metro area after residing in Atlanta, GA. There she gained 11 years of in…

    More about Jessica Casiano ›
  • Rosie Mayne

    Rosie Mayne

    Marketing

  • Julie Kaufmann Unger

    Julie Kaufmann Unger

    NEWH, Inc. Delegate

  • Sadie Makarechi Coulter

    Sadie Makarechi Coulter

    NEWH, Inc. Delegate

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Committee Chair

  • Rebecca (Becca) Lawson

    Rebecca (Becca) Lawson

    Student Relations

  • Gini Phipps Hetherington

    Gini Phipps Hetherington

    Programming

  • Melanie Ambridge

    Melanie Ambridge

    Hospitality

  • Laurie Woliung

    Laurie Woliung

    Tradeshow/Conference Manager

    Laurie Woliung, Senior Director of Interior Design, currently leads the design process for interior design projects for Marri…

    More about Laurie Woliung ›

Committee Members

  • Jessica Mathews

    Jessica Mathews

    Marketing

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Michelle Madison

Michelle Madison

VP/Development

Michelle is owner of MICHE.studio,which specializes in Revit for Interiors and Interior Design Consulting. Shehas been in the DC metro area design industry for almost a decade, focusing on multi-family and hospitality, both new construction and renovation.
Michelle’s first NEWH DCmetro event was the 2015 golf tournament, and has been involved in the chapter ever since. Being a part of the design community and paying it forward is very important to Michelle. She is proud to be entering her fifth year on the NEWH DC Metro Chapter Board as VP of Development. She previously held the position of Secretary for one year and Marketing Director for three years where she developed marketing campaigns, communication reach outs, and increased social media engagement.

Jennifer Farris

Jennifer Farris

Executive Advisor

The last fifteen years have taken Jennifer on a winding path of discovery that led to opening BANDURAdesign in the summer of 2016. The vision to bring a healthy and balanced life to designers through freedom and flexibility in their process translates to unparalleled enthusiasm for the work being produced by the Bandura team. Risky, yes. Worth it, completely. Jennifer works hard and brings together technical expertise with focused attention to budgets and schedules to make successful projects on the practical side, but also the spirit she brings leaves clients feeling less like they are glad it is over and more like they are ready to do it all over again.

Jessica Casiano

Jessica Casiano

Equity, Inclusion, & Diversity

As of January 2020, Jessica Casiano moved to the DC Metro area after residing in Atlanta, GA. There she gained 11 years of industry experience and her hospitality knowledge ranges from interior design, business development, procurement, project management, and renovation/new build projects throughout North America.

Jessica is a graduate of The International Academy of Design and Technology, in Tampa, FL, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Interior Design. Currently, she is an Interior Design Manager at Marriott International on the Classic Select Brands Team, specializing in extended stay and dual branded properties. On top of daily responsibilities, she is also very involved in Marriott teams which include the Recommended Interior Designer Program, TownePlace Suite Brand Champion, and ID representation for select Ownership accounts.

Typically, you will catch Jessica always volunteering as she has a strong passion for planning events, student mentorship, and crafting something creative with her hands. Since 2011, she has been a very active member of NEWH and 2023 will be her first time taking a position on the Board of Directors.

In her personal life, Jessica enjoys spending time with family/friends, hiking, kickboxing, live music/comedy/theater, art, trying the newest restaurants and exploring the DMV area!

Laurie Woliung

Laurie Woliung

Tradeshow/Conference Manager

Laurie Woliung, Senior Director of Interior Design, currently leads the design process for interior design projects for Marriott full service brands. She directs the program focused on educating and influencing customers on hotel brand product and services, partners with brand to deliver design solutions that impart brand strategy, leads the internal design and renovation team for interior design and architecture projects – provides oversight to the design team in full service hospitality interior design for both standard and custom interiors within a solid pipeline of sustainable projects. Laurie brings in excess of 30 year of design experience to her position. Before Laurie took her current position at Marriott she worked as the Director of Hospitality Design at BBGM Washington, DC, Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships for Choice Hotels, and previously with Marriott as the Design Manager for Renaissance Hotels. Prior to joining Marriott Laurie owned her own design and construction firm supporting 35 design and production professionals. Her design knowledge has contributed to the success of several recent projects including her involvement with Brand initiatives – The M Club Lounge, new Marriott Guestroom Design Strategy – reimaging the Marriott Brand in the spirit of Marriott Modern, and the Marriott Greatroom initiatives.

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