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Interior Design Department Faculty

David Koellein

Chair and Associate Professor

B.A., Lipscomb University, Nashville, TN
M.U.P., Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

First year at O'More:
2007

Credentials/past experience:
Trained in urban design, David has been involved with urban design and development projects in the public, private, non-profit, and now academic sectors since earning his Master in Urban Planning Degree. He enjoys writing about design and is passionate about the architectural relationships among elements in the built environment. For almost five years, David managed Nashville's Redevelopment Districts with M.D.H.A, concentrating on public design review processes, and for three years, he worked for Giarratana Development on a variety of infill and downtown redevelopment projects. David has served on the Board of Directors for The District, Inc., and is currently on the Board at the Nashville Civic Design Center. He also serves on the Downtown Nashville Codes Design Review Committee. 

Interests:
"I have enjoyed a varied career and met the most interesting collection of people in the Nashville design community. I think being versatile and flexible have opened a lot of doors. I have traveled all over the United States and to many corners of the globe, especially large cities, and I find fascinating and inspiring architecture in every culture and place."

Courses:

  • ID 3344 Studio on the Square
  • ID 3827 Urban Design
  • ID 4270 Interior Design Internship
  • ID 4868 Research and Documentation

Rebecca Andrews, Assistant Professor
B.I.D., Auburn University
Ms. Andrews studied at the prestigious Vicenza Institute of Architecture in Vicenza, Italy, and brings that influence into her teaching. Her work in exhibit design has taken her to Europe to work with entertainment entities such as Paramount Pictures, Yanni, and ESPN. She also worked for Earl Swensson Associates, one of Nashville's largest architecture firms.

Susan Besser, Instructor
B.I.D., O'More College of Design
M.A., MTSU O'More Associate Degree 1983
Ms. Besser is a Tennessee Registered Interior Designer and passionate preservationist. She has been involved in preservation in Franklin for many years and was involved in the preservation of the Dan German Hospital and documentation of the rehabilitation of Clouston Hall. She currently serves on the Franklin Historic Zoning Commission. During her six-year tenure in Dallas she served on the Landmark Designation Committee of the Dallas Historic Commission and is a co-author of Dallas Landmarks, a Postcard History Series publication from Arcadia. Ms. Besser focuses her practice on residential and commercial design of historic and contemporary spaces.  When working with historic properties, she is sensitive to the structure and detail of these properties recognizing the importance of creating livable, comfortable environments which enhance the historic character.

Emily Brewer
Instructor

B. A., O’More College of Design

First Year at O’More:
2007

Credentials/Past Experience:
Emily owns an interior design business focusing primarily on residential and small commercial projects. She has extensive experience in kitchen and bath design. She also owns a design/build firm along with her husband, who is a licensed general contractor. Emily particularly enjoys getting to know her clients and making their vision come true. She loves that every project is different and never ceases to find the creative process a fulfilling one.

Interests:
“I love to read, finding that it gives my imagination free reign to create visuals in my mind. I also love to sew, as it is yet another creative outlet. But I find time spent with my family and close friends to be my best inspiration and source of relaxation.”

Courses:

  • ARCH 1000 Basic Drafting
  • ID 2811 Materials and Textiles
Don Burke, Instructor 
M.Arch., Savannah College of Art and Design
Mr. Burke is principal and president of Burke Coffey Architecture and Design. He has produced and coordinated engineering drawings for various projects, including historic renovation and adaptive-reuse, public schools, and single and multi-family residential projects, as well as a number of small commercial projects.

Ginny Caldwell, IIDA
Instructor

B.A, English, Auburn University
B.A.,Interior Design , O’More College of Design

First Year at O’More:
2010 

Credentials/Past Experience:
Ginny has been the Director of Interior Design for Southeast Venture since 2000. Her design projects have included corporate, healthcare, multi-family, banks, retail and restaurant. As the Director of Interior Design for IDS, Ginny managed a staff of 25 and designed both corporate and banking projects. She has served in many capacities on the board of the Tennessee Chapter of the International Interior Design Association, including state president.

Significant Accomplishments:
2004 IIDA Tennessee Silver Award in both the Hospitality and Healthcare categories
Project work has been published in Healthcare Design magazine and Jain Malkin’s  A Visual Reference for Evidence Based Design.

Courses:

  • ID 2862 Studio 2 
  • BUS 4252 Business for Interior Design
Kevin Coffey, Instructor
B.Arch., University of Kansas
Mr. Coffey is principal and secretary of Burke Coffey Architecture and Design. While the majority of his experience is in the residential field, Mr. Coffey has also worked on tenant build outs, schools, multi-family housing, daycare facilities, historic renovations, residential development planning, space planning, and retail stores.

Peter Fleming
Assistant Professor

B.I.D., Auburn University

First year at O'More
2006

Credentials/past experience:

Peter currently holds the position of Studio Head at McAlpine Booth & Ferrier Interiors in Nashville, Tennessee and has 17 years of experience in the Architecture and Design community. Before moving to Nashville, Peter lived and worked in New York City and Boston.  He has worked in the office of Robert A. M. Stern, among others, concentrating on highly detailed, interior environments. Projects have been published in periodicals including Architectural Digest, Veranda, Southern Accents, The Robb Report, Elle Décor and House and Garden. Peter received a Bachelor of Interior Design from the Auburn University School of Architecture, and has continued his academic education through the Institute for Classical Architecture in New York, Bard Graduate Center of the Decorative Arts, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  His practical education has come from having business relationships with Christie's, Sotheby's and a wide array of specialized craftspeople. Peter's previous teaching experience includes the Boston Architectural Center, where he taught two semesters of advanced level residential interior design.

Interests:
"The focus of my career has been residential interior design, in the form of custom projects ranging from 4,000 sq. feet to 30,000 sq. feet in scope, in a variety of locations across the United States.  Product design has also been part of my experience with furniture, lighting, door hardware and bath fixture collections - all currently being produced or in prototype development.  I am enthusiastic about design instruction, as I believe the teachers that guided me are greatly responsible for where I find myself today."

Courses:
  • ID 4868 Research and Documentation
  • ID 3000 Decorative Arts
Dave Gilbert, Instructor
B.S., California State University, Long Beach
Throughout his career, Mr. Gilbert has been involved in product design and development and has worked extensively with architects and interior designers. While serving as director of product development at Wellness Environments, he developed several architectural and furniture products from conceptual design through manufacturing. At Earl Swensson Associates, he helped establish a digital visualization department and greatly expanded the firm's use of digital 3D modeling. Mr. Gilbert is currently an independent training consultant for design-related software. www.dgviz.com

Kelly Gore, Assistant Professor
B.S., University of Tennessee
Ms. Gore had the invaluable experience of working as an interior designer at two of Nashville's leading architecture firms, Earl Swensson Associates and Fowlkes and Associates Architects. She currently works as an independent designer. At the 2001 IIDA Design Competition, she won the "Best of Commercial Design" award. She specializes in the area of color theory and also has an extensive private practice primarily in office design.

Alfred Sharp, Instructor
B.A., Vanderbilt University
Mr. Sharp began adult life enrolled as a new student at Vanderbilt's School of Law but quickly realized this was not what he wanted to do. Casting around for a while, he lit on woodworking and found his life's passion. Now, as a custom furniture-maker, he creates one or two museum-quality pieces of furniture at a time in his shop in Woodbury, Tennessee. His work appears in museums and historic homes throughout the South and has been featured in numerous major periodicals and books. Mr. Sharp is a member of the board of directors of The Furniture Society and the Tennessee Association of Craft Artists.

Douglas Stewart
Associate Professor


B.S. Athens College, Athens AL
M.S.Ed. Nova Southeastern University
Ed.D. (expected August 2012)

First year at O'More:
1996

Credentials/past experience:
Douglas has worked in the field of lighting design for more than 20 years. He has consulted on residential and commercial projects in the United States and the United Kingdom. He has written articles on the subject of lighting design for interior design periodicals and served as a textbook reviewer in the area of Interior Design for Fairchild Books. During his tenure at O'More he has taught more than 300 students about lighting and its applications in commercial and residential environments.

Interests:
I have found the alignment between my interests in architecture and the ever-changing lighting environment to be an area of constant study. Teaching at O'More has allowed me to experience an opportunity to work with students who share a common interest with me of being lifelong learners of how the built environment is ever-evolving in its relationship to lighting.

Courses:

  • ID 2830 Illumination

Kim Zimmer, Instructor
B.S., Southwest Missouri State University
B.F.A., O'More College of Design
Ms. Zimmer is the owner of the design firm Kim Zimmer Interior Design, specializing in high-end residential interiors, small commercial projects, and business consulting for artists and designers. Prior to starting her own firm, she was an interior designer for Alcott Interiors. She was also the vice president of marketing and account services for the Haggin Group in San Francisco, an advertising agency whose client list included global marketers like Sony, Amazon, Starbucks, and Hallmark.

Distinguished Professor

John W. Kiser, Distinguished Professor Emeritus

B.A., George Peabody College; M.A., George Peabody College 

 

Interior Design faculty member teaching