Faculty

The Bellevue College Interior Design Program maintains the highest standards for instructors, since the quality of instruction is a primary determinant for student learning.

All instructors who teach in the program, whether full-time or part-time, must have the educational qualifications to teach at a Washington community college, be successful practicing designers, architects or artists, and be outstanding teachers.

Our faculty cares about the students. We work to create a comfortable, supportive, stimulating and challenging atmosphere. The faculty establish class environments that promote collaboration, self-confidence and initiative among students, and works as a team to unify the program and to ease transitions from one course to another.

Instructors and their courses are evaluated by students, and all instructors are accountable for the relevance and success of their courses. Most important, our instructors enjoy teaching and consider it a privilege to be part of the development of future design professionals.


 

Dan Beert

Program Chair, Tenured Full Time Instructor

Biography:

Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts - Interior Design | Master of Arts - Interior Design and Facilities Management | Teaches: INDES 167, 294, 295, 390, 471, 472 | NCIDQ Certified Interior Designer #15993


Deborah Leblang Picture

Biography:

Education: Master of Science: Architectural History, Materials Conservation, Historic Site Management – Columbia University, New York City.  Master of Arts: Art History and Archaeology – Columbia University, New York City | Bachelor of Arts cum laude Double Major: Psychology and Humanities, Minor: Fine Arts – University of Colorado, Boulder | Design Experience: PML Furniture Group/NYC, ...more about Deborah Leblang


Michael Culpepper

Tenured Full Time Instructor

Biography:

Education: Master of Fine Art - Cranbrook Academy of Art | Bachelor of Architecture - Mississippi State University | Certificate - Screenwriting and Filmmaking Intensive | Certificate - Film and Video Production | Teaches: INDES 140, 171, 370, 371, 371 | Member of NCARB


John Passmore

Tenured Full Time Instructor

Biography:

Education: Master of Architecture - Southern California Institute of Architecture | Master of Architecture - University of Washington | Bachelor of Fine Arts - University of Louisville | Teaches: INDES 273, 269, 340, 370, 371, 440, 471, 472


Mark Mappala

Tenured Full Time Instructor

Biography:

Education: Master of Architecture - Montana State University Bozeman | Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Design - Montana State University Bozeman | Certificate in Advanced Digital Imaging - University of Washington | Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language - Seattle Central College | Certificate in "Hello Design Thinking" and "Unlocking Creativity" - IDEO ...more about Mark Mappala


Biography:

Education: PhD Historic Preservation/History - Tulane University (not completed) | MS Arch Historic Preservation - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City | Graduate Studies in Architectural Design - Architectural Association, London UK | Contemporary Arts - University of California, Berkeley | Architecture - Universidad Anáhuac, Mexico City | Teaches: INDES 273, 370, 471 | Registered ...more about Javier Gomez


Christopher Butler

Adjunct Faculty

Biography:

Education: Bachelor of Applied Arts, Bellevue College | JD - Seattle University | BA in English/Art History - University of Puget Sound | Teaches: INDES 140, 265, 294 | Member of WSBA


Sandra Doyle Wilson

Adjunct Faculty

Biography:

Education: Bachelor of Architecture - Cornell University | Teaches: INDES 171, 172, 265, 179, 471, 472


Kenneth Ackerlund

Adjunct Faculty

Biography:

Education: BA Liberal Arts: History, Art History, International Studies - Evergreen State College | Bachelor of Applied Arts in Interior Design - Bellevue College | Teaches: INDES 167, 267, 352


Max Lin

Adjunct Faculty

Biography:

Education: Bachelor of Science Degree in Interior Design - Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA. | MA in Interior Design - Washington State University, Pullman, WA | Ph.D. Degree in Individual Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program - Washington State University, Pullman, WA. | Teaches: INDES 242, 280, 290, 296, 480 | Certifications - NCIDQ  and LEED AP


Diane Dieterich

Adjunct Faculty

Biography:

Education: AA in Interior Design - Bellevue College | Teaches: INDES 169 (Sketchup) | Nationally Certified Instructor for Sketchup | Only Certified National Instructor for ASID and NKBA | Member of WCR