PANTEA TEHRANI, PROJECT LEADER
BJARKE INGELS GROUP

Pantea is a Project Leader at Bjarke Ingels Group in New York, where she focuses on Interior Architecture specializing in hospitality. BIG is a group of architects, designers and thinkers operating within the fields of architecture, urbanism, interior design, landscape design, product design, research and development with offices in Copenhagen, New York City, and London.

With 15 years of experience, Ms. Tehrani’s professional focus spans the fields of architecture, interiors and product design. Having practiced in both San Francisco and New York, Ms. Tehrani’s work ranges across the globe working with clients from Audemars Piguet, The Smithsonian Institution, Google and many leaders within the hospitality & culinary world. Prior to joining BIG, she has worked at Office for Metropolitan Architecture in New York, Skidmore Owings & Merrill & Jensen Architects.

Ms. Tehrani has received her Bachelors of Architecture from California College of the Arts in San Francisco and her Masters at Columbia University in New York. Her work has been exhibited at the New Museum in New York and Columbia University.

MELISSA HANLEY, AIA, IIDA, LEED AP
CO-FOUNDER, PRINCIPAL AND CEO OF BLITZ

Melissa is passionate about human-centered environments and has worked to make Blitz a leader in commercial and workplace design for the digital age. She leads the firm’s design teams, and manages operations, brand strategy, and project delivery. She is the managing principal of the firm’s San Francisco studio. A workplace expert, she specializes in sustainable, high- performance environments for innovative companies, including Microsoft, Google, UC Berkeley, Comcast, Dropbox, Spotify, AstraZeneca, Soundcloud, The Chancellor Hotel, Flynn Properties, and Fitbit, among others.

Daughter of a contractor and fine woodworker, Melissa’s interest in experimentation and creative design solutions was developed during childhood. “This sense of exploration and freedom to test ideas has been at the core of my world view since I was a kid, and it informs my process to this day,” she says.

A California native, Melissa co-founded Blitz with Seth Hanley, AIA, in 2009, after the co-workers were laid off from their previous firm at the height of the Great Recession (they married several years later). Prior to establishing the practice, Melissa worked for a mid-sized firm specializing in higher education and K-12 school projects. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in architecture with a minor in city and regional planning from the University of California, Berkeley. Melissa is a licensed architect in the state of California.

JAMES KERRIGAN, IIDA, LEED AP ID+C
DESIGN PRINCIPAL, INTERIOR DESIGN, JACOBS

James provides design leadership for strategic clients and pursuits nationally and globally. He works with an interdisciplinary team of experts in strategy, design and engineering focused to deliver innovative design solutions to complex challenges in an increasingly connected world. He has worked on a wide range of project and client types from energy companies, financial services to not for profit. Jacobs is one of the worlds largest global providers of professional services.

James’ interest in design also propels his interest (some might say obsession) with music, guitars and machines of a 2 and or 4 wheel variety. He is currently based in Dallas and is serving as the immediate past president for the IIDA Board of Directors.