Real. Clever. People.
Our people share a business sensibility and a multi-disciplinary approach that is essential to success. Read on to find out more about what each of us can bring to your project.
CloseCEO
Elisa Jagerson
As CEO at Speck Design, Elisa Jagerson is focused on facilitating relationships and an infrastructure supporting them, to ensure that both Speck’s clients and team members find the desire to remain a long-term partner of Speck. Elisa has spent her career running and investing in services companies. Elisa was Managing Director of the equity group Bay Laurel Capital, and also served as interim CEO in three of the portfolio companies. Earlier in her career, Elisa founded and ran PartsRiver, later acquiring assets of Saqqara and CDG, a Boeing subsidiary, to become the leading DQM provider in the industrial supply chain. In her earlier work with two international private equity funds, ZPF and Zephyr, Elisa managed successful investments into emerging market technology services firms. Elisa has been consistently recognized for her ability to increase the scale and profitability of a company without compromising the integrity, customer orientation, or supportive work environment generally associated with smaller enterprises. Elisa serves on the boards of companies and nonprofits including PartsRiver, Remedy Interactive, and Astia. Elisa graduated with honors from Princeton University and received her MBA from the Wharton School of Business. Elisa was a national champion rower while at Princeton. Her passions are many but most overlap in the areas of emerging market policy. When not at work, she can be found impersonating a jungle-gym for her three young children, or daydreaming about how she used to surf and mountain bike, and may again someday.
CloseHead of Design Research
Katie Peters
As head of Design Research at Speck Design, Katie Peters helps infuse the company’s innovation and design processes with insight into the user experience. Katie brings over 20 years of design research experience in ethnography, product development, branding, packaging, usability, and messaging research. She has worked with clients including Microsoft, Pepsi, HP, Panasonic, Intuit, Kraft, Johnson & Johnson, and PayPal. Katie has a B.A. in Sociology from Haverford College and has worked across industries including consumer, hi tech, industrial, finance, business-to-business. She has an avid curiosity for what makes consumers and businesses tick. She spends her down time hiking, cycling, and exploring the national parks with her family.
CloseExecutive Director of Innovation and Strategy
David Peschel
With the evolving marketplace, Speck Design understands that a successful “product” isn’t just sexy hardware anymore but a complete design solution from concept to consumer. To address this, David Peschel, Executive Director of Innovation and Strategy, leads the creative division at Speck Design, helping guide the company into emerging design and innovation. David acts as an advocate for collaborative design practices between all divisions at Speck Design to ensure that our clients get the most out of their investment and that their project will evolve into the best possible result for all stakeholders. With more than 20 years of award winning, real world industrial design experience at design studios such as Smart Design, IDEO, Frog design and the Michael Graves Design Group, David has worked with a range of clients such as OXO, Nike, Juniper Networks, Target, and Stryker Medical. David is constantly looking to challenge the status quo with a vision that looks beyond the trend of the day. Using this approach, he has been able to help numerous clients solidify their market position and leapfrog their competitors. David holds a BID and BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his family and in his garden. His favorite past time is to try and drive across the country at least once every 5 years.
CloseCreative Director
Tark Abed
As Creative Director at Speck Design, Tark Abed provides oversight on creative work the company produces, manages and defends the Speck brand, collaborates with the marketing team, and leads the industrial design group. With more than 20 years in the profession, Tark’s exposure to projects is diverse – from the design of sewn goods and innovative toothbrush designs to room size telepresence systems and complex surgical robots. Tark holds a B.S. in ID from California State University Long Beach. In his spare time, he enjoys celery with peanut butter, mountain biking, snowboarding, and skateboarding.
CloseGroup Lead, Medical Devices
Shigeru Tanaka
Shigeru Tanaka leads the Medical Systems Group, which oversees projects in a diverse field, including interventional devices both disposable and reusable, personal healthcare devices, console systems, implants and associated tools, robotic surgery systems, and medical research devices. Shigeru has spent his 18-year pre-Speck work career at various medical device companies as R&D engineer and project manager. He founded and ran Teku Medical Solutions, a consulting partnership focused on providing support for medical device companies. Throughout his career, Shigeru was exposed to and participated in all aspects of the device development cycle beyond R&D engineering, including FDA compliance, ISO/Design Control documentation, Quality and Manufacturing Engineering. Shigeru holds a B.S. in Product Design from Stanford University and has his name on over 10 issued device patents. After work, he can be found coaching his kids’ sports teams, golfing, skiing, and singing along to Japanese pop songs on his iPod.
CloseVice President of Client Solutions
Peter Mills
Peter Mills is Vice President of Client Solutions at Speck Design and is responsible for building and maintaining enduring relationships with Speck’s clients. For the majority of his career, Peter has worked with clients whose particular needs require a custom solution. He has spent 15 years selling sophisticated industrial robotics and automation systems with Adept Technology, the leading US maker of industrial robots, and Hewlett Packard. He understands the design and manufacturing needs of a variety of industries, including medical devices, disk drives, consumer products, food packaging, printers, computers and networking, and semiconductor equipment. Peter earned an A.B. cum laude in engineering from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He has extensive international business experience in Japan, Singapore, and Korea. Outside of work, you can find Peter bicycling, backpacking, or sailing.
CloseGroup Lead, Consumer Products
Stephen Senatore
Stephen Senatore leads the Consumer Products Group at Speck Design, striving to realize the customer’s vision in taking their ideas to the mass market, while maintaining unique differentiators that set them apart from the competition. He has more than 15 years of experience in the development and deployment of high-end consumer products, as well as a vast knowledge in high volume manufacturing. Prior to Speck, Stephen worked with some of the Bay Area’s top companies including Apple, IDEO, Palm and Barnes and Noble, and leaders in consumer electronics, resulting in product successes such as the Palm Centro, and Barnes & Noble Nook Color, among others. Stephen also has expertise in the health practices, human interaction, and sustainable technologies, specifically working with the start-up Solfocus, where he was instrumental in the development of Concentrated Photo Voltaic Solar modules. Stephen is a self-proclaimed techno-geek, and connoisseur of state-of-the-art technologies. This has resulted in a large collection of gadgets, and boxes of mismatched power/data cables. Outside of Speck, he likes to spend time in his home workshop – inventing contraptions, playing with his children, and rollicking outdoors.
CloseCFO
Jane Sanchez
Jane Sanchez, Director of Finance at Speck Design, focuses much of her time on the finance portion of projects. As a Certified Public Accountant with an MBA from Pepperdine University, Jane brings her vast experience of working with startups and innovative companies that focus on connecting with the customer to meet their needs. She serves as the hub of the Speck partnership experience by ensuring accuracy and integrity in the financial relationship between Speck and the clients. Jane is also responsible for managing the Administrative Operations at Speck, and enjoys a strong participation in the Human Resources area. She spends her spare time with her very active family, usually cheering at a ballgame of some type.
CloseGroup Lead, Datacom Group
Dennis Storz
Dennis Storz is manager of the Datacom group at Speck Design and oversees the engineering development of telecommunication, server, and data center products. A visionary senior designer, engineer, and manager, Dennis brings over 20 years of experience in both strategic and tactical thinking to projects. Dennis served as a senior hardware and mechanical engineering manager/director at several high tech startups. He has extensive experience in complex systems and server product development, architecture, mechanical design, program/project management, and organizational development. His design successes range from extremely high visibility mission critical projects to “skunk works” proof of concept work. Outside of Speck, he spends time traveling or in the studio painting and drawing. He has the dubious accomplishment of having had two of his paintings selected for Enron’s corporate art collection.
CloseDirector of Client Solutions
Denise Pliskin
As Director of Client Solutions, Denise Pliskin works with clients designing leading edge datacom equipment. Her clients include some of the top players in datacom including Cisco Systems and Ericsson as well as many small to medium size companies. Denise has been with Speck for over 11 years and is committed to contributing great value to Speck’s clients, serving them with grace, joy, and ease. Her background as a designer and project manager for over 30 years helps her understand the real, everyday issues that her clients face, including dealing with manufacturing issues, complex technical challenges, aggressive schedules and cost targets. Denise enjoys time with her big family, which includes her husband, two adult children, foster children, grandchildren, godchildren, a 90-year-old mother, a cat, and a very goofy pit bull. She also spends her time reading, participating in Landmark Education, and remodeling her 100-year-old Victorian home.
CloseLead Mechanical Engineer
Kevin Simmons
As a Lead Mechanical Engineer at Speck Design, Kevin Simmons guides teams developing innovative products for the medical market. Before joining Speck, Kevin led engineering and ID teams at DD studio, creating innovative design solutions for the consumer, datacom, industrial, and military fields. He has extensive experience working with local and overseas molders, toolmakers, contract manufacturers and prototype companies. He has training in Project Management and ISO procedures for developing medical devices. Kevin prides himself with maintaining productive and professional relationship with clients, balancing a deep understanding of a client’s needs, whether for a startup or a Fortune 500. Kevin has a B.S. in ID from Long Beach State and completed several years of engineering course work at UC San Diego. He has multiple patents, received MDEA and IDEA Gold and Silver awards, and lectured, mentored, and written about product development. When not at Speck finessing a form or mastering a mechanism, Kevin looks forward to exploring Northern California’s culture and restaurants on a vintage motorcycle or convertible, and going to as many music and art shows as possible.
CloseDirector of Client Solutions
Chet Douglas
Chet Douglas, Director of Client Solutions at Speck Design, is responsible for new business generation with a focus in medical devices, consumer products, and industrial systems markets. Prior to joining Speck, Chet spent 10 years working in sales in electro-mechanical sub-systems, component design, and sub-assemblies, with another 6 years of direct sales in the enterprise software marketplace. Chet enjoys engaging and working with clients to establish a good design value by having the design teams work closely together. He has worked for industry leaders such as AMP-Tyco, EMS, AristaSoft, Agile Software, and Metricstream. Chet earned a B.A. in broadcasting with a minor in marketing from Long Beach State. When not working, Chet can be found riding his Santa Cruz mountain bike, coaching youth sports, spending time at home with his 3 kids and Bernese Mountain Dog, or tinkering with his restored 64 MGB.
CloseSenior Industrial Designer
Martin Leugers
Martin Leugers is Senior Industrial Designer at Speck Design who approaches every design problem with the combination of 17 years of design experience along with an unlimited creative perspective. Martin has a broad range of skills in the design world including furniture, consumer electronics, medical devices, soft goods, toys, sporting goods, and industrial goods. He received a B.S. in ID from the University of Cincinnati. When he’s not working on products for Speck’s clients, Martin designs and builds things in his everyday life including bicycles, sports equipment, furniture, clothing, house wares, and electronics.
CloseSenior Industrial Designer
Feng Haoyu
Feng Haoyu, Senior Industrial Designer at Speck Design, is passionate about research, conceptual design, and prototyping for developing products from the early design phases to production. Haoyu worked with various design firms in the U.S. and Europe, as well as large corporations in China, before receiving his M.A. in ID from San Francisco State University. He has received numerous awards for his work including the iF Design Award and the Red Dot Design Award in 2009, and the bronze prize of Industrial Design Excellence Award in 2005. In addition to his studio work, Haoyu loves reading, photography, playing soccer, surfing, and being exposed to design challenges.
CloseLead Industrial Designer
Josh Druker
As Lead Industrial Designer at Speck Design, Josh Druker provides instrumental leadership to our Creative Group. Carrying 15 years of product development experience, Josh’s areas of design expertise include consumer, high-tech, and medical device design. His process promotes honest design through an understanding of human factors, concept exploration, and prototyping. Josh currently has a number of patents pending for medical devices. He has a BFA in Industrial Design and a B.A. in History of Art from the University of Michigan. When he’s not busy spending time with his wife, Josh can be found chasing his mountain bike off of jumps, or honing his patented version of “the running man”.
CloseSenior and Lead Engineer
Jon Carver
Jon Carver is Senior and Lead Engineer at Speck Design, bringing over 15 years of experience in product development to the design of products in the consumer, telecom, and medical industries. Jon operated his own consulting business in the Bay Area for several years, during which he was exposed to project management and small business development. Jon’s areas of expertise include the complex development of consumer products, manufacturing engineering, mechanism design, structural analysis, design for manufacturing, product qualification testing, value engineering, assembly/calibration fixture development, and creative problem-solving. His interest in engineering and product development has led him to travel to Asia and live in Hong Kong, where he gained experience in production facilities across mainland China. When Jon is not noodling on a fun engineering problem, he enjoys the outdoors with his two energetic Toy Australian Shepherds (who love them some Frisbee). Additional interests include electric vehicle design, photography, and bonsai.
CloseDirector of Client Solutions, Southwest
Raminder Sandhu
As Speck Design’s Director of Client Solutions, Southwest, Raminder Sandhu is responsible for bringing in new business for all of Speck’s target markets, including medical devices, industrial equipment, telecom, and consumer products. Raminder feels that clients are best served when they’re treated with integrity and openness. He strives to bring compassion and kindness to his interactions with others, both at work and at home. Raminder has over 20 years of experience in the application of robotics and manufacturing automation to the production of semiconductors, Li-ion batteries, and medical devices. Raminder held engineering and sales positions at Cognex Corporation, Adept Technology, and General Electric. He holds a B.Sc. cum laude in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. When he’s not working, Raminder can be found at the beach, or playing masters rugby (or both).
CloseClient Solutions and Marketing
Michael Swartz
Michael Swartz works in sales at Speck Design, where he is responsible for new business development in the San Diego office. Over the past decade, Michael has been an active contributor to the growing San Diego innovation ecosystem. He advocates human-centric design innovation and devotes his time to helping companies commercialize their technologies quickly and cost effectively. Michael brings 10 years of design-related research experience, spanning a diverse range of industries including medical devices, consumer products, pharmaceutical packaging, and NASA funded studies. Prior to joining Speck, he was vice president of marketing at DD Studio, and also served as director of business development at global design consultancies Ziba Design and Gad Shaanan Design. Michael received his B.S. in Geology from the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University.
CloseProject Lead and Industrial Designer
Jason Stone
Jason Stone, Project Lead and Industrial Designer at Speck Design, provides guidance on projects for the medical, data communications, and consumer markets. Design and art have always been a part of Jason’s life. After graduating with a BFA from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, he kick-started his design career in the R&D studio at Ford Motor Company. After leaving Ford, Jason worked for Insight Product Development and Zoe Associates, and spent time teaching Industrial Design courses at the Academy of Art. Later, as Design Manager at Kensington, he built and led an in-house ID and engineering group. There he created new categories in Laptop ergonomic supports and hand held input devices, and focused on Kensington’s core product lines of consumer computing, smartphone, and iPod/iPhone accessories. While at Kensington, Jason and his team received numerous design awards including over 15 CES Innovation Awards, four International Forum Design Awards, and two Red Dot Product Design Awards. An avid road cyclist and racer for many years, Jason equally enjoys collecting, restoring, and documenting vintage bicycles. There are 13 bicycles in his current collection, including a pre-war bicycle from 1906. He spends his free time exploring the Bay Area with his wife and son on foot and by bicycle wheel.
CloseGraphic Designer Project Lead
Charlotte Jones
As Graphic Designer Project Lead at Speck Design, Charlotte Jones provides a fresh approach to creative thinking, exploring new and exciting ways through design and typography to bring ideas to life. She has been designing brand identities and brand marketing for more than 20 years and has extensive experience in print and online design. Charlotte holds a B.S. in Graphic Design from San Jose State University and continues to manage teams from concept development to final production. She has been a guest speaker on the subject of design for the Peninsula Advertising Photographers Association and has served as Advisory Board Liaison on the Western Art Directors Club (WADC) Board. She also taught “Advanced Typography” and “Layout and Typography” for seven years at the University of Santa Cruz Extension. Her work has been recognized and published in numerous design books, and she has received multiple awards from the WADC West Coast Show, AD+ Silicon Valley, and the Western Publications Association. Charlotte enjoys karate, skiing, taking road trips with her husband and son, speaks fluent French, and loves to wear large cocktail rings.
CloseSenior Product Design Engineer
Mark McNally
Mark McNally is a Senior Product Design Engineer at Speck with experience in consumer, industrial and medical product design. He strives for simple, innovative solutions, and to be in the zone where design, engineering, and technologies intersect. After graduating from Stanford University with a B.S. in Product Design Engineering, Mark launched his career in product development after being selected by Procter & Gamble. After three patents, several cold winters, and lots of chili in Cincinnati, Mark returned to sunny California. His inventive nature got him two patents for Apple Computer, and the opportunity to do work for Lunar Design, MOTO Development Group, and Bridge Design. Mark once found himself geographically challenged to do Product Design, but that did not stop him from working in engineering. As a result, he leveraged his mechanical and CAD skills to work in civil engineering. When Mark isn’t solving the world’s product design dilemmas for Speck, he spends as much time as he can enjoying the sun and the mountains of the Coachella Valley.
CloseSenior Mechanical Engineer
David Weldon
David Weldon is Senior Mechanical Engineer at Speck Design who prides himself on having a fundamental understanding of the mechanical world, which he brings to all of his engineering endeavors. He has experience in semiconductor and hard disk capital equipment, automation, precision mechanisms, high volume product design and solar technology. After graduating from UC Davis with a BSME, David launched his career in Silicon Valley working in companies such as Novellus, KLA-Tencor, Intevac, Applied Materials, and Lam Research. Along the way, he founded two companies, received 22 US patents, earned an MSME from Santa Clara University, and still found time to explore the world around him. David transitioned from semiconductor equipment to the world of solar when he joined Solyndra where he worked first in Back End Equipment, defining and designing assembly processes and equipment. After two years, he transitioned to Product Development, working as a Principal Member of the Technical Staff in the areas of product, BOS, seismic, wind and snow design. When David is not getting confused with the other two David’s at Speck, he can be found exploring our exciting world with his loving wife and son, playing hockey, copper sculpting, mountain biking, fly fishing, spending time in his workshop, hiking, and being engaged in too many other activities to list.
CloseDirector, Brand Communications
Andrea Roesch
Andrea Roesch brings 15 years of marketing and communications experience to her role as Director of Brand Communications at Speck Design. Prior to joining Speck Design, Andrea was Managing Partner at public relations firm Tier One Partners where she focused on entrepreneurial ventures as well as established brands such as Astia, Carat, GrandCentral (acquired by Google, now Google Voice), Plusmo and Rearden Commerce. Before joining Tier One, Andrea served as Director of Marketing and Public Relations for well-funded Silicon Valley start up, AuctionDrop. Her public relations agency experience also includes serving at Niehaus Ryan Wong Public Relations for clients such as Nordstrom.com and The Motley Fool. She holds a Masters in Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh and a B.A. from Tufts University.
CloseSenior Mechanical Engineer
David Rinaldis
Having spent the past 15 years working at three of Palo Alto’s most prestigious product development firms, David Rinaldis has fought engineering battles both domestically and abroad, bringing some of the most innovative products to life. As Senior Mechanical Engineer at Speck Design, David combines his strengths as an engineer and product manager with his experience in industrial design, user research, and human-focused design. Speck Design’s vast array of clients helps assure that he remains challenged and current with the latest technologies in the product design field. From mega-volume consumer products to class II medical devices, David feels that the engineering process remains the same: sweat the details while keeping an eye on the big picture. Whether it’s mechanism design, injection molded plastic, brainstorms on system architectures, or the acronym-riddled details of implementation, like GD&T, FEA, or FDA-compliant documentation, he uses his skills to transform clients’ great ideas into reality.
CloseMechanical Engineer
Henry Sim
As a mechanical engineer at Speck Design, Henry Sim uses his problem solving, CAD modeling, bread boarding, and prototyping skills for developing industrial and medical projects. Henry feels that the success of a project comes from the combination of talent, hard work, and persistence. He earned a B.S. in ME from UC Berkeley after many late nights (of studying, of course). Before Speck, Henry worked as an engineer in the defense industry and in an automotive manufacturing environment. He spends his free time playing basketball, snowboarding (even after breaking his arm), fixing cars, playing with pro audio equipment, and volunteering at his local church.
CloseMechanical Engineer
Graham Faulknor
Mechanical engineer and race car aficionado, Graham Faulknor is a problem solver, piecing together the elements of design to bring initial concepts to life. Ever since he can remember, he’s been taking apart and reassembling anything he could get his hands on, discovering new ways to improve the design. Growing up in a family that races cars, Graham combined his passion for racing and engineering when he developed open wheel race cars at Swift Engineering. As junior designer and later design and project engineer at Swift Engineering, he designed carbon fiber chassis and worked on the tooling manufacturing of several car models including the Formula Atlantic and Formula Nippon cars. While working on his Bachelors in ME at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Graham got his first taste of building race cars from scratch as team captain of a Formula SAE division, working on automotive suspension design, automotive chassis design, and welding and developing processes for making composite parts. When he’s not solving design problems at Speck, he can be found on the racetrack, cruising on his mountain bike, or on the seat of his motorcycle – pretty much anything with speed.
CloseMechanical Engineer
Kim Hayashi
As a mechanical engineer at Speck Design, Kim Hayashi executes the technical design and testing phases of projects for the medical, consumer, industrial, and datacom industries. Kim’s specialties cover concept development, bread board studies, thermal design, prototype builds, and market design research. She received her B.S. in ME from UC Los Angeles. Beyond Speck, you can find Kim on the soccer field or in the shop, where she practices a range of crafts including silk screening, sewing, and ceramics.
CloseIndustrial Designer
Alex Brown
As an industrial designer at Speck Design, Alex Brown uses ninja-like skills to craft designs for a range of products. Alex received his B.S. in ID from San Jose State University learning from Silicon Valley’s best and brightest, and was President of the student chapter of the Industrial Design Program (IDSA). Alex has awards from the International Housewares Association, IDSA, and Core77 design competitions. In his free time, Alex enjoys sitting in a bay window reading a graphic novel with coffee and a doughnut. He believes that it would be far more excellent to be a ninja than a pirate.
CloseCommunications Specialist
Andrea Pyka
Andrea Pyka, Communications Specialist, is responsible for developing Speck Design’s brand identity, company messaging, and corporate communication, as well as integrating content marketing principles, and providing support to the sales team. With an M.S. in Mass Communications from San Jose State University and a B.A. in Modern Literature from UC Santa Cruz, Pyka brings her experience in journalism and passion for graphic design to the Speck marketing team. Pyka has written for local and international publications including the Berliner Zeitung, San Jose Magazine, the Mountain View Voice, TravelMuse, Nob Hill Gazette, and City on a Hill Press. When she’s not writing or designing Speck Design marketing collateral, Pyka spends time lounging on the beach, rocking out to Phil Collins tunes, or enjoying a ripe avocado with a hint of salt – she happens to love everything about avocados.
CloseMechanical Engineer
Arthur Kwun
Arthur Kwun is a mechanical engineer at Speck Design who uses his skills in brainstorming, prototyping, analysis, and CAD to take medical, industrial, and consumer products from concept to reality. Before joining Speck, Arthur worked in the semiconductor capital equipment industry, developing patent pending technologies and designing tools capable of scanning micron-level features on silicon disks. Arthur received his B.S in ME from UC Berkeley. When he’s not working in the lab, Arthur can be found enjoying time with his wife, serving at church, playing video games, learning the bass guitar, building custom spaceships out of LEGO, and wondering how different the world would be if unicorns were real.
CloseMechanical Engineer
Alyssa Roessler
At Speck Design, Alyssa Roessler helps to transition innovative ideas into functional products. Her specialties include CAD, stress analysis, materials science, constructal theory, and project management. Alyssa believes that the best designs combine creativity with simplicity and practicality. Before joining Speck, Alyssa provided business development and technical expertise for two medical device startups in the Research Triangle. She has a BS in ME and Materials Science and a master’s degree in Engineering Management from Duke University. When she’s not at work, chances are that Alyssa is checking out the Bay Area restaurant scene, baking, playing volleyball, traveling, or playing nerdy board games (Scrabble, Agricola, and Dominion are her current favorites).
CloseHuman Resources
Jeannie McNary
With a professional record that includes roles at some of the most recognized names in Bay Area design firms, Jeannie McNary joins Speck Design, overseeing our Human Resources department. Jeannie worked most recently with such design firms as MindTribe, serving as their Operations Manager as well as handling HR and accounting. Before that, she was an integral part of IDEO’s operational team during the era in which the firm realized its greatest growth and achieved the status of an industry icon. At IDEO she held various roles, from finance and purchasing, to practice operations and business development. Her no-nonsense flexibility and easy-going disposition made her a vital part of the design and engineering organization over a period of significant change. Prior to IDEO, Jeannie held roles in office management and purchasing with Edge Innovations, a creator of animatronics for the entertainment industry, David Kelley Design, the engineering-focused precursor to IDEO, and 1185 Design, a premier graphic design agency serving Silicon Valley. She also worked as a commercial interior designer and draftsperson with one of the top rated architectural design firms, Hellmuth Obata and Kassabaum in St. Louis, Missouri. Jeannie earned a degree in Interior Design, and later a degree in Botany, cum laude, from San Jose State. Her passion is, and has always been design. So, to feed her passion, she enjoyed landscape design, gardening, home remodeling projects, and macro photography.
CloseMechanical Engineer
Peter Privitera
As a mechanical engineer at Speck Design, Peter Privitera wields his experience in Photovoltaics, Robotics, and Sustainable Design to develop innovative, honest, and useful products that make a difference. He holds a BSME from Northeastern University where he also focused on Environmental Science and worked on projects in Honduras and Guatemala through Engineers Without Borders. He finds inspiration in the works of Jim Henson and Alexander Calder, pop-up books, and hot coffee. No matter what the future holds, Peter would rather ride a bike than teleport, although he still has his fingers crossed that 2015 will be the year of the hoverboard.
CloseAdministrative Assistant
Jenny Fuchs-Andersen
As a part-time administrative assistant at Speck Design, Jenny Fuchs-Andersen handles all sorts of odds and ends – from ordering lunches to paying bills. She has a B.A. in Italian/International relations from U.C. Davis. Jenny enjoys gardening, Greek/Roman history, and foreign films. Having lived, studied, and worked in Italy, Jenny considers herself an Italophile.
CloseVirtual Marketing Intern
Hannah Jeton
As virtual marketing intern at Speck, Hannah Jeton creates and updates marketing collateral in the form of website content, case studies, and blog posts, while stepping in wherever needed. She first came to Speck from the icy and frigid east coast in early winter 2011. On her first trip out to California she served as an intern for the sales department, diligently researching potential clients for new business opportunities and partnerships. Now a true Californian, she returned to Speck in the summer as a sun-worshipper, this time joining the marketing team. Hannah is once again returning to the wintery mountains of New Hampshire to finish her senior year at Dartmouth College where she will contribute to Speck from a far. She has an overwhelming need to be outside all the time - you may have seen her running and biking around the bay area or driving to the Lost Coast and Big Sur for some hiking, surfing, and camping. Back on the east coast you’ll find her on the Connecticut, Charles, Cooper, Schuylkill, or Lake Carnegie representing Dartmouth as a member of the women’s varsity crew team. When she’s not on the water she’s in the art studio creating masterpieces or in the library writing papers for her Geography classes.
CloseFounder/Advisor
David Law
Throughout his career, David Law has fused product design practice, entrepreneurship, and education. Hailing from Scotland, he studied Naval Architecture at the University of London before earning a First Class Honors in Product Design Engineering from Glasgow University. He started designing tools for Sanko Gosei, a Japanese tool manufacture, generated numerous patents while at IDEO, and in 1996 founded Speck Design. Founded in 2010, DutySmith is among the eight companies David has created over the years. He has been involved in teaching design for the last 15 years, lecturing at California College of Arts, Stanford University, Edinburgh University, and the University of Washington. When David is not plotting his next bootstrapped startup, he is working on a book on how to take a product from napkin sketch to store shelves.
CloseFounder/Advisor
Tony Lillios
Tony Lillios is a founding partner of Speck Product Design. While at Speck, Tony spearheaded notable projects for Dell Computer, Juniper Networks, Apple Computer, Cisco Systems, and Medtronics. Drawing from his background in software, electrical, and mechanical engineering enables him to address design challenges at a detailed level as well as approach the problems from a systems point of view. Tony and the leadership team developed Speck into one of the nation’s fastest growing private companies. In 2001, Speck made it on the Inc 500 list, the first year eligible, and many years since then. Prior to starting Speck, Tony was a designer at IDEO Product Development for 4 years. He received a BSEE in controls and a MSME in design from Stanford University. Outside of work, Tony pursues his passions for Ironman triathlons, open water swimming, and hiking throughout the Sierras.
CloseFounder/Advisor
Ryan Mongan
Ryan Mongan, one of the four founders of Speck Design, specializes in complex systems design. As CFO, he led many developments that intertwined mechanical and thermal requirements for clients such as Cisco Systems, Dell, Apple, and Becton Dickinson. Prior to Speck, Ryan was at IDEO Product Development, where he led a team working on projects in a variety of industries including several notebook computer programs, carbon fiber bicycle parts, and medical devices. He received his B.S. from UC Berkeley in ME and Materials Science and Engineering He continued his education at Stanford University where he received a M.S. in ME Design. Ryan is an avid cyclist, competing regularly in road races and Ironman triathlons.
CloseFounder/Advisor
Craig Janik
Craig Janik is one of the four Speck Design founders with 22 years of experience in PC and consumer electronics markets. An accomplished engineer, product designer, and serial entrepreneur, Craig has managed both consulting projects and internal speculative developments at Speck. In 2000 Craig founded and spun SimpleDevices Inc. where he was responsible for managing the company’s R&D and product development, and was instrumental in raising a total of $10 million in venture capital investment. A supplier of software and technology to consumer electronics and automotive OEMs including Motorola, Philips, and Delphi, SimpleDevices pioneered digital media distribution over wireless and wired LAN. Prior to Speck, Craig founded Mobila Technology, Inc., a provider of innovative wearable PCs, where he generated fundamental patents for flexible wearable electronics. He later worked at IDEO where he consulted on product development for Dell and Steelcase. Craig is currently CEO of Maverick Lifestyle Corporation, which develops and sells innovative consumer electronics aimed at simplifying our digital lives. He received a BFA in Design from Carnegie Mellon University, and an M.S. in Engineering from Stanford University.