THIS IS OUR TEAM.

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Wendy brings 41 years of experience leading teams and 21 years teaching undergraduate design students to each design challenge. Since the launch of MDC in 2016, she leverages her experience bringing the design process to her clients so they’re empowered to make empathetic decisions for their clients and colleagues. With an MA in Interior Design and an MFA in Design Thinking, her work with clients has ranged from residential and commercial interior design placemaking projects to strategic design thinking sessions for a range of businesses, organizations, and communities.

As a native born of Korean descent, raised in an adoptive American culture, she understands the experience of being perceived one way while living in a culture of another. It’s through this lens that her value for authentic stories has flourished.

Wendy’s greatest joy is seeing people come together to work toward grand initiatives who otherwise might not have considered being partners. She welcomes the challenge to bring people of opposing views together and has seen successful collaboration on a national and local level.

Chief Design Officer

Willie brings years of experience working with clients conducting all things human-centered design! He studied Alternative Process Photography and Design at Indiana Wesleyan and has his coaching certification through Lark’s Song. He’s worked in creative teams at non-profits and creative agencies. His work has been focused on storytelling and the visual arts, creative direction, brand solutions, design systems, and video production.

His entrepreneurial spirit led to a passion for helping businesses use storytelling to connect with their audiences. For many projects, his role is that of a translator, helping individuals and systems communicate and be perceived in ways that may not otherwise feel native to them.

He loves spending time with his wife and kids on their small homestead, playing with his band, reading philosophy and fiction, plotting the arcs of movie storylines, and film photography.

Chief Financial Officer

Angie has her undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska in Business Administration with an emphasis in Office Management and completed her MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2019. She also works at Indiana Wesleyan University as a Program Coordinator and an Adjunct Professor.

Angie and her family moved from Nebraska in 2013 and have found family, friends and new adventures in Indiana.

Angie enjoys the business side of organizations, but has also learned to love the creative side of meeting customers’ needs. She enjoys watching the Marion Design Co team work to truly understand their customer and strive to give them a product that they love.

Operations Facilitator

Brittany has her undergraduate degree from Indiana Wesleyan University in teaching and psychology. She also has an MBA degree from the University of Southern Indiana. Brittany also works as Lead Instructional Designer for HighPoint Digital.

Brittany and her husband Colin moved to Indianapolis 6 years ago and recently bought their first home. When Brittany isn’t managing responsibilities at MDCO or HPD, you can find her working on house projects or playing with her two dogs Echo and Maple.

Gallery and Hospitality Coordinator

Misty is a local artist who previously served as the Art Gallery Intern for Kennedy Art Center. She received her BFA in Studio Art from Ball State University in 2023, and has since greatly enjoyed both sharing and facilitating the spread of art through her time at art markets and working with the gallery.

She’s a long-time resident of Grant County and its surrounding areas, having lived in Kokomo, Marion, Gas City, Upland, and Muncie. Now back in her hometown, she’s discovered a new appreciation for Marion and its community.

In her free time, Misty enjoys watching movies, listening to weird music, and finding time to get together with her friends for a walk in the woods or an escape room down in Indy.

Marketing Strategist and Business Assistant

Janelle is the Marketing Strategist and Business Assistant at Marion Design Co. She has experience in both business strategy and marketing, with a talent for identifying growth opportunities. 

Janelle’s work at Marion Design Co. focuses on bridging the gap between business objectives and creative initiatives, helping clients connect meaningfully with their audiences in alignment with their business goals. 

In her free time, Janelle enjoys exploring new coffee shops, pursuing photography ambitions with her boyfriend, and traveling anywhere and everywhere she can.

Graphic Designer

Jacob Fiore studied at Indiana Wesleyan University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a minor in business administration in 2024. Jacob’s undergraduate coursework in design and business have equipped him with a comprehensive understanding of both the artistic and strategic aspects of the industry.

Coming from a retired military family, Jacob has been exposed to a variety of different cultures as he has been relocated to cities in Florida, Texas, Virginia, and Indiana. Despite spending the majority of his life as a resident of Porter County, Jacob has grown fond of the intentional communities found in Marion.

Over the weekends, maintaining the connections in his life by calling his friends and family over the phone is a major priority. On his free time, Jacob loves to watch anime and play video games with his brothers – the nerdy things in life.

Design Advisor

Emily has a BA in Visual Communication Design and a minor in Marketing from Grace College, her design work with clients has ranged from branding initiatives and marketing campaigns to custom illustrations and publication designs for a variety of businesses and nonprofit organizations.

Born and raised in Goshen, Indiana, she moved to Marion in 2022 after marrying her husband, Peter Troutner. As a new resident of Grant County, she brings a fresh perspective and open mind to our community.

Emily is passionate about using her creative voice as an advocate to visually share the stories of others as a way to bring people together, inspire positive change, and turn the dreams of passionate people into reality. Good design starts with being a good listener so she takes the time to understand what makes each client unique and goes the extra mile to ensure no detail is overlooked. Whether through graphic design, branding, or illustration, every work is a unique reflection of the story behind it.

Design Advisor

Peter Troutner started as an intern in 2017. He studied Graphic Design and Honors Humanities at Indiana Wesleyan and in addition to his work with MDC is the lead designer at IWU. With a love of branding, creative writing, and typography he loves to find connections, think deeply, and design creatively the stories he encounters.

Although he grew up in Columbus Ohio his time as an intern at Marion Design Co made him fall in love with Marion and see the influence a single person can have on a community. Ultimately he decided to stay and lives in Marion with his wife, Emily.

Peter describes himself as designer, collage artist, and liturgical poet - all of which require taking various sometimes seemingly unrelated things and finding the connections, beauty, and truth beneath ideas, concepts, pieces of paper, or biblical stories.

Graphic Design Intern

Tabby is studying graphic design at Anderson University in Anderson, South Carolina, finding joy in creating and bringing projects to life. For Tabby, becoming an intern for Marion Design Co. is a significant honor, especially since some of the original creators of the design studio are professors at Anderson University.

As a first-generation Hmong-American and the first of six siblings to attend a four-year college, she holds a deep appreciation for their culture and strive to incorporate it into school projects to raise awareness and appreciation. Outside of designing, Tabby person enjoys watching new movies or TV shows, reading, writing, and playing the guitar. Occasionally, she takes on the challenge of cooking something new. A sneaker enthusiast, she is particularly fond of Adidas Forum, owning almost every color except red, yellow, and purple.

A passion for people drives Tabby, with a love for bridging gaps, bringing people together, and building communities. She believe that the world changes because of people, and design is meaningful only when created with people in mind.

Co-Founder
lukeanspach.com @lukeanspach

Co-Founder

herbpeterson.com @herbvincentp

Co-Founder & Chief Design Officer wendypuffer.com @wendypuffer