Melisa Tekin is the Founder and Creative Director of her M/WBE certified graphic design studio, Neighbors. She holds an MFA in Design, a BFA in Design, and a BA in Urban Economics and Marketing. Melisa collaborates with clients in the architecture, planning and nonprofit sectors, as well as with corporate clients, working on everything from branding to wayfinding to exhibition design. In addition to running her studio, Melisa is an Assistant Professor of Visual Communications at Farmingdale State College. Her research is focused primarily on housing and placemaking, using design as a tool to communicate important issues that affect our communities to the public.