Tina Patel is an Associate Professor in the Interior Design program of the College of Architecture and Environmental Design, at Kent State University. She received her Bachelor of Architecture from India and her MA and MFA in Interior Design from Iowa State University. She has held academic positions as a Professor at Algonquin College, Ottawa, a Teaching Specialist in Interior Design at the University of Minnesota, and an Instructor at South Dakota State University. Before teaching, Tina worked at Callison RTKL, Washington DC and Baltimore offices, SVPA Architects, West Des Moines, and Solomon Cordwell Buenz, Chicago.
Her work examines the intersection of people, processes, and the built environment. She has presented at national and international conferences and published her research on learning environments for neurodiversity and underrepresented groups, the impact of evolving workplaces on behavior, and design pedagogy. Tina has established partnerships with community leaders, non-profit organizations, and design practices. These partnerships aim to empower communities by expanding teaching methodologies that focus on community engagement. Her community-engaged pedagogy aims to sharpen students’ understanding of others with different realities and unfamiliar experiences by utilizing current and ongoing social and economic issues affecting our communities. Tina received the 2023 IIDA Educator Diversity Award, which recognizes her efforts in advancing racial and ethnic diversity in the Interior Design industry.
