Contact Emma

Design Experience

3 years Product
7 years LXD + UX/UI
12 years HCD
15 years Graphic

Language

English, native Spanish, conversational French, functional Music, fluent

Work

  • April 2024 - May 2026

    Washington, D.C. • Remote

    • Own & lead the development of a 0-to-1 Enterprise Saas system for global anti-human-trafficking casework & intervention management.

    • Design, teach, and scale

    • Human-Centered Design {HCD} thinking across the global matrix.

    • Coach 3 international teams in the HCD process to launch innovative solutions to stop modern slavery & violence against women & children.

    • Define & articulate the vision & strategy for design or service experiences, establishing a division-wide data strategy & analytical methodology to align with business goals.

    • Drive & champion a user-centric culture.

    • Lead & conduct end-to-end research to uncover user needs & behaviors.

    • Collaborate cross-functionally with leadership, vendors, & customers to inform product strategy.

    • Travel internationally to teach in-person workshops, give software trainings, & present findings to a variety of internal stakeholders & customers.

    Work samples restricted due to NDA.

  • September 2023 - April 2024

    Washington, D.C. • Remote

    • Provide 60-page assessment of pilot of existing data management system to leadership & make recommendations

    • Lead HCD research program & manage team of 9 researchers on 3 continents conducting & analyzing 150+ customer interviews.

    Work samples restricted due to NDA.

Vanderbilt University

  • August 2018 - August 2023

    Nashville, TN

    • Co-design & teach masters' and undergraduate courses on research design, HCD, design thinking, interaction, & learning.

    Work samples restricted due to IRBs.

  • August 2018 - August 2023

    Nashville, TN

    • Principal investigator for design-based research {DBR) project studying how people learn to listen.

    • Ran 3 DBR iterations in hybrid,

      in-person, & virtual settings across 12 months with 50+ participants.

    • Collaborate with museum to design & implement a geospatial story & song walking tour in historic Black music district.

    Work samples restricted due to IRBs.

Tirzah International

  • June 2017 - February 2020

    Los Angeles, CA • Remote

    • Develop compelling, cohesive narratives across six continents

    • Design & manage all media:

      • socials, internal content, donor communications, products, & guides.

    • Coach cohort of 15 senior global leaders & CEOs in story-telling

    • Faciltate hands-on learning experiences for top leadership.

  • June 2015 - June 2017

    Los Angeles, CA • Remote

    • Design & manage all media:

      • socials, internal content, donor communications, products, & guides.

Nashville Civic Design Center

  • January 2015 - October 2016

    Nashville, TN, USA

    • Wrote, won, & managed a $1.1-million grant from Robert Woods Johnson and Pew Charitable Trusts.

    • Co-designed 3 site-specific

    • built-environment health improvements.

    Work samples restricted due to IRBs.

Education

Doctorate of Philosophy, Learning Design

Peabody School of Education, Vanderbilt University

August 2018 - May 2023

Doctorate of Philosophy, Media Studies and Practice

School of Arts and Science, Vanderbilt University

August 2018 - May 2023

Bachelor of Arts, Creative Writing; Design for Community

School of Arts and Science, Vanderbilt University

August 2012 - May 2015

  • May 2021 - present

    San Francisco, CA

    • Co-design with & coach clients through the research project process to improve performance or products by understanding & responding to customers' needs.

    • Facilitate workshops and collaborative sessions to surface insights, align stakeholders, and generate creative solutions.

    • Apply Human-Centered Design methods — including ethnographic research, journey mapping, and prototyping — to uncover unmet needs.

    • Synthesize qualitative and quantitative research into actionable frameworks, concepts, and strategic recommendations.

    • Design and test prototypes at varying levels of fidelity to validate ideas quickly and reduce risk before full development.

    • Translate complex systems and service experiences into clear visual models, blueprints, and narratives.

    • Champion the voice of the customer throughout the innovation process, ensuring decisions are grounded in real human behavior.

    • Collaborate across disciplines — strategy, engineering, marketing, and leadership — to bring new ideas from concept to implementation.

    • Build organizational design capability by mentoring teams and embedding human-centered thinking into existing workflows.

    • Navigate ambiguity and reframe challenges as opportunities, turning open-ended briefs into focused, impactful innovation directions.

  • December 2014 - present

    San Francisco, CA

    • Translate ideas, messages, and brand identities into visual concepts using typography, color, imagery, and layout.

    • Create assets for print and digital media, including logos, brochures, social graphics, websites, ads, and packaging.

    • Work within brand guidelines to maintain visual consistency across all touch points.

    • Collaborate with clients, copywriters, marketers, and developers to align creative work with business goals.

    • Use tools like Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign) and Figma to produce and iterate on designs.

    • Present concepts and rationale to stakeholders, then incorporate feedback through revision cycles.

    • Balance aesthetic creativity with practical constraints like file formats, print specs, screen resolutions, and deadlines.

    • Research trends, competitors, and audiences to inform visual decisions and keep work culturally relevant.

International Justice Mission

Emma Vendetta

Core Skillsets

Leadership Development

  • Coaching

  • Cross-Functional Collaboration

  • Strategic Thinking

  • Vision Setting

  • Change Management

  • Adaptability & Navigating Ambiguity

  • Curriculum Design

Human-Centered Design

  • User Research (Qualitative & Quantitative)

  • User Journey Mapping

  • Problem-Solving

  • Systems Thinking

  • Prototyping

  • Workshop Facilitation

  • Information Architecture

  • Interaction Design

  • Usability Testing

Communication

  • Storytelling

  • Data Visualization

  • Graphic Design

  • Branding

  • Songwriting

  • Podcast Writing & Production

  • Content Creation

  • Photography

  • Videography

Publications

Hall,R.,and Reimers, E.,(2023)Like An Aura: Sonic Immersion and Historical Wayfinding.

Reimers,E.(2022)Kites in the wind: Response cries as evidence of listening. International Conference of the Learning Sciences,Hiroshima,Japan.

Hall,R.,Reimers,E.,Champion,D.N.,Tucker-Raymond,E.,Gravel,B., Millner, A.,Marin, A., Halle-Erby, K., Silvis, D.,Taylor, K.H.,and Ma, J.Y.(2020,June).Designs For Learning With And Through Sound. In R.Hall(chair), International Society ofLearning Sciences Conference, Symposium at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.

Reimers, E.(November2019).Hear Here: Teaching and Learning Through Sound on the Move.  In K. Kumashiro (chair), 9th International Conference on Education and Social Justice, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, HI.

Robinson, B. ,Reimers,E., Brennan, M., and Frischer, B.(2019,March).The Parthenons and Pedagogy: Methods and Practice, Teaching and Learning. In B. Robinson (chair), Parthenon 2: Digital Approaches to Architectural Heritage, Symposium at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.