Simplified, creative, conceptual ideas, combined with a technical background in visual design and application development.
I am a web developer with design expertise and expanding interest in data analytics. I have experience working with both non-profit organizations and private foundations. I work for the MacArthur Foundation, collaborating with department colleagues, providing user experience and development for internal and external apps.
Web developer with design expertise and a growing concentration in data analysis.
Past and current clients include Verizon Wireless, Encyclopedia Pictura, IDEO, Tropicana, Harrington College of Design, Legal Advantage, Eone Timepieces, DRFP Studios, Forty Front Press, Argonne National Laboratory, MATTER Chicago, Snow & Graham, Artisan Talent, Creative Circle, Aon, Love All Day, Cherries Records, Reckless Records, Yollocalli Arts Reach, Taschen publishing, ABC News Chicago, Zenith Media, Walter Payton College Prep, Little Village Lawndale HS, Ruben Salazar Elementary School, MCA Chicago, WNUR 89.3FM, Vocalo Radio and more. Other projects are under private contract and cannot be shared publicly.
Risa collaborates with colleagues to create an engaging and informative space for its people.
Risa holds an IB from Seisen International School in Tokyo, Japan and a BFA in Visual Communications/Art & Technology Studies from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). She is a 2001 James Raymond Nelson Fellowship recipient and was awarded a Merit Scholarship upon enrollment to SAIC. She also studied, toured, and worked with a Chicago-based collaborative, Goat Island Performance Group. She has been a Teaching Assistant for Actualize’s Full Stack Web Developer Program for seven cohorts and an advocate for open source learning. In 2018, she received a professional development certificate from the Northwestern University School of Professional Studies in Data Science and continues to pursue interests in data wrangling, analytics, visualizations and python data science libraries.
Risa loves table tennis and exploring nature trails whenever possible. She is curious, full of questions, dabbles in endless creative programming projects, and loves to build dioramas for fun. She is heavily influenced by the growing community of multi-disciplinary digital creatives featured at EYEO, but also cares about connecting with humanitarian efforts as a volunteer TreeKeeper for Openlands. In her spare time, she also serves as a volunteer for Morton Arboretum and CHIVES, a data collaborative and community mapping application. Risa currently serves as a member on the Board for Plant Chicago NFP and the Technology Association of Grantmakers. She supports youth STEAM education and values the balance between the humanities and emerging technology built to benefit and protect our planet.