LESLIE MICHELLE

Leslie had a front-row seat to the intricacies of the construction process as a little girl. As her father built the family home in Mexico, she was sat upon a little chair at the corner of the lot and “supervised” the construction while playing with her toys. She developed a fascination for floorplans and building design while watching her home take form.

If it started there, her future career was nourished through the ACE Mentor Program of America. Through ACE, Leslie learned about architecture, construction and engineering while still a high school student. She transitioned from student to student-leader in this program, during which time she had the opportunity to design her dream home and earned two scholarships from ACE.

She was one of two students invited to Washington, D.C. to make a presentation to a major ACE donor. After graduating, she volunteered with ACE for several years. She has also lent her talents to the San Diego Architectural Foundation, helping plan and staff its educational events.

During school at the Design Institute of San Diego, Leslie served as president of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) student chapter and several years on its board after successfully performing in additional roles before that.

Fortunately for us, she now puts her design talents to work as part of the FS Design Group team.

From the initial client meeting, through design, permitting, construction administration and close-out, Leslie is involved in every phase of our clients’ projects. She provides the continuity that keeps our clients’ work moving within schedule and budget.

Leslie opted for a career in interior design because she finds great reward in creating the experience and emotion within the built environment. She’s talented at imagining a space and its flow, recommending materials and finishes, knowing how users will feel as they walk through the door and coming up with small details that will make big differences.

She counts designing a space for Disney as one of her most rewarding past experiences. She was responsible for creating a big impression as clients entered their retail showroom in Honolulu to learn about Disney’s cruises and Alani Resort in Hawaii.

Leslie was also proud to design an award-winning sales center in Atlanta, Georgia for Silverleaf Resorts.

When she’s not working, you can find Leslie…working. She enjoys sketching floorplans on her iPad, just for fun. She also counts books, travel and eating out among her hobbies.

Leslie and her husband, Raul, live in Chula Vista—a great homebase from which to travel to work and job sites as well as visit with family in Mexico and explore the world.