Serene credits her inspiration for her extensive portfolio of innovative design ideas to her dedication of learning and understanding various cultures. Such inspiration has helped her build a wonderful mix of architecture and interior design projects across the United States, Asia Pacific and China for over 15 years.

Serene is the Managing Director for DiLeonardo’s Asia Pacific office. She works closely with the Partners and firm leaders and is responsible for overseeing and managing all office business and design process standards ensuring project quality from inception to completion. Serene holds to it that the highest DiLeonardo standards of design and quality service are seamlessly integrated throughout the entire design process.

Serene’s extensive design experience in different parts of the world consists most recently of overseeing HOK’s Asia Pacific Region as Director of Interiors/Operations where she not only managed her own projects, but also oversaw the overall operations role handling project management, project delivery and project directorship of the Asia Pacific portfolio.

Serene graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York with Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Architecture degrees.

Serene has completed a number of USGBC LEED certified projects within the Asia Pacific. One of which is the Vrindavan Tech Village, India of which Serene worked which received the MIPIM Asia 2009 Green Building Award and LEED Platinum certification.

Serene loves working with her hands whether it is gardening, cooking, or working with clay/ceramics. She loves feeling the earth between her fingers. The idea of creating something from raw materials just brings her pure joy. One thing you might not know about her, at one point in her life, she once dabbled with a career in food catering. She feels food and design are very much inter-related and was a great eye-opener to the business of design.