Design with intention
Moving designers from intention to impact through frameworks and actionable practices
the work comes from lived experience
Jessica Bantom, The Design DEIB Consultant, is a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging practitioner, interior design consultant, and speaker whose mission is to help designers increase their cultural competence so they can create in ways that honor humanity.
Jessica is a business-minded creative whose professional experience spans marketing, IT and management consulting, and startup leadership. A skilled consultant with over 20 years of experience, her roster of clients includes renowned universities, global professional associations, and government agencies. Jessica is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Marymount University and holds a Master’s in interior design as well as a combination of a variety of certifications in DEI, change management, design thinking, coaching, and facilitation.
Whether designing systems, strategies, experiences, or spaces, the common theme throughout her unique career has been care for people. As a big picture thinker, one question she is known to ask is, “How will this project or initiative affect everyone involved?”
Philly-born, DC-based, and globally engaged, Jessica’s appreciation for cultural difference is rooted in her early education in a desegregating elementary school and diverse public school classrooms. She has often been told by her clients and audiences that her superpower is making hard topics approachable and accessible with authenticity. She strives to help her audiences normalize challenging conversations about identity and take actions – big and small – that create meaningful outcomes for historically excluded people.
In her downtime, Jessica enjoys getting away to the beach to lounge and listen to the waves. She also loves all things 90s R&B and she is likely to sing the melody, the harmony, and all parts in between.
Trusted by organizations ready for real change
From design practice to cultural change
The work began in spaces. It grew into systems.
Now it shapes how entire organizations think about identity and belonging.
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Earned a master’s degree in Interior Design and launched an independent interior design consulting practice alongside a career in IT and management consulting.
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Pivoted management consulting work into Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
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Released Design for Identity and launched a speaking business.
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Accepted a DEI executive role at a leading integrated design firm.
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Completed teaching a first university course on Design for Identity.
what she brings to the work
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Building systems that honor all identities and experiences
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Teaching teams to recognize and bridge cultural gaps
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Moving diversity work from intention into measurable impact
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Creating frameworks that center identity and belonging across all touchpoints
why she does this work
Design is never neutral. Jessica saw talented teams create beautiful work that excluded the very people it was meant to serve, and she knew the profession needed to change.
Built on education and practice
Formal training and lived experience shape her lens
Master’s in interior design plus advanced certifications
University of Virginia, Marymount University, and specialized DEI training
Published methodology and strategic frameworks
Author of Design for Identity, a guide to culturally competent design work
Trusted by universities, associations, and government agencies
Over two decades of client work across design, strategy, and organizational change