Francesca Sterlacci is Director of Design and Merchandising at Atelier Avocado, based in California, and is on the faculty of the University of the Arts in San Francisco. Previously at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, she was Chairperson of the Fashion Design department. She is the creator of the Leather Apparel Certificate Program, the Haute Couture Program, and the Outerwear and Performance Apparel Program at FIT. Before that, she founded her own design company and sold at prestigious stores including Henri Bendel, Saks, Barney's, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom.