Haida May

Haida May has a varied professional background, including a Technical Degree in Apparel Design and a B.S. in Human Centered Design and Environmental Studies from the University of Washington in 2008. She has worked as a Technical Designer and Handbag Designer for Tommy Hilfiger in New York and Nordstrom Product Group in Seattle. She currently works in Energy Efficiency at Puget Sound Energy in Seattle as a Senior Market Analyst.

She is interested in incorporating Sustainable Design methods into her work and will be starting the MA Program in Sustainable Design at MCAD in the Fall of 2020.

Personal Pronouns

she/her

Describe what you do for work and how your experience with it has been.

I work on the Customer Energy Management Team focusing on energy efficiency programs for commercial customers. I am able to work across internal and external teams to develop processes and improvements. In my role, I employ systems thinking to better understand the interconnections between all of the relationships to best support a holistic approach across the organization, individual teams and customers.

How did you get your job?

I first learned about my job from a fellow student I met while finishing my undergraduate minor degree in Environmental Studies, who also worked at PSE. And now I have worked at PSE for more than 16 years! My passion for sustainability is what lead me into energy efficiency and I have been fortunate to have had multiple different roles within my department over this time, which has allowed me to continue my professional and personal growth and learning.

Where did you earn your undergraduate degree, and what was it in?

I have an AAS in Apparel Design & Services from Seattle Central Community College and a BS from the University of Washington—Major in Human-Centered Design & Engineering and Minor in Environmental Studies

What was your biggest takeaway from the program?

I now have multiple sustainability frameworks I can employ when working on developing or designing. Systems thinking and collaborative strategies have been very valuable in my professional work.

How has the MA impacted your career/your life?

I have been working on completing my MA one course at a time, which has taken me five years to complete. Thus, I am very proud and grateful to have completed this program! Having an MA will boost my professional credentials and having a deeper knowledge and focus on design for sustainability will support my career growth and advancement.

How do you incorporate sustainability into your everyday life? What advice do you have for others to do the same?

There are many ways we can all be more sustainable—from recycling, reusing or repurposing to being a more purposeful consumer by supporting businesses who share and embody your values.

What would you tell students considering pursuing an MA degree in Sustainable Design?

An MASD is a great degree to obtain! It is also relevant to most industries and so you can really focus and apply design for sustainability towards any area you desire. And being able to integrate a perspective of sustainability into every type of work is necessary for our collective future.