Michelle Pannone is an Associate Professor in the Reap College of Professional Studies at Marywood University, teaching in both the School of Architecture and the School of Business and Global Innovation. In the context of community-engaged design thinking methodologies, her expertise is in innovative methods of communication, including graphic representation, virtual reality, full-scale mock-ups, and workshops as a means to convey design ideas, opening the conversation to engage a broader audience in the design process. She has worked extensively in the international realm with business executives, delivering a variety of design thinking workshops and courses. Michelle earned her Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Tech and her Master of Urbanism Studies from KTH Royal Institute of Technology. She also holds certificates in Advanced Design Thinking (IDEO), Business Innovation (IDEO), and the Charrette System (National Charrette Institute). She served as a board member for City Space Architecture (2022-2025) and for the University Hall of Innovation. Michelle is particularly passionate about developing participation mechanisms that foster engagement in the co-design process as an integral step towards an empowered community. She is driven by the power of the design thinking methodology to address design through a comprehensive approach that is both user-centred and interdisciplinary. In 2018, she founded the Community Design Build program at Marywood through facilitating collaborations and industry partnerships to support full-scale build workshops. Her current research focuses on innovative participation methodologies to create a stronger connection between students and their local communities. These projects explore the complex relationship between design and technology as a mechanism to communicate with a diverse audience.