Interior Design Faculty

Kelly Gore is the chair of the Interior Design department, an NCIDQ certificate holder, has participated with IDEC, IIDA and ASID throughout her professional design career. Her early work in the design field was in the commercial realm, designing hospitals and medical suites, office buildings, schools and restaurants. More recently, she ventured into the entrepreneurial world, both designing and owning/operating a retail business in Franklin, TN. She has extensive experience in teaching design, having been an instructor, curriculum designer and administrator. She has been with O'More College in some capacity for 17 years.

Peter Aylsworth is a local architect living in the Nashville area. He and his family moved from Washington where he was born, raised and educated. Peter began in high school working for local designers doing hand drafting for custom residential and small commercial projects. Working his way through school, he designed homes, was a TA in the architecture wood/metal shop, and was on staff with the City of Seattle’s Design Commission and subsequent CityDesign department. In 2000, he graduated from the University of Washington with a Master of Architecture degree and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Architectural Studies and English Literature, as well as a graduate Certificate of Preservation Planning & Design. After graduate school Peter spent 20 years with small architecture firms designing a range of commercial, retail, industrial, and residential projects before joining the O’More College team.

Finis is a proud alumnus of O’More School of Design. He has teaching experience in design and sustainability, and professional experience in urban and environmental planning with emphasis in concept development, community engagement, and human-centered design. He engaged global scholarship in Denmark, Sweden, and Germany, with focused academic research in spatial appropriation and social landscapes. He was the recipient of the 2016 American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Honors Award for his graduate thesis Rose Color Light, which investigated the socio-cultural evolution of global death-scapes, and has shown at two art exhibitions in Berlin. Finis teaches Design Philosophy and Studio I. 

Dr. Heejin Lee received her Ph.D. in environment design from Michigan State University in 2019 after earning an M.A. in color design from Ewha Women’s University and a B.A. in industrial design from Handong Global University, both in South Korea. She has taught interior design courses at Michigan State University in Lansing, foundation design courses at College for Creative Studies in Detroit, and studio art courses at Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan. Dr. Lee’s research focuses on color design, lighting design, universal design, and emotional design which she has presented at the Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) conference, Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC) conference,  The International Colour Association (ICA) conference, and Korean Society of Color Studies (KSCS) conference. Dr. Lee’s research has also been published in the Journal of Interior Design and the Journal of Lighting Research & Technology.

Rebecca has been an employee of O’More for seventeen years serving as an adjunct instructor, chair, and, now,  full-time assistant professor. Her background includes exhibit design (both international and domestic), commercial, hospitality, and healthcare design. She studied at the Vicenza Institute of Architecture in Vicenza, Italy, while at Auburn. She is a registered interior designer and an NCIDQ* certificate holder. Rebecca is a member of IIDA* and IDEC*, where she attends annual conferences and serves the students in the School of Interior Design, focusing on advising and mentoring. She has taught a variety of courses in the curriculum and currently teaches Design Philosophy and Studio IV.

*Institute of Architects (AIA), American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), International Interior Design Association (IIDA), Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ), National Home Builders Association (NHBA), Tennessee Women in Green (TWIG), United States Green Building Council (USGBC).

Jerica Banks is Adjunct Faculty in Interior Design at O’More School of Design. Jerica is a professional Interior Designer with over six years of combined commercial, residential, and project management experience in the design industry. As a full-time Interior Designer II at Staples Business Advantage in Brentwood, TN, Jerica works on large scale corporate and healthcare projects across the country. Jerica serves on the board for IIDA – TN Chapter as the student liaison at Belmont University and as the faculty advisor for the IIDA student chapter here at Belmont.

Jerica is a graduate of O’More College of Design and is thrilled to be back working with the future designers of the community and contributing to their success as designers. She is currently teaching Design Interaction. Her teaching philosophy is that “instant gratification is not always the best gratification. There is beauty in the process and acknowledging this will make your outcome greater than your expectations.” She is a firm believer that Interior Design shapes the world and our everyday living.

Jerica is also a wife, mother, and sister and enjoys mentoring, volunteering, and spending time with her incredible family.

Susan is the owner of Franklin Preservation Associates and consults on kitchen and bath design, as well as, various preservation projects. She serves on the Franklin Historic Zoning Commission as Chairwoman and is a member of ASID*, USGBC*, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She is a Tennessee state registered interior designer and is an NCIDQ* certificate holder. She teaches Studio I, Design History I, Historic Preservation.

Mr. LeMarinel is a licensed architect and a partner at Allard Ward Architects, a local Nashville architecture and planning firm. Tyler has extensive experience in both residential and commercial architecture as well as a background in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering and graphic design. His work has been awarded dozens of Preservation Awards by the Metro Nashville Historic Commission and been featured in several print and web publications.

Tyler also serves on the Academic Advisory Board for the Architectural Sciences program at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Western Kentucky University where he graduated in 2007. Tyler completed his Master of Architecture degree at the University of Colorado in 2011 and began teaching at O’More College in 2012. He has taught Design Studio II, Design Technology I and Design Technology II.

Kathy holds a BID from Louisiana State University, College of Art and Design. She is a Professional member of ASID, a registered Louisiana State Licensed Interior Designer (LSLID) and an NCIDQ certificate holder.

Kathy’s professional practice spans over 36 years and has encompassed a variety of work in New Orleans and surrounding areas. Her background includes interior design and project management of residential historical properties, commercial retail properties, high rise office buildings and oil platform living quarters. 

Since moving to Nashville in 2016, she has embraced teaching freshmen to senior level interior design courses such as NEOCON Chicago Market Trip, ID Materials I, ID Materials II, Studio IV and Studio VI.