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Kristi Shanahan

Kristi Shanahan

Regional Sales ManagerSmith System

Kristi Shepard is the Regional Sales Manager for Smith System, where she partners with K–12 districts and higher education institutions to create flexible, student-centered learning environments. With more than two decades of experience in government, education, and commercial accounts, she specializes in developing client-specific solutions, managing large-scale projects, and building long-term customer relationships.

Before joining Smith System, Kristi held leadership roles in new business development and government sales at Sam Clar and Core Business Interiors. She also spent 13 years at Verizon Wireless as a Government Account Manager, where she focused on educational technology solutions for school districts and public sector clients. In these roles, she consistently exceeded performance goals, secured multimillion-dollar projects, and earned recognition for excellence in sales and customer engagement.

Drawing on her extensive experience in education, government, and technology markets, Kristi brings practical insights into client needs, project execution, and the evolving design of learning environments.

Thu Oct 299:30 AM – 10:30 AM

Designing With Students in Mind: A Partnership that Built a Flexible Learning Hub

Discover how a traditional school library became a vibrant, flexible learning hub: built in partnership with a community recovering from the Creek Fir

Discover how a traditional school library became a vibrant, flexible learning hub: built in partnership with a community recovering from the Creek Fire. This session highlights the collaboration between Smith System, Darden Architects, and Tangram to

Discover how a traditional school library became a vibrant, flexible learning hub: built in partnership with a community recovering from the Creek Fire. This session highlights the collaboration between Smith System, Darden Architects, and Tangram to transform the Sierra High School space through intentional co-design with students, educators, and community members. The result is an adaptable student-centered environment that supports focus, coll

Discover how a traditional school library became a vibrant, flexible learning hub: built in partnership with a community recovering from the Creek Fire. This session highlights the collaboration between Smith System, Darden Architects, and Tangram to transform the Sierra High School space through intentional co-design with students, educators, and community members. The result is an adaptable student-centered environment that supports focus, collaboration, creativity, and belonging. Attendees will gain a co-design framework for creating meaningful, community-driven learning spaces.

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EDsession (60 minutes in classrooms)Session TypeTRACK 1: Learning Spaces, Reimagined — Evolving physical spaces shaping the future of learningSession Track
Emily Islip
Tasha O’Neal
Leslie Rau
Kristi Shanahan
Emily Islip
Emily IslipSmith System
Tasha O’Neal
Tasha O’NealTangram Interiors
Leslie Rau
Leslie RauPrincipal/Interior Designer, Darden Architects
Kristi Shanahan
Kristi ShanahanRegional Sales Manager, Smith System
Emily Islip
Emily IslipSmith System
Tasha O’Neal
Tasha O’NealTangram Interiors
Leslie Rau
Leslie RauPrincipal/Interior Designer, Darden Architects
Kristi Shanahan
Kristi ShanahanRegional Sales Manager, Smith System
Tags:Group D
Allow Registration:No
Capacity Unlimited:No
Indicate how the topic is applicable to Health, Safety, Welfare (HSW) Design credits.:Design and Planning: Building design, site planning, and interior design.
Learner Engagement:This session showcases the partnership between Smith System, Darden Architects, Tangram, and the district, highlighting co-design with students and educators. To model learner engagement, the session uses adult-learning principles in an active learning classroom layout furnished with the same products used in the project—featuring hands-on activities, small-group discussion, and interactive spatial exercises beyond lecture-style delivery.
Learning Objective 1:1. Recognize the Role of Space in Community Resilience Participants will understand how thoughtfully designed learning environments can support healing, belonging, and renewal in communities impacted by crisis.