Our Approach
We strive for close partnerships and collaboration with our customers. Clients tell us all the time that they feel like we walk in their shoes because we understand their business imperatives and organizational dynamics. How are we able to do this? We believe it’s because we integrate business and HR expertise, a people-centered approach and creativity to spark revelations and create lasting clarity.
Business and HR expertise: We are business professionals first, artists second. We focus on what drives your business, your bottom line and your culture.
People-centered: We approach all our work with a human-centered design mindset, putting people at the center of what we do. Our creative facilitation unlocks your group’s collective genius.
Creativity: Visual Thinking is our superpower. We leverage creativity to bring ideas to life, surface hidden patterns and inspire action.
The Drawbridge Team
We collaborate with a talented network of graphic facilitators, illustrators, graphic recorders, writers, communication experts and animators to meet the unique needs of our clients.
Nitya Wakhlu | Founder & Visual Strategist
Nitya Wakhlu is the founder and Chief Visual Strategist at Drawbridge Innovations.
Based in beautiful Portland, OR, Nitya is best known for her expertise in designing group processes with the ability to synthesize and visualize conversations in real-time. She has more than 10 years of experience working as a visual practitioner and is proud to have served a diverse range of clients across three continents.
Nitya has a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering and an MBA focused on Human Resources and Industrial Relations. Nitya’s previous work experience includes her role at GE, where she worked as an Area Sales Manager in Consumer Finance–followed by her work as an L&D consultant with Pragati Leadership Institute, India.
Nitya has served on the board of directors of the International Forum of Visual Practitioners (IFVP) and helped shape the future of global visual practice. Things that make her eyes shine include learning about the brain, studying behavior change, improv theater and drinking (good) wine.
Alece Birnbach
Graphic Recorder, San Francisco, CA - Alece is an experienced fine artist, illustrator, and graphic recorder with a lifelong passion for drawing and storytelling. As a graphic recorder, Alece communicates in pictures and words, synthesizing content and making it more accessible for audiences all over the world from Fortune 500 companies to small nonprofit organizations.
Alece is also an expert digital illustrator and creates beautiful infographics and animated videos that bring clarity to a wide range of concepts.
Rebecca Dougan
Accounting Lead, West Virginia - Rebecca leads the financial operations for Drawbridge. She works with Drawbridge customers on contracting and other aspects of client-care management. Internally, Rebecca manages recordkeeping, business analysis and insight generation — helping our team stay on track and hit our financial goals.
Rebecca lives in beautiful West Virginia with her family, working remotely with Drawbridge clients and team members.
Fry
Graphic Recorder, Portland, OR - Fry is a visual strategist, illustrator, and community organizer who believes images are a powerful tool for creating positive change.
With a strong foundational knowledge of design and teaching she has held leadership roles in the education sector for the past 5 years. Fry’s interest in visual work is founded in an appreciation for deeper levels of listening, cultivating new mindsets, and allowing space for people to be creative.
Becky Engel
Consultant, Portland, OR - As a business executive, Becky develops strategic marketing plans and improves brand, business development, and marketing effectiveness. Over two decades working at marketing agencies, she created strategic plans, new brands, messaging frameworks, crisis communications and programs for stakeholder engagement, lead gen and visibility.
Her favorite thing is to bring varying groups into alignment against a common message and vision, arming teams with the right assets to realize a vision.
Suzanne Pflaum
Facilitator and Coach, Portland, OR - Suzanne is a skilled facilitator, who works at the intersection of leadership development and strategy consulting. Suzanne partners with leaders to quickly translate latent natural gifts into visible talents to accelerate individual and teams’ growth. She simultaneously coaches, teaches, and provides rigorous advisement - a rare combination in consulting services that converts clients into raving fans. She guides teams toward their greatest potential with a principled approach rooted in integrity and partnership.
Whether in a multi-month program, team off-site, or weekly stand-up, Suzanne weaves expertise in facilitation, design thinking, and engagement.
Launa Post
Client Relations Lead, Pennsylvania - Launa is our client services manager at Drawbridge. She partners with our customers to understand their business goals and unique goals for each project. She leads staffing for Drawbridge and ensures that our clients receive an exceptional experience.
Launa holds a degree in speech communication and brings decades of project management and client care expertise to everything she does.
Deanna Rizzo
Project Manager, Portland, OR - Deanna is our problem solver. As our Project Manager and our Operations Manager, she supports our teams to deliver the best work possible, ensuring our clients get the best value for their budget.
Deanna has over 20 years of project management experience specializing in team collaboration and projects focused on visual storytelling. From one-off deliverables to multi-team, multi-year programs, Deanna has us running efficiently.
Kate Sheofsky
Strategic Writer, Portland, OR - Kate is a digital marketing professional with a 15-year track record of advancing business objectives by designing strategies, creating compelling interactive content and experiences, and engaging with audiences. Kate Sheofsky hails from San Francisco, where she developed a love of writing, Giants baseball, and houses she can’t afford.
Robbie Short
Illustrator and Animator, Marietta, GA - Drawing from over ten years of experience as a visual practitioner, Robbie works closely with clients to translate their complex ideas into visual stories that are memorable and powerful. Robbie is an expert illustrator and data visualizer, and has collaborated with a range of organizations from startups to Fortune 500 companies.
He is also a skilled whiteboard animator and combines the power of creativity, engaging visuals and narrative in our animated videos.
Liisa Sorsa
Graphic Recorder, Toronto, Canada - Liisa has been a graphic recorder and graphic facilitator for over 20 years. She began her career in a small facilitation group as a knowledge worker where she learned meeting facilitation, web design, and graphic facilitation. This is where her love for graphic facilitation began, and continued to flourish. Liisa continues to focus on visual language with a focus on training students and communities to use this skill in their own work.
Explore How We Think
“In 2012, I came across a video of Nitya Wakhlu speaking about graphic recording and why she fell madly in love with it and why you should care. I LOVED it!
In over 22 years in this field, tracking Nitya down in Portland, Oregon was quite possibly one of the smartest things I've ever done. ”
— Deirdre Crowley, Crowley & Co.
