Brookdale’s Jesse Cermak Brings Nationally Recognized Design Experience to the Classroom

Jesse Cermak has built a nationally recognized career in hospitality interior design, contributing to acclaimed projects, earning industry recognition and working at the forefront of a profession that first captured his interest as a student at Brookdale Community College.

Today, Jesse brings that experience into Brookdale’s Interior Design classrooms, where he gives students a direct connection to the industry they are preparing to enter.

Jesse is a designer and member of the leadership team at Rose Ink Workshop, a Miami, FL-based interior design firm specializing in hospitality spaces. The firm was named to Forbes’ 2026 list of America’s Top Hospitality Architects & Designers. Jesse has contributed to acclaimed projects including The Wall Street Hotel and The Well in New York City, which have been featured in leading design and lifestyle publications.

His path to the industry began at Brookdale, where he earned his associate degree in interior design before continuing his education at Parsons School of Design, earning his bachelor’s degree and launching a career in hospitality design.

That experience as both a Brookdale graduate and a practicing professional gives Cermak a distinctive perspective in the classroom. He understands firsthand what it is like to be a Brookdale Interior Design student developing skills, building confidence and beginning to imagine a future in the profession.

“Since joining Brookdale as an adjunct faculty member in 2021, Jesse has become an invaluable member of our Interior Design family,” said Brookdale Interior Design Professor Celeste Chirichello. “He brings our students something incredibly important—the perspective of a working designer who is actively engaged in the profession.”

Jesse encourages students to experiment, take creative risks, and look beyond expected solutions. Through concept models and innovative teaching strategies, he helps students find new ways to visualize their ideas and develop the creative problem-solving skills essential to professional practice.

He also encourages students to consider the larger impact of their work, challenging them to think about interior design as a tool for inclusion, accessibility, environmental responsibility, community, health, and social change.

Just as importantly, Jesse creates an environment where students can test ideas, make mistakes, try again, and develop confidence in their own creative abilities.

“That is one of Jesse’s greatest strengths,” Chirichello said. “He helps students believe that they belong in this profession.”

Jesse also looks for opportunities to connect students with the industry beyond the classroom. In 2023, he spearheaded Brookdale’s participation in an International Interior Design Association (IIDA) student competition, challenging and mentoring students as they prepared their work and helping guide them to award-winning success. The experience gave students an opportunity to showcase their talents while beginning to see themselves as members of the professional design community.

More recently, Jesse played an instrumental role in developing a new culminating event for Brookdale’s graduating Interior Design students. Designed to showcase student work and connect graduates directly with industry professionals, the event gave students an opportunity to build relationships, gain exposure, and take an important step toward their careers.

Jesse brought his creativity, professional connections, energy and work ethic to the project, helping turn it into an event that generated significant visibility for the Interior Design program and resulted in job opportunities for participating students. Following its success, the showcase will become a signature annual event for the program.

His willingness to share his professional network and experience is part of what makes Jesse’s role at Brookdale particularly valuable. Students are learning from someone who understands where they are because he once sat in the same classrooms, while also bringing current knowledge of the expectations, opportunities and possibilities awaiting them in the field.

For Jesse, teaching is not simply about preparing students to become technically proficient designers. It is also about helping them develop the confidence to see themselves as professionals capable of contributing their own ideas and perspectives to the industry.

“That is the mark of an exceptional educator,” Chirichello said.

Jesse’s contributions to Brookdale and its students were recently recognized with the College’s Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award. The honor recognizes an educator whose influence extends beyond the classroom through mentorship, collaboration, and a commitment to student success.