Mentors

Shawn Williams

Footwear Designer at Vans

“During the summer of 2020, I made the decision to change my career path, leaving the social work field to begin a new journey with aspirations to become a Footwear Designer. This new journey led me to the Pensole Design Academy, where my passion for art crafted a pathway into footwear design. My time studying design at Pensole awarded me a one-year rotational apprenticeship with Timberland, Vans, The North Face, and Altra. I now reside at Vans in Southern California, working as a Footwear Designer, partnering with CWC to lay the foundation that inspires the next generation!”

Shawn’s Instagram

Jess Rogers

Business Unit Director - Active Essentials and Trail Run at Patagonia

“I am a product leader with 15 years of experience leading high performance sport categories for best-in class brands. I am a trail runner, mom of two rad little girls, outdoor lover, and passionate about my role leading the Trail Run and Active Essentials categories for Patagonia. I am driven by the belief in building environmentally responsible, innovative, quality products that empower and connect the consumer to the sports they love. I’ve worked in range of product creation roles across Keds, Saucony, Adidas, and Patagonia.

CWC Mentoring is an incredible program and has given me a chance to share my journey with individuals embarking on their own career path. Breaking into this industry isn’t easy, the more we can help demystify the roles, path to get there, and also that sometimes it’s a very unconventional journey, the better!”

Marley Lake

Designer and Founder at Inégalé

“I’m a multimedia and brand designer with over a decade of experience blending graphic design, visual storytelling, and spatial design to build meaningful brand worlds. As the founder and designer behind Inégalé, I’ve led creative direction across all aspects of the brand — from visual identity and apparel design to campaign art direction, pop-up installations, and digital media.

Today, my focus lies in crafting cohesive brand systems and immersive experiences that combine strategic design thinking with artistic execution. Through every project, I aim to create visuals that resonate emotionally and leave a lasting impression — both within my community and on a global scale. Mentoring has been a blessing because the real work is in the people you impact.

Getting to mentor with CWC is an honor because they care about the next generation of designers and are helping close the gap that exists due to things like race and gender.”