Manuel Divino

Professor MJ Divino, RA, NCIDQ is a Lecturer and Coordinator of the Interior Design program at Kean University. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington University in St. Louis with a major in Architecture and a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Michigan. He has worked for numerous firms in New Jersey and New York, and currently is the co-owner of MK Divino Interiors, LLC, which he runs with his wife Mary. He has been a design educator since 2003, having taught at Berkeley College as well as Kean University.

MJ’s design philosophy, both at work and at school, is centered on the human experience. Functionality, usefulness, and problem solving are the mainstays of his approach, with an emphasis on storytelling and the ability for design to improve people’s lives and therefore society overall. Although he teaches and uses current technology on a daily basis, MJ stresses the importance of the designer as “maker”, where what is made by hand is an important – if not the most important - reflection of the creative process.