deborah's bio
Deborah
Kawashima, founder of creativeOrganizer, comes from a creative background, adding a fresh point of view as an Organizing Consultant. She resides in LA with her husband, their two boys and pet cats, maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
influences
montessori
Her parents owned Montessori Schools, and this natural sense of
order influences her approach to organizing.
family Deborah is the oldest of five siblings from a close-knit italian-irish family, and understands the dynamics of growing up in a large family, sharing spaces and living with each other’s “stuff”.
relocations Deborah’s many moves throughout her lifetime have given her an uncanny flexibility to adapt to change and take the stress out of moving! Her adaptability translates into creating new visions for your existing space, transforming it into a place that flows with you.
downsizing With her many moves, downsizing became a way of life for Deborah and she is sensitive to the process, motivating clients to get rid of stuff when their life is in that in-between transition stage: new baby, moving, or when a family member dies.
traveling An extensive world traveler for both business and pleasure, Deborah knows how to live out of a suitcase and sets up clients to be ready for travel, anytime, anywhere.
experiences
fashion
design Deborah
worked on the creative end of the corporate world, as a fashion
designer in New York, Hong Kong and Los Angeles. She designed
children’s wear for brand name lines and private label for
major companies such as Federated, May Co., JC Penny, Dillards, Belks
and Target.
production An Account Executive for Colby International, one of Hong Kong’s largest agent’s for the garment industry, Deborah oversaw production throughout Asia and acted as a liaison between buyers, manufacturers and factories, troubleshooting on a daily basis.
products Deborah transfers her design skills from fashion to organizing products. Currently she is in development of a kids organizing product line.
writer Deborah writes organizing articles for her local papers and professional associations. She is also a published children’s book author for a Chapter book series based on the upcoming PBS kids series DangerRangers. When not organizing she writes children’s books and runs a kids book club.
memberships
National
Association of Professional Organizers - NAPO
- Board of Directors: NAPO-LA Chapter
- Director of Marketing 2006-2007 for NAPO-LA Chapter
- Director of NAPO-LA in the Schools Program since 2005
- 2006 Volunteer of the Year - The LA Organizing Awards
- Contributing Writer for NAPO and NAPO-LA Newsletters.
- Participant NAPO Conferences; 2005, 2006
National
Study Group of Chronic Disorganization - NSGCD
LA Business Referral Group Founding
member
Society
of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators - SCBWI
volunteering
NAPO-LA
in the Schools Program – Los Angeles
Developed
this interactive outreach program bringing professional organizers
into Southern California elementary schools. This program is
extending nationally with other NAPO chapters.
Click
here if you would like a presentation at your school:
DKawashima@napola.org
Carpenter
Ave. Elementary Book Club – Studio City, CA
Founded
this program to give kids strategies for reading & writing.
education
Fashion
Institute of Technology (F.I.T.) – New York /AA
Emerson
College – Boston, MA / BFA