Mimi Heft brings to the Guild her energetic spirit, a knack for engagement, and a desire to support her presentation peers connecting with one another as, together, we expand our knowledge, creativity, and joy.

As graphic designer and accessible documents advisor with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), Mimi lobs her passions for public service and inclusive design at text-heavy, pie chart-speckled government decks, transforming them into understandable, impactful tools that aid audiences ranging from regional planners and environmental specialists to elected officials and a multitude of diverse communities in making wise decisions about San Francisco Bay Area infrastructure. Previous to MTC she designed reports and decks for nonprofits, academia, and science, including the Oakland Institute, Smithsonian Learning Lab, Colorado State University, and Mayo Clinic’s Center for Digital Health. Before pivoting to presentation design, Mimi was senior designer at Peachpit Press, garnering 17 awards for her book designs for Adobe, Peachpit, and New Riders, and art directing Apple’s Certified Training Series. Appointed to Pearson’s North America Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Advocates team, she championed inclusive design and management practices. As board secretary of Publishing Professionals Network (PPN), Mimi helped establish DEI protocols, coordinated speakers events, and co-organized the annual PPN Conference, at which she also spoke as a panelist on accessible and inclusive design.

When not mud wrestling government PowerPoint decks, Mimi can be found behind the mic singing jazz and blues, Americana, and freaky vocal improv as well as practicing on her Turkey Tone slide guitar, baking Hungarian pastries, or in some other way procrastinating on her Hungarian and Japanese studies.