Our Team

Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Jameel comes to PD with a difficult background. After dropping out of high school and enrolling in the job corp, Jameel ended up being kicked out and found himself homeless. Finding his way to Indianapolis and staying at Wheeler Mission, Jameel got connected to PD and began to get his life back on track. He is one of our long-standing, trustworthy, and dependable employees. However, that wasn’t always true. Jameel was terminated from employment at PD after his first 6 months for poor attendance, he went and got wise counsel, and has now been here for 6 years.

Jameel is our Sanding Department Lead and oversees 6 team members who have a lot of respect for him. We are so proud of the man he has turned into and can’t say enough good things about his ability to add value. Outside of work, Jameel likes to try new restaurants, enjoy good sleep, and hangout with friends.

Dewey oversees all material ordering, powder coating, quality control, and fabrication of the metal department. After growing up in Logansport, IN, Dewey followed in his father's footsteps and fell into a life addiction and poverty. Dewey was incarcerated multiple times, the last one landing him on the same cell block as his father.

After developing a relationship with Jesus during a stay at Good News Ministries, Dewey decided to make a change. He has now been at PD for almost 5 years, his longest running and best job he has ever had. Now that his life is back on track, he has the high honor of full-time parenting his teenage son and is doing his best to teach him to be a man.

Dewey is a resident of the Brookside neighborhood and enjoys disc golfing, cooking, and finding great local restaurants.

If you ask Jessee, his responsibilities include "doing whatever he is told to do", but his formal job title is delivery department lead. Born in Idaho and raised in Utah, Jesse's parents taught him right from wrong. However, he decided to do exactly the opposite. Diving into addiction and alcoholism, Jesse found himself working odds and ends jobs to fund his problems, it wasn't until his encounter with Jesus that he started to take life seriously..

Jesse is now married to his wife Debra and has a son named Canaan. He is a proud resident of the Brookside neighborhood and cares deeply about the people in his life.

If you ever come to PD, you won't forget meeting Jesse. What a joy he is!

Joe is responsible for a large part of our sanding department at PD. He takes ownership for training new employees, making sure the QC process is running smooth, and brands all of our tables before going to finish. After going through rounds of emotional and physical abuse after being adopted, Joe left his childhood home and tried to start a new life. A series of decisions and circumstances over a long period of time lead to the loss of his home and access to his family. Knowing this isn't how he wanted to live, he started the rebuilding process and ended up in Indianapolis at Wheeler Mission. Joe has been working at PD for three years and has rekindled a relationship with his son. He enjoys cooking, watching movies, and spending time with friends. We are grateful to know that, "after 3 years of working here, I still wake up and say 'I get to go to work.'”

Chris is our milling supervisor here at PD. He takes care of the building of all of our tabletops and oversees operations for lumber selection, milling, and glue-ups. In the past, he has struggled with alcoholism but is committed to living into the fruits of a life of sobriety. Chris has a loving family and enjoys helping to take care of his girlfriend and her kids.

True to his California roots, Christ enjoys doing anything outside and in the sun. Rooting on the Dodgers, Chargers, and Lakers are how he likes to spend his free time. Us Indiana folk won't hold it against him.

Eric is responsible for the manufacturing of all custom products at Purposeful Design. His job contains a lot of problem solving and tiny details. Turning his woodworking hobby into a career, Eric is the product of a high-end cabinet shop and is loving now working at Purposeful Design. He has a wife and two dogs and loves ultimate frisbee, running, and spending time with family outdoors.

Guy has been making furniture for over 45 years and started designing furniture 30 years ago. After a long career in sales and operations management, here in Indianapolis, Guy now works full time at Purposeful Design designing custom furniture for PD’s customers.

Meet Kelly Donaldson, the project manager at Purposeful Design who’s mastered the art of desk walking—because why not combine cardio + spreadsheets? Hailing from Indianapolis, Kelly proudly survived Indiana University and emerged 1) more educated and 2) with a profound appreciation for basketball. When she's not orchestrating projects like a maestro, you can find her wrangling two energetic kiddos and charming her husband, Ben, with tales of PD office adventures. If there’s a chance to blend work and fun, Kelly is on it!

Margaret was born and raised in South Bend Indiana. The youngest of 9 kids including triplets - Margaret's mother was a saint for having 6 kids in diapers at one time! She now has two kids, twins, who are the light of her life. Outside of selling thousands of tables a year, Margaret enjoys running with her daughter and playing golf with her son.

Being from South Bend, she is a huge Notre Dame football fan. You could imagine her excitement when they reached out to have a table built for one of their football coaches. Go Irish!

Julie is a life-long Hoosier and feels so blessed to be part of the fight against poverty through Purposeful Design. She comes to Purposeful Design from a background in community and economic development with the Indy Chamber, and she enjoys spending time with her two grown children, watching basketball, baking, and cycling.

David is CEO of Purposeful Design and was around at its launch in 2013 when it began as a result of a simple prayer, "Lord, would you have me do anything?". What excites David most about Purposeful Design is the dramatic life change seen each day and the many individuals and organizations throwing their weight into the fight against poverty through Purposeful Design. David is married to Cindy, who leads an organization called Heart Change which helps women and their children. David loves his family and likes to play guitar, exercise and hike. Home is in the Brookside neighborhood where David and his wife enjoy doing life with wonderful friends.

Brian comes to Purposeful Design with a background in accounting and a passion for living life on mission. A devoted follower of Christ, husband, and father of three, Brian’s hobbies include woodworking, golf, and cheering on the Clemson Tigers.

Matt is blessed to be able to lead and oversee multiple areas on the business side as well as various aspects of ministry here at Purposeful Design. A former missionary and business owner, Matt holds a toolkit that helps PD on various fronts. He is originally from Indianapolis and went to school locally at IUPUI and Taylor University. He met his wife of 25 years while at Taylor and they have one son Mateo. Matt enjoys spending time helping others, traveling with his wife, going to Wheaton College football games to watch his son play, and being a part of the CrossFit community. Matt's biggest passion at PD is to help craftsmen reach their fullest potential.

Danny currently leads the design department and provides technical direction for custom projects. He is originally from a small town in Michigan where he picked up a love of creativity and making things. This led him to a custom cabinet making career after attending Marc Adam’s School of Woodworking. Out of a desire to do something with deeper meaning and lasting significance, he came to Purposeful Design. He enjoys interacting with and getting to know the men in the shop and all things outdoors, (especially canoe trips).

Originally from Livingston, LA;  Jordan's career path has been anything but boring—starting in industrial chemical manufacturing, moving into furniture installation, and now enjoying the world of furniture manufacturing as a Project Manager with Purposeful Design. Outside of work, Jordan is busy chasing around her energetic three-year-old son and diving into all sorts of creative projects when she get's the chance. One thing's for sure—Indiana weather and Jordan are definitely not best friends!

Brady has the high honor of leading the sales and marketing efforts here at Purposeful Design. He enjoys the challenge of delighting customers while also sharing the redemptive stories that spring forth every day here at PD. Brady is originally from Cincinnati and is a graduate of Taylor University where he met his now wife, Jenna. Brady enjoys a good book, his son’s laugh, and all things Cincinnati sports. He and his wife love being a part of the Brookside neighborhood in Indianapolis and care deeply about the mission of Purposeful Design not only while at work, but in all of life.