Team

The Garage depends on the co-design of various stakeholders that come and go. Four HZ colleagues are the stable factor and form the management team. Jessica Rongen-Borgs, Charlotte Röhl, Carlien Nijdam and Marjoleijn Felius collectively operate the studio. Each has their own focus area and key responsibilities while decisions are made jointly.

Carlien Nijdam

Coach & Applied Research Expert

Carlien serves as a coach for applied research projects, bringing extensive experience from various HZ faculties and interdisciplinary minor programs. Her expertise in guiding students across diverse research topics allows her to provide valuable support throughout the minor. With a strong interest in real-life, nature-based projects, she is dedicated to helping students navigate their studies effectively. Her background in teacher training and coaching further enhances her role, making her a key asset to the team.

Charlotte Röhl

Project development & supervision

Charlotte, head of projects process at The Garage, ensures relevance and impact by balancing stakeholder interests and guiding students. With a helicopter view of all projects, she tracks progress, steps in when needed, and supports individual learning journeys. Her expertise in design thinking, project content, and critical thinking coaching makes her an essential leader in the team.

Jessica Borgs-Rongen

Management & organization

Jessica, our community, marketing and project manager, brings curiosity and a positive attitude to everything she does. With a background in vitality and tourism and experience in office and service management, she plays a key role in maintaining our unique work environment. She oversees student and employee well-being, and social activities while guiding students on professionalism. Jessica also leads internal and external marketing activities, ensuring stakeholders stay informed about collaboration opportunities. She makes sure that every semester students have interesting and impactful projects to work on.

Marjoleijn Felius

Coach & Design Thinking Expert

Marjoleijn is an Educational Developer and Lecturer at the Garage. She is known for providing and coaching students with tools to navigate and solve real-world challenges, using her specialties in system thinking, human-centered design, and creativity. As she delved deeper into Human-centered design, she realized that true innovation required more of a system approach connecting people, processes, and the world around. This approach led her to share her knowledge with the students at The Garage. As an individual, Marjolein thrives in spaces where creativity meets complexity by transforming ideas into cohesive, actionable solutions. In a world that often resists change, Marjoleijn is the facilitator who makes transformation possible.