Francesca Sterlacci is currently President of the University of Fashion, an educational fashion DVD series, and is on the faculty of the the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Previously at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, she was Chairperson of the Fashion Design department. She is the creator of the Leather Apparel Certificate Program, the Haute Couture Program and the Outerwear and Performance Apparel Program at Fashion Institute of Technology, New York. Before that, she founded her own design company and sold at prestigious stores including Henri Bendel, Saks, Barneys, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom.