jo ann.hartley.1541359

Prior to forming Hershon Hartley in 2001, both principals lead their own practices specializing in residential and commercial projects throughout the Bay Area and Tahoe. They began their accomplished professional lives, however, on very different paths. A New York native, Hershon’s first career was in medicine. A graduate of Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia and Stanford University Medical School, she was an ICU nurse and Chief of Perfusion in the Open Heart Surgery practice at Stanford. But Hershon grew up in a design-savvy household - her mother was an interior designer – where, she says, “There were always projects on the weekends. We were either painting or beating wooden beams with chains to make them look antique!” Her love of design never left her, and she began studying interior design at Berkeley and the College of Marin before opening her own studio in 1987. Raised in a creative Mill Valley family, Jo Ann Hartley grew up surrounded by artists and musicians. After earning a degree in fine arts from the College of Marin, she began her career working in cosmetics with Diane Von Furstenberg, and remarks how the fashion diva was a design visionary and a generous mentor. “She would encourage us to look through her closets at her jewelry, clothing and shoes,” Hartley muses. “That was certainly inspiring!” After 20 years in the industry, Hartley made the transition to interior beauty by completing her design education and starting her career in decorating with respected RL Studio. In 1996, Hartley launched her own eponymous firm.