Collaborators at Heart

Invisible Engines is located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, a place rich with the spirit of community and making. Our clients include people on the block, just down the road and around the globe.

LINETTE LAO
FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Linette Lao created Invisible Engines in 2001, naming it for the unseen desires that power us to make things—inspiration, imagination, and the impulse to reach out and connect to each other. She has over twenty years of experience helping nonprofits and foundations build strong connections through strategic and creative communications. Prior to Invisible Engines, Linette worked as an in-house designer in tech and health startups, as well as at publications like the Atlanta Jewish Times and Style magazine. She is a certified Level C strategist, a zinemaker, and a lecturer in the interdisciplinary creative writing program at Eastern Michigan University.

KIM DEBORD
DESIGNER

Kim joined Invisible Engines in 2016 bringing over twenty years of experience as a freelance creative. In addition to graphic design, Kim has applied her creative problem solving skills and holistic approach to art and exhibitions, special events, interiors and spaces, and textiles and fashion. She is a passionate advocate for community arts and is involved with the Ann Arbor Art Center and Riverside Arts Center in Ypsilanti.

LAURA O’CONNOR
STRATEGIC COUNSEL/CONSULTANT AND PROJECT MANAGER

Laura O’Connor has been a strategic marketing and communications professional since 2001 and began working with Invisible Engines in 2023. Throughout her career, she has enjoyed leading teams and collaborating with stakeholders to design and implement comprehensive marketing plans that drive social impact. She works with foundations, social justice nonprofits, researchers, and mission-driven start-ups with a focus on public health, education, and racial and gender equity. Laura is a past board member and is on the development committee for the Dispute Resolution Center of Southeast Michigan and is a business marketing coach at Washtenaw Community College’s Entrepreneurship Center.

SARAH J. ROBBINS
CONTENT STRATEGIST

Sarah J. Robbins has led content strategy and development for Invisible Engines since 2019. With a specialty in storytelling for nonprofits and startups, she has worked as a writer, editor, and coach for more than 20 years. Sarah began her career as a magazine reporter and editor for publications that include Glamour, Shape, and Consumer Reports. Her client list includes Fair Food Network, Everytown for Gun Safety, National Alliance for Mental Health, Pinterest, Tides Foundation, and Yale Medicine, among others. Sarah’s adaptation of Malala Yousafzai’s memoir for middle-grade audiences, Malala: My Story of Standing Up for Girls’ Rights, is a New York Times bestseller.