Her Story
About Kimberly
Kimberly Buchanan is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of The Design Chic, a creative and highly motivated event planner, educator, and nonprofit founder based in the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex. Through The Design Chic, she has successfully operated her event planning business for over 10 years, designing and executing a wide range of events including weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, baby showers, and special celebrations of all kinds. Known for her ability to take a client’s vision and transform it into a fully realized experience, Kimberly manages every detail from concept to completion to ensure each event is memorable, meaningful, and uniquely tailored to her clients.
Kimberly’s professional foundation is supported by a strong academic background in business administration along with training in fashion merchandising and design. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Administration and Management from Friends University, which complements her entrepreneurial work and strengthens her strategic approach to event planning. Her background in fashion design enhances her creative process, allowing her to apply an artistic, detail-oriented perspective to event aesthetics, including color schemes, layouts, and overall visual presentation. This blend of business insight and creative expertise allows her to deliver events that are both beautifully designed and thoughtfully executed.
In addition to her work in events, Kimberly serves as a special education teacher with Wylie Independent School District, where she has dedicated more than 16 years to supporting and empowering students. Her work in education reflects a deep commitment to helping students develop confidence, independence, and essential life skills. She is also the founder of Jake’s Place, a nonprofit organization she has led for the past several years, dedicated to serving and supporting individuals with special needs and their families. Across all of her professional roles, Kimberly is driven by a passion for service, community impact, and creating environments where people feel valued, supported, and celebrated.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kimberly
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would contribute my success to my mother. She never got to do a lot of things that she wanted to do in her life, and she always pushed me to strive for better, to do better than she did, to go after my dreams and everything that I wanted in life, and never give up and don't stop.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Never stop learning, no matter whether it's an education or whether it was in business. Keep striving to be better than you were yesterday. Never stop learning, never stop going to those conferences, never stop networking. One of my mentors used to tell me that if you're going to be seated at a table, make sure that that table is filled with a lot of wise people that have been in the profession that can bring more to you than you can bring to them.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Just to learn everything that they can learn, even if it's through a trade, if it's through a university, get the foundation first.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Right now, one of the biggest challenges that I'm having is just trying to get a building for our nonprofit, Jake's Place. That's kind of been one of the biggest challenges for me right now.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I value integrity, personal relationships, and loyalty. Integrity guides my decisions in both my personal and professional life, and I believe in honesty, accountability, and doing the right thing in every situation. I also place great importance on building strong, lasting relationships and being dependable, supportive, and loyal to the people I work with and care about.
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