Hello

I am a designer, strategist, teacher and co-creation partner who believes passionately in the power of creative approaches as a transformative force in society. The essentials of this approach is that it is people centered, regenerative and light-footed. I am also a realist and am all too aware that design practice, in particular because of its founding linkages to neoliberalist economics, has been at the root of many of the problems we face in society today. As Raymond Lowey said, “Design is too important to be left to designers”. Building on my doctoral research work in India, during which I explored grassroots design responses with crafts communities, I am committed to following an inclusive, co-creative approach to design where all voices and perspectives are valued, prioritizing the inclusion of this voices that have been marginalized and silenced. 

I have worked as a designer in the manufacturing sector and as an innovation consultant to small businesses. More recently as an academic I have focused on the impact of design on people and planet. As an academic leader I have worked across three continents and most recently I was the founding director of the Syracuse University School of Design and the Inaugural Iris Magidson Endowed Chair of Design Leadership. As I have transitioned away from hands-on leadership, I am developing my work as a strategic creative coach/mentor - a role which allows me to get out of the way as a white, cis-gendered, temporary able-bodied (TAB) male. I provide support and space as a thinking partner, especially to those who choose to bring more diverse perspectives to  positions of influence.

As a professor I split my time between researching and teaching on the philosophies, ethics and impacts of design on society and ecology. I ground this work in more practice-led roles as the designer-in-residence at the Near East Foundation (The United States’ oldest nonsectarian international development NGO) and as a design volunteer at Arise Adaptive Design, (a local organization I helped establish where everyday materials are used to create customized equipment and adaptive devices for children and adults who have disabilities).