Publications

Book Feature: User Friendly: How the Hidden Rules of Design Are Changing the Way We Live, Work, and Play, by Cliff Kuang and Robert Fabricant (2019)

Book Chapter: EdShift: A Call to Action for Transforming K-12 Education, Corwin (2011)

“Creative Kin: Guncles, Godmothers, and the Need for More Good Adults In Kids Lives,” Einhorn Collaborative (2024)

Cozy in the Crowd: How conversation pits can inspire the next generation of online spaces, New_Public (2022)

Back to School Lessons: Designing together is about learning together, New_Public (2022)

Designing Comfortable Digital Spaces with Melanie Kahl, Cohere Podcast (2022)

The Secret To Happy, Healthy Remote Work: Rituals, Mention, WBUR (2020)

"Where are the Men?": Emerging Design Insights and Opportunities for Reaching Young Men in The Battle Against HIV, Dalberg Blog

Commitment to Ethics in Youth Powered Design (HCD in ASRH), Population Services International

At the Heart of All That We Do: Janalakshmi’s Journey to a Customer-Centric Bank in Indiatomer-Centric-Bank-Case-Study.pdf, CGAP/World Bank Blog

Savings Groups Fuel Digital Design for Smallholders in Rwanda, CGAP - Consultative Group to Assist the Poor at the World Bank

Remake Your Class: 6 Steps to Get Started, Edutopia: George Lucas Education Foundation

Inside the Inspired Learning Environment, "Design is" - Shaw Contract Group Magazine

Recasting Teachers and Students as Designers, MindShift KQED

Four Lessons the Classroom Can Learn from the Design Studio, Fast Co Design

What Schools Can Learn From Google, IDEO, and Pixar, Fast Co Design

Ongoing writing:

Prototype Year Blog (2014-present)

Workshops & Presentations*

*non-project based

2024

Holding Possibility: Towards a transdisciplinary practice of holding change, Paper Talk
Design Research Society

Creative Kinship, Talk
LoveFest Conference, RADAR

Giving Outside the Box, Panel
WeGive Summit, Philanthropy Together, Virtual

Slide Slam: The World Championship of PowerPoint
2nd Place, New York

2023

Critical UX: It takes courage to Bloom - Panel: Creativity is Not a Scarcity, Humanity Centered

What product designers can learn from placemakers, WhatIF? Summit, Tech Circus, London/Virtual

d.Futures Practitioner Summit, Invited Participant, Stanford, CA

2021-2022

Learning from Lichen: Lessons for Life-Centered Design, Speaker Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design Open Lecture Series, Costa Rica

Embracing your Multifaceted Career, Speaker & Facilitator, Women in Innovation Salon

Tech for Good: Strengthening post-disaster connectivity, Panelist
World Humanitarian Forum, London

Rosenfeld Civic Service Design Conference, Facilitator (2021, 2022)

2018-2020

Keep it Human: Facilitating design & strategy from afar, Presenter, Women in Innovation Workshop

Lessons from Community Leaders, Facilitator, Facebook Social Fabric Summit, San Francisco, CA

Showcase of Community Leaders, Facilitator / Coach, Skoll World Forum, Oxford

Inside the Design Studio, General Assembly, New York

2017

From Innovation to Impact: Designing for your user, Session Design & co-Facilitator, Gates Grand Challenges Annual Meeting, Washington D.C.

Rockefeller 100 Resilient Cities Global Summit, Experience design and coaching, New York, NY

HCD in Action: Engineering for Developing Communities Class, Columbia University, New York, NY

Building Simulations for Empathic Care, Participant, Patient Revolution, New York, NY

Synthesis: From insights to ideas, Speaker, BigApps NYC, New York, NY

2016

Outstanding in Her Field: Design Solutions for Women Smallholder Farmers, Session Design and Co-facilitation, Clinton Global Initiative, Washington DC

2016 Annual Meeting, Session Design and Program Team Coaching, Clinton Global Initiative, Washington DC

2015

How to Incorporate Human-Centered Design into Your Programming, Presenter and Facilitator, Youth Economic Opportunities Conference, Making Cents International, Washington DC

Water Scarcity: From the Wetlands to the Water Glass, Session Design and Co-facilitation, Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting, New York, NY

Starting the Food Chain with Nutrition, Call to Action Session Design and Co-facilitation, Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting, New York, NY

Leadership, Ethics & Professional Practice Class, Panelist for class on Community Building and Professional Relationships, SVA Interaction Design Masters, New York, NY

LOC 213: Cognition in Context, Co-Instructor, School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (January-March 2015)

Introduction to the Chicago Design Community, Moderator, General Assembly, Chicago, IL

Meetings that Don't Suck: Experience Design for Team Engagement, Facilitator, Experience Institute, Chicago, IL

2014

Service Design Bootcamp, Participant, Copenhagen Institute for Interaction Design, Copenhagen, Denmark

Redesigning the Front Door: Connecting Store and Mission, Lead Facilitator and Strategist, 826National Annual Staff Conference, Chicago, IL

Seeds of Change: Local Food Hackathon, Invited Participant, IDEO, Chicago, IL

Cognition in Contexts: Research Methods & Storytelling, Guest Lecturer, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

Emergence, Participant, Association for Community Design, Detroit, MI

Creative Mornings, March 2014, Host, Chicago, IL

2013

Designing New Health Ecologies for Children, Speaker
The Well Conference, Chicago, IL

Make your Neighborhood More Awesome: Be a Neighbor-Designer, Speaker
EPIC: Engaging Philanthropy, Inspiring Creatives, Chicago, IL

Hack your class, shape your ecology, Workshop with Edutopia
SXSWedu, Austin, TX

Institute for Social Innovation, Roundtable Facilitator
StartingBloc, Los Angeles, CA

Prototype Teen Design Camp, Mentor & Facilitator
Natrona, WY

2012

Real World Design: Prototyping in Practice, Workshop Leader with Design for America
StartingBloc, Chicago, IL

Design Thinking for Educators, Attendee
Riverdale School & IDEO, New York

Design for Urban Health, Challenge ParticipantBruce Mau, MassiveChange Network, Chicago

The Third Teacher+: Digital, Analog, Practice, Speaker
Knowledge Architecture, Yerba Buena Arts Center, San Francisco

2011

Industry Roundtable: New media, New practice, Panelist
International Interior Design Association (IIDA), Chicago, IL

Design Thinking for Social Change, Presenter
StartingBloc, Washington DC

The Scope & Shape of School: Designing for Community, Presenter
School Building Expo, Chicago, IL

Social Innovation Case Competition: RecycleBank (runner-up), Pitch and Team Leader
StartingBloc, New York, NY

Connect: A Convergence of Design and Learning, CEFPI, Curator and Conference Manager, Chicago, IL