Mariana has been at the helm of Designmatters, Art Center’s social impact department, since its founding in 2001. The agency role that artists and designers play in addressing critical societal issues affecting the well-being and prosperity of our communities is at the center of all of the educational projects, partnerships, exhibitions and publications under her mantle. A native of Argentina, Mariana is a Non-Profit Fellow with the Doctor of Management Program, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University; she holds an MA in Art History and Museum Studies from the University of Southern California and a License en Letters from the Sorbonne University, Paris.

Designmatters

As an Instructor and Chair of Product Design, Karen is instrumental in introducing new design research processes, curriculum and vision-casting projects with numerous sponsors including Nokia, Nestle, Samsung and Nike. She created the strategy for CMTEL and is developing a unique educational program around color, materials and trends. Karen introduced DesignStorms® (innovative immersions with Art Center faculty and students) to partners such as Adidas, Volkswagen, Disney and Eastman Innovation Lab to explore future market opportunities. She leads the innovative study abroad program with INSEAD International Business School and created Art Center’s design thinking executive education program hosted at ESADE Business School.

Art Center College of Design

Johanna Blakley is the Managing Director and Director of Research at the Norman Lear Center, a research and public policy institute that explores the convergence of entertainment, commerce and society. Based at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, Blakley performs research on a wide variety of topics, including global entertainment, cultural diplomacy, celebrity culture, virtual reality, digital media and intellectual property law. She has two talks on TED.com: Social Media & the End of Gender and Lessons from Fashion’s Free Culture, and she speaks frequently in the U.S. and abroad about her research. She received a PhD in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she taught courses on popular culture and twentieth-century literature. Blakley has held a variety of positions within the high-tech industry, including Web producer and digital archivist at Vivendi-Universal Games.

Johanna Blakely

Alex is passionate about leading multi-disciplinary teams through extensive innovation programs with an emphasis on brand experience and design. His interests lie in helping clients in the definition and translation of their brand into meaningful product and service encounters. Over his 10 year tenure at Continuum, Alex has led a variety of engagements for clients such as American Express, Nokia, Pfizer, Samsung and Target.

Alex graduated magna cum laude from E.N.S.A.V, receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design. He has taught a class on experience design at Tufts University, and lectures regularly at the Art Center College of Design. Since 2009, Alex co-leads Continuum’s newest studio in Los Angeles.

Continuum