Jury Alumni

• 

  David Block

  Principal, Studio Redeye

  2022 Personal Accessory Jury Member

  After receiving his MID from Pratt Institute in 2005, David Block spent his early career at the well-known branding firm Desgrippes Gobe—now Brand Image—and other elite studios/brands. He founded Studio Redeye in 2013, with a focus on products in the juvenile, kitchen, and sports equipment categories. David specializes in designing products with and for innovative startups with whom he forms long-lasting relationships, helping these companies grow into leaders in their category.
  And now, you can understand Dave’s unique aesthetic. A rare mix of high-end craft with grounded sensibilities. He excels at making products that fit into your life, that you can connect with emotionally. His is a proven track record of award winning and exceptional design.

• 

  Michael Place

  Founder, Studio.Build

  2020 Packaging Jury Member

  A professional designer for almost 30 years, Michael co-founded Studio.Build in 2001. Beginning his career in 1990, he gained experience at various influential design studios in London, before joining the maverick graphics studio The Designers Republic in Sheffield, producing many works that have since earned a place in cultural history. Michael founded Studio.Build on one simple idea to do great work with great people- and that is at the core of the studios philosophy today. With a lifelong interest in typographic design, Michael is fascinated by the powerful part it can play at the heart of graphic communication, which is evident in the work of the studio. Michael has been on the judging panel of design awards worldwide, and has given talks and offered opinion on design at conferences across the globe. The studio has won several awards including from the prestigious D&AD global design awards.

• 

  Sunshine Thacker

  Founder, Sunshine Thacker Studio

  2024 Furniture & Lighting Jury Member

  After studying Architecture and Land Development at Texas A&M University, Sunshine spent 15 years navigating lawyers, liars and leeches before returning to her first love - clay. Sunshine's background in architecture informs her always curious - artistic and design practice. Sunshine believes in taking risks, in pushing boundaries. She’s always asking, “why?” Or more often, “why not?” Her work has been featured in Architectural Digest, Dwell, Surface, Wallpaper and Elle Decor among others.

• 

  Jason Mayden

  CEO + Co-Founder, Super Heroic Inc.

  2017 Design for Social Impact Jury Member

  In his previous role at Nike, Jason oversaw the design and execution of all conceptual products, data driven innovations and inline lifestyle and performance product for Jordan Brand, as the Senior Global Design Director. During his 13+ year career at Nike, Mayden led and contributed to the creation of innovative sport performances products for athletes and cultural icons such as Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Derek Jeter, and Michael Jordan.
  
  In 2011, Mayden successfully received his Master’s in General Management and Social Innovation from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and shortly there after he returned to Nike as the Global Director of Innovation for Nike Digital Sport where he was responsible for the strategic investigation of
  new technologies and services, such as the Nike Fuel Band.
  
  He is now at Accel assisting with the continuous development of Accel’s brand position amongst the global community of entrepreneurs while working with portfolio companies on deepening and extending their knowledge and ability to create cultures of curiosity. Moreover, he is also an advisor of Slyce, a company created by fellow Nike alum Bryant Barr and NBA Superstar Stephen Curry, a platform focused on creating a new paradigm at the intersection of campaign workflow planning and brand-to-influencer content management. Lastly, is the CEO and Co-Founder of Super Heroic a business focused on provided quality play-performance footwear, apparel and technology for elementary school aged children.

• 

  Nicolas Maitret

  Senior Principle, SY Partners

  2017 Strategy & Research Jury Captain

  Nicolas leads projects at the intersection of innovation, branding and transformation, with deep expertise in both design and business strategy. Over the past 15 years, he has designed a wide range of products, services, and environments. At SYPartners, he’s helped IBM, AARP and Johnson & Johnson bring to life new visions for their businesses and brands; imagined customer experiences for Old Navy, Blue Shield, and Target; and designed exhibits for Nike and IBM. Nicolas served as creative director on IBM’s award-winning THINK exhibit, an immersive multimedia experience that commemorated the company’s centennial. The exhibit is now a permanent installation at Epcot.
  
  
  Prior to joining SYPartners, Nicolas was a product designer in France, where he worked on innovation projects with Alstom, Coca-Cola, France Telecom, and Umae, a fair-trade company specializing in handicraft products. Nicolas holds an MFA in industrial design from ENSCI, and an MBA from ESSEC Business School.

• 

  Yosuke Ushigome

  Creative Technologist & Director, Takram

  2019 Speculative Design Jury Captain

  Yosuke is a creative technologist based in London and Director at Takram, a design innovation firm based in Tokyo and London. His primary interests are centred around emerging technologies. He probes future visions that they promise, reveals the cultural and political mechanisms behind them, and illustrates insights through making various prototypes. By doing so, he aims to facilitate in-depth understanding of the implication of emerging technologies, and encourage better-informed decision-making on our future.

• 

  Doc Martens

  UX Designer, Teach for America

  2022 Speculative Design Jury Member

  Doc Martens is a designer, creative technologist, maker, teacher, lifelong student, and geek working to help people embrace the potential of speculative practice for building futures-agency, the ability to act upon our preferred futures in a complex world.
  
  They are a UX Designer at Teach For America by day and serve on the Design Futures Initiative Board by night. They also organize the Speculative Futures NYC meetup and publish SciFly, a newsletter connecting people to global events & resources related to speculative design, art, and technology. Most recently, they helped develop and teach a new speculative futures framework, Futures x Design.

• 

  Lindsey Maxwell

  Vice President, Teague

  2024 Transportation Jury Captain

  From prototyping on the shop floor to Vice President of Teague, Lindsey Maxwell holds over twenty years of experience in the aerospace industry. Lindsey leads an interdisciplinary team of over 125 researchers, designers, and engineers at Teague’s Aerospace Studio, and she has been integral in taking the company’s legacy of human-centered design in aviation and expanding it to urban air mobility, space habitats, space travel, and other passenger experiences.
  
  Lindsey is an art lover, design nerd and travel aficionado. But above all, she’s passionate about people. Her greatest strength is building deep partnerships with industry leaders to shape the future of their business and utilize design to create competitive advantage.
  
  Lindsey holds the position of Board Chair of IDSA, the most established Industrial Design Association in the world. Prior to being elected Chair, she was the Co-Chair of the National Women in Design Committee for IDSA. She cares deeply about elevating women in the design industry and continues to support IDSA Women in Design, as well as her own group, Women in Design Executive Team, which offers camaraderie and support for women in design leadership.
  
  Outside of work, Lindsey enjoys being on or near water, remodeling her 1950’s midcentury home, and movie night with her husband and two kids.

• 

  Darrell Etherington

  Writer, Techcrunch

  2015 Open Design Jury Member

  Darrell Etherington is a writer at Techcrunch.

• 

  Bethany Koby

  CEO & Co-Founder, Technology Will Save Us

  2016 Open Design Jury Captain

  Bethany Koby is a mom, designer, educator and the co-founder of Technology Will Save Us. Technology Will Save Us is on a mission to spark the imagination using hands-on technology. Their beautifully designed DIY Gadget Kits and digital resources are the most accessible way to make, play, code and invent with technology.
  

• 

  Mark Hatch

  Chief Executive Officer, TechShop

  2015 Open Design Jury Member

  Mark is CEO and co-founder of TechShop and a recognized leader in the global maker movement. Under his leadership, TechShop revenue grew 20-fold in five years and multiple new locations have opened across the US. Mark has held executive positions at firms including Kinko's, Avery Dennison and Health Net. In 2013, his book The Maker Movement Manifesto was released by McGraw-Hill Education. He has been recognized by San Francisco Business Times as one of the Bay Area's Most Admired CEOs and by Popular Mechanics as one of 25 movers and makers who are reinventing the American Dream. Mark has spoken at events such as SXSW, Techonomy, TEDx and The Clinton Global Initiative. A former Green Beret, Mark holds an MBA from the Drucker Center at the Claremont Graduate University.

• 

  Porter Whitmire

  Senior Director of Product Development & Innovation Management, Techtronic Industries

  2018 Open Design Jury Member

  Porter Whitmire has 20 years of product design, product development, and innovation management experience. Currently, he serves as the VP of Innovation and New Business Development at TTI Power Equipment. Porter has developed over 200 different products in many different categories, including power tools, lawn and garden products, electronic devices, lifestyle products, grills, and smartphone products and apps. In 2014, Porter founded the ION program at TTI as part of the company’s open innovation initiative. The Innovation Outreach Network seeks innovations from within TTI, from universities and private companies, and also the inventor community. When not innovating for TTI, Porter enjoys family time, mountain biking, and woodworking.

• 

  Chester Chipperfield

  Global Creative Director, Tesla

  2017 Consumer Product Jury Member

• 

  Omari Souza

  Assistant Professor, Communication Design, Texas State University

  2022 Design Education Initiative Jury Member

  Omari Souza is an assistant professor in the Communication Design program at Texas State University. He is the organizer of the State of Black Design Conference (online, April 2021). He previously organized and hosted a multipanel event titled "The State of Black Design" (online, Sept. 2020), which drew a live audience of 2,071 — the second-largest Livestream audience for an educational event in Texas State's history.
  
  Omari is a first-generation American of Jamaican descent, raised in the Bronx, New York. Before arriving at Texas State, he gained work experience with companies and institutions such asVIBEmagazine, the buffalo News, CBS Radio, and Case Western Reserve University. He earned a BFA in Digital Media from Cleveland Institute of Art and an MFA in Design from Kent State University. Omari's research explores the idea of perceptions and how visual narratives influence culture — how we view ourselves and others around us.

• 

  Jill Nussbaum

  Executive Director of Product and Interaction Design, The Barbarian Group

  2015 Interaction Jury Captain

  Jill works with clients to develop long-term product experiences that explore emerging technologies and manages the Interaction Design team at the Barbarian Group. Previously she was an Executive Creative Director at R/GA, and a key player behind the design of the Nike+ platform. In her role, she oversaw the evolution of the platform to include Nike+ Fuelband, Nike+ Basketball and Nike+ Training.Jill is an active member of the New York design community and enjoys teaching, public speaking, writing, and advising young designers and tech start-ups. She currently teaches in the Interaction Design MFA program at SVA, and is a contributing writer for PSFK. She frequently guest lectures at conferences and learning institutions like Fast Company, SxSW, AIGA/NY, IxDA and General Assembly.

• 

  Jim Cramer

  Founder, The Design Futures Council

  2020 Built Environment Jury Member

  Jim Cramer is the founder of The Design Futures Council. He also founded the journal Design Intelligence. He is the author of six books on design management including Small Firm Success and Lessons From The Future both released earlier this year, 2020. His best seller book, How Firms Succeed is now in its 6th Edition. Cramer is the past CEO of The American Institute of Architects and recipient of over 80 design awards and honors.