Jury Alumni

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  George Aye

  Co-founder, Greater Good Studio

  2018 Design for Social Impact Jury Member

  George co-founded Greater Good Studio to use design to heal, to be just, to be restorative, Previously, he spent seven years at a global innovation firm before being hired as the first human-centered designer at the Chicago Transit Authority. Since founding Greater Good he guides clients and teams through complex projects that honor reality, create ownership, and build power. He speaks frequently across the US and internationally. George holds the position of Full Professor (Adj) at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

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  Sahar Ghaheri

  Designer, Grey Area Collective

  2021 Health & Wellness Jury Member

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  Ian Montgomery

  Creative Director, Guacamole Airplane

  2021 Packaging Jury Captain

  Before starting Guacamole Airplane, Ian worked as an in-house designer for Chubbies, Areaware and Mollusk Surf Shop. He did his undergraduate coursework in Environmental Science at Stanford and masters work in Packaging Design at Pratt, where he received funding from the National Science Foundation to build a series of experimental recycling machines, and created The Packaging Cookbook.

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  Marisa Sanchez-Dunning

  Strategic Planner, Guacamole Airplane

  2021 Packaging Jury Captain

  After working with Thompson Brand Partners in the United Kingdom, Marisa Sanchez-Dunning joined Guacamole Airplane to focus on business development and design direction. Combined with her 3 years of agency experience, she also brings 3 years of client side experience from her time working with craft breweries in the United Kingdom and the Bay Area.

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  Su Mathews Hale

  CEO and Chief Creative Officer, Hale Design

  2023 Visual Communication Jury Captain

  For more than two decades, Su Mathews Hale has thrived at the intersection of design and brand strategy. Using the power of design to develop inspiring creations while solving business problems, Su has collaborated with a broad range of notable clients including Citibank, Disney, Chick-fil-A, eBay, Hawaiian Airlines, Hershey’s, Hyatt, IHG, Papa Johns, Sam’s Club, Samsung, Shutterstock, Taco Bell and Walmart.
  
  Currently as CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Hale Design, a branding agency she opened in 2019, Su recently led her creative team on Papa Johns refreshed brand identity – the visual reflection of the new tone set by the brand - a more modern, bold, fun, fresh and tasty experience. The friendly, streamlined logo reflects the pizza chain's momentum, introduces flexibility to scale digitally and positions Papa Johns for continued success and growth. Prior to Hale Design, she was a former associate partner at Pentagram, New York, and a senior partner and creative director in design at Lippincott, where Su led global projects spanning the full gamut of brand creation and identity development. While at Lippincott, she served as creative director on the famed Walmart rebranding – a massive brand repositioning and revitalization engagement that contemporized the global retail giant while retaining the values of its heritage.
  
  Su also serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, CA.

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  Ben McGinley

  Director of Design, LiveWire, Harley Davidson

  2023 Transportation Jury Captain

  As a designer and design leader at Harley-Davidson, Ben has been at the forefront of electric motorcycle design while also having the opportunity to make an impact on new and existing internal combustion spaces through a mixture of evolution and reinvention.
  
  Now, as director of design for LiveWire, Ben and his team focus entirely on the challenge of reinventing motorcycling for the electric future – transforming everyday experiences into urban adventure and beyond by creating soulful products and product experiences that build the new brand and enrich the lives of riders.
  
  In his free time, Ben spends his time reading about sustainable architecture, out in nature, or with his collection of (mostly not running) vintage motorcycles.

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  Susie Wise

  Strategic Advisor, Designer & Coach, School Retool, Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford (d.school)

  2018 Design Education Initiative Jury Captain

  Susie Wise is the founder of the K12 Lab Network at the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (a.k.a. the d.school). She founded the K12 Lab in 2007 to investigate the role that design thinking could play in the education sector. This work helped catalyze a national movement to use design thinking as an approach to project-based learning and a method for ed sector innovation. From 2012-2017 she led the team to create innovative professional development experiences for teachers, school leaders, and “edu innovators” that help them build their creative confidence and make experiments happen. Recent programs include School Retool, a fellowship for school leaders, now operating in 18 cities, and the Shadow A Student challenge, launched in 2016 with more than 3500 school leaders participating. Susie is also a co-founder of Urban Montessori Charter School in Oakland, California.
  
  Susie’s early professional experiences include developing educational multimedia for education technology startups and educational programming for Bay Area non-profits including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco International Film Festival, The Exploratorium, and the Bay Area Discovery Museum. She has a PhD in Learning Sciences and Technology Design from Stanford University and a BA in History from the University of Pennsylvania.

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  Sunil Achia

  Design Director, Healthcraft Group

  2024 Health & Wellness Jury Member

  Sunil Achia is an award winning industrial designer at HealthCraft Group, a Canadian manufacturer of fall prevention products designed to help people live more independently at home.
  
  During his +20 years with the company, Sunil has become a leader in all aspects of product design and business development. He leads a team of talented designers through product development, manufacturing and creative marketing initiatives. He is also part of the leadership team at HealthCraft, responsible for the strategic direction and culture of the company.
  
  His design approach is smart and curious, never shy to challenge the social stigmas and assumptions surrounding mobility support products. This curiosity led to the development of a new product category: 2- in-1 combination grab bar + bathroom accessories. This category has won HealthCraft several universal design awards at major exhibitions across North America, and most recently a 2023 Red Dot Design Award (a bucket list item for Sunil) for the Plus Series.
  
  In his spare time, Sunil does what he loves - Design! He is the Chapter President of Carleton University's Industrial Design Alumni Association, where he partners students with alumni professionals for one on one mentorship. Sunil is involved in design education, teaching ID courses at Carleton. He also runs a freelance business with his wife (also a successful industrial designer), providing environmental graphics services.
  
  Sunil makes time for his #1 love - music. He can be found playing bass in bands around town, or playing solo acoustic guitar at fancy dinner events.
  
  Life motto: Do what you love.

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  Svenja Diekmann

  Head of Design and R&D, Hem

  2019 Furniture & Lighting Jury Member

  Svenja Diekmann is the Head of Design for Stockholm-based design brand, Hem where she oversees the brand’s daily design operations, from Hem’s various design departments, to material and color research, to R&D work with their European factory network. She has overseen some of Hem’s most iconic products, such as the Palo sofa, Alphabeta lamps and the Arthur Arbesser blankets and rugs, to name a few. Prior to her work with Hem, she worked with many some of Europe’s leading design firms, such as Patricia Urqiola.

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  Michal Levin

  VP of Product, Hero

  2021 Strategy & Research Jury Member

  Michal is the VP of Product at Hero, aiming to help people manage their health better, and live their lives to the fullest. She is passionate about solving hard problems that make a difference in people’s lives, and in a career of over 15 years, led UX and product across Google, Verily Life Sciences, Zoox, modu and more. She authored the book "Designing Multi-Device Experiences" (O'Reilly Media) and several other publications, mentored dozens of startups, and spoke at local and global conferences. Also the mom of two toddlers, an avid audible listener and a big fan of live music shows.

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  Cas Holman

  Principal, Heroes Will Rise

  2023 Toys & Play Jury Member

  For two decades Cas Holman has been designing playthings and playspaces that encourage exploration, imagination, and collaboration. Through her company Heroes Will Rise, Cas creates intuitive toys that inspire creative, open-ended play, including the award-winning Rigamajig, a line of playful building kits used in schools and public spaces worldwide. An educator of 12 years and former Associate Professor of Industrial Design at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Cas travels the globe to collaborate with thought and industry leaders in early education, curriculum design, public space, and childhood advocacy who share her passion for creating opportunities for child-directed free play. Her philosophy and approach to designing for play was recently featured in the award-winning documentary series “Abstract: The Art of Design” on Netflix.

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  Judith Baehner

  Founder, Het Groenlab

  2022 Built Environment Jury Member

  Judith Baehner, concept maker and plant-architect, is the founder and owner of Het Groenlab. Fascinated by nature and the relationship of humans with nature. she is a plant-guru, plant-poet, designer, and teacher. She combines her experience as a plant expert with being a stylist and editor for magazines with her passion for plants to create inspiring and inventive green experiences. Her designs, articles, books, pictures, videos, lectures, workshops, and plantings are stylish and personal. Judith wants to inspire you to love all things green as much as she does. She wants to show you how easy it is to grow plants and enjoy them. All across Europe she leads projects, talks and workshops in which you can really feel her passion and her story. Alongside the work in the ‘lab’, Het Groenlab helps individuals and companies create green living and working spaces for a happier and healthier lives. The plantings made by Het Groenlab are about cultivating personal spaces, and are planted with love and care.

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  Mike Ford

  Founder, Hip Hop Architecture

  2019 Design for Social Impact Jury Member

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  Tracy DeLuca

  Founder / Design Strategist, How Might We Design

  2020 Service Design Jury Member

  Tracy DeLuca is the Founder of How Might We Design, a mental health-focused creative consultancy. Recently, as the Principal Design Lead for Sutter Health, Tracy helped launch a series of successful innovation initiatives across the system, including a new virtual-first primary care model that integrates behavior change into everyday care, supported by a more accessible value-based insurance experience. Additionally, she was Design Lead for Sutter’s Mental Health Reimagined initiative, where her work focused on a human-centered deep dive into the Acute Care experience, and strategic development of an engagement platform to support youth transitioning out of formal care back into their everyday lives. Prior to her healthcare industry experience, Tracy spent 7 years at global design firm IDEO, as a Communications Design & Project Lead, and 10 years in advertising.