Jury Alumni

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  Natalie Nixon, Ph.D.

  Founder, Figure 8 Thinking

  2022 Strategy & Research Jury Captain

  Natalie Nixon is the creativity whisperer to the C-suite, helping leaders make better business decisions through wonder and rigor. At Figure 8 Thinking she’s a creativity strategist, global keynote speaker and author of the award winning The Creativity Leap. Real Leaders named Natalie one of the top 50 keynote speakers of 2022 and she’s been featured in Forbes and Fast Company. She received her BA from Vassar College, and her PhD from the University of Westminster. These days you can find her on the ballroom floor fine-tuning her cha-cha and foxtrot. Learn more at figure8thinking.com and follow her @natwnixon.

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  Eric Noble

  Professor, Vehicle Technology, Art Center College of Design

  2016 Transportation Jury Captain

  Eric is founder and president of The CARLAB, an advanced automotive consulting firm which helps manufacturers and suppliers plan and design new vehicles. Founded in 1999, it is the most influential auto product consultancy in North America, serving carmakers from Nissan to Ferrari, Toyota, VW, Honda and Subaru, in addition to industry suppliers such as Continental, global auto clubs and the energy industry.
  Eric is also Professor of Vehicle Technology at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, where most of the world’s top car designers are trained.
  He is a frequent media commentator and analyst on the auto industry, and a member of the Motor Press Guild.
  In addition to his professional activities, Mr. Noble is a longtime environmental volunteer with the Sierra Club, and enjoys surfing and off-road camping with his wife and two sons.

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  Lesley-Ann Noel

  Assistant Professor, Design Studies, North Carolina State University

  2023 Health & Wellness Jury Member

  Lesley-Ann Noel was trained as an Industrial Designer at the Universidade Federal do Paraná. She holds a PhD in Design from North Carolina State University and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of the West Indies. She is an Assistant Professor at the College of Design at North Carolina State University. She is co-Chair of the Pluriversal Design Special Interest Group of the Design Research Society. She is one of the co-editors of The Black Experience in Design for Allworth (2022) and has created several design tools for critical reflection such as The Designer’s Critical Alphabet and the Positionality Wheel.

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  Jordan Nollman

  CEO & Principal, Sprout Studios

  2019 Consumer Technology Jury Captain

  Jordan Nollman is a Boston-born, award-winning designer who is inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of design. In his current capacity, Jordan is CEO/Principal of Sprout Studios, Chief Creative Officer at Pawscout, and Entrepreneurs Longevity Club, as well as Founder of the newSprout Foundation – a non-profit that creates mobile apps for charity.
  
  Jordan has designed products and experiences for many of the world’s top brands and design consultancies, including Alienware, Altec Lansing, Altitude, Astro Studios, Burton Snowboards, Coors Light, CVS, Disney, Dell, Dwell Studio, Eleven, Fisher Price, Herman Miller, HP, Honda, IDEO, Jarden Consumer Products, Microsoft, Manta PD, New Balance, Nike, Pogoplug, Puma, P&G, Razorfish, Rebecca Minkoff, Samsung, Staples, Target, and Ziba Design.
  
  Jordan holds a BFA in Industrial Design from Rochester Institute of Technology and his work can be found in numerous publications, ranging from Wall Street Journal to Popular Science.

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  Helen Maria Nugent

  Dean of Design, California College of the Arts (CCA)

  2023 Commercial Equipment Jury Member

  Helen Maria Nugent has been leading progressive innovation in art and design education for over 25 years. Currently, she is the Dean of Design at California College of the Arts (CCA) in San Francisco where she oversees 9 graduate and undergraduate design programs including an MBA in Design Strategy. She envisions the Design Division at CCA as a sanctuary for those with radical curiosity, where wonder and imagination are amplified through rigor and craft.
  Previously she was a professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she founded the Designed Objects programs that cultivate a reciprocal relationship between products and humanity. In the way-back machine, she was the co-director of the transformative and aptly named, Workshop for Art Research and Practice (WARP), a radical foundation program for artists and designers at the University of Florida.
  
  Helen Maria is also the co-founder of Haelo Design, an interdisciplinary research-oriented design studio that is undertaking the transition from object design to strategic futuring.
  

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  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.

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  Kelly Nyland

  Director of Marketing, Snapchat

  2016 Open Design Jury Member

  As one of the foremost marketing leaders in the tech industry, particularly in the hardware & start-up communities, Kelly's unparalleled go-to-market strategy, unconventional marketing prowess, and ability to grow small business to a global scale, make her one of this industry's most coveted executives.
  
  Pioneer leader in educating general consumers about the value of new technologies while bringing hi-tech experiences to market, Kelly enjoys the thrill of braving new frontiers in establishing category-leading products and shepherding the ever-changing customer journey. She is adept at capturing the hearts of early adopters and leveraging their influence as brands & products tip over into mass market.

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  Tom O'Connor

  Industrial Designer, PDT

  2017 Commercial Equipment Jury Captain

  Thomas O'Connor is an awarded Industrial Design consultant who thrives at the intersection of business, technology and user-centered design. He began consulting for PDT in 2010 where he's led multi-disciplinary teams ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. PDT is a Chicago based product development consultancy specializing in fast moving, regulated and complex industries ranging from medical devices, aerospace, consumer electronics, laboratory equipment and tactical communication devices.
  
  Thomas has consulted for clients including AbbVie, Hospira, Smiths Medical, Harris, Thermofisher, Siemens, Bosch, 3M, Weber, McDonalds and Intel.
  
  Most recently Thomas spent 4 months working in Shanghai as a consultant for Sinowell. Thomas led research and product development to help bring innovation to the commercial horticulture and hydroponics industry. Sinowell is a manufacturer and wholesaler of horticulture and hydroponics equipment.
  
  Thomas is active in the Chicago start-up community, serves as a judge in Chicago's Tech Week Launch Competition and is an Industrial Design mentor at University of Illinois at Chicago.
  
  Thomas grew up in the Motor City and received his BFA in Industrial Design from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit.

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  Liz Ogbu

  Founder and Principal, Studio O

  2020 Design Education Initiative Jury Member

  Liz Ogbu is an American architect, designer and urbanist whose work focuses on issues related to community building and spatial justice. She is the founder and principal of the design consulting firm Studio O.

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  Jeff Olm

  Colorist, Director, Filmmaker, and Editor, Perfect Pictures

  2023 Emerging Technologies Jury Member

  Jeff has over 35 years of experience in editorial, color correction, VFX, virtual, and augmented reality. He has worked on over 100 films and numerous award-winning productions including: Titanic, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Fifth Element, Avengers, Spiderman, Harry Potter, and Armageddon.
  
  Jeff has worked as part of the creative, production, and post-production teams for numerous companies including Disney, Dreamworks Animation, Marvel, Sony, Warner Bros., Digital Domain, Universal, and New Line. Jeff has also worked on virtual reality projects for the NFL, NBA, and MLB. He is an expert at creating workflows for media projects.
  
  Jeff also worked for Autodesk and was part of Flame, Smoke, and Lustre product launches. He has lectured for universities all over the world speaking about post-production and virtual reality.
  

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  Susan O'Malley

  Head of Strategy, Office of the CEO, IDEO

  2018 Strategy & Research Jury Member

  Susan serves as the Head of Strategy at IDEO’s office of the CEO. In this role, she works with IDEO’s senior leadership team stewarding change and growth initiatives across the firm.
  
  
  
  A business and organizational designer by training, she is interested in exploring how established enterprises can embrace new ways of working. Her work on the Planned Parenthood Experience won a Fast Company Innovation by Design award in 2016.
  
  
  
  Susan started her career in the early days of Google’s European Operations in Dublin. Her service in helping to scale and grow AdWords in EMEA and beyond was recognized with a Google Luminary award. She holds a BA in German Cultural Studies and Economics from Trinity College Dublin and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

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  Eddie Opara

  Partner-in-Charge, Creative Director, Pentagram

  2020 Visual Communication Jury Captain

  Eddie Opara was born in London in 1972. He studied graphic design at the London College of Printing and Yale University. He began his career at ATG and Imaginary Forces and worked as senior designer-art director at 2×4 before establishing his own studio, The Map Office. He joined Pentagram’s New York office as partner in 2010. His projects have included the design of brand identity, publications, packaging, environments, exhibitions, interactive installations, websites, user interfaces and software, with many of his projects ranging across multiple media and clients including; lululemon, Samsung, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Nike, Grace Farms, the Menil Foundation, the Corcoran Group, Morgan Stanley, New York University, SHoP Architects, buroOS, Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM), David Adjaye Associates and Princeton Architectural Press. His work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art and has appeared in publications such as Wired, Fast Company, Creative Review, Archis, Surface and Graphis. Opara is also a senior critic at the Yale University School of Art and has recently authored a book, Color Works, published by Rockport. He was named one of Adweek Creative 100 in 2018, one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2012 and 2014, and was featured in Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 list.

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  Malin Orebäck

  Vice President Design, Veryday

  2016 Strategy & Research Jury Captain

  Malin is leading the Veryday creative team with a focus on service business and customer experience. She is coaching the design and innovation teams to challenge customers and deliver world class, innovative and meaningful service and customer experience solutions. Responsible for building and supporting multidisciplinary teams to leverage the power of a people driven, engaging, innovation approach to explore and uncover solutions that are meaningful to people and that really can make a difference to individuals, environment, society and business.
  
  A strategist and team leader with 20+ years of consultancy experience from a wide range of industries, working with multinational clients on a daily basis. Lecturer, keynote speaker and advisor to global brands on customer experience, design strategy, and people driven innovation.

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  Arianna Orland

  Co-founder, Creative Director and Experience Designer, In/Visible Talks

  2021 Interaction Jury Member

  Arianna is a seasoned creative leader, community builder, and holistic thinker fluent in product, brand, and marketing with a deeply held passion for the craft of design. With over 20 years of industry experience, Arianna draws from an enormous quiver of design processes and techniques to galvanize teams and projects to success. Currently, Arianna's impressive client roster includes Twitter, Instacart, and Lyft.
  
  Arianna is the co-founder of In/Visible Talks, a conference for creative professionals that celebrates the art of design. Now in its 5th year, In/Visible Talks has hosted 50+ speakers on the topic of creativity from all over the world. She proudly serves as Board President of Creativity Explored, a San Francisco based nonprofit that gives artists with developmental disabilities the means to create and share their work. Arianna also frequently writes on the subject of creativity and her work has been featured in prestigious publications such as Co.Design, 99u, and Forbes.

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  Miya Osaki

  Partner, Diagram

  2021 Health & Wellness Jury Captain

  Miya Osaki is a partner at Diagram, a New York based, women- and minority-owned healthcare design studio. Miya brings her passion for design, research, collaboration, and storytelling to improve outcomes and create more caring and equitable experiences for people and our communities. Prior to founding Diagram, Miya served as Director of Experience Design at Johnson & Johnson’s Global Strategic Design Office, where she created innovative services for patients managing chronic conditions. Miya is also the Chair of the graduate Design for Social Innovation (DSI) program at the School of Visual Arts, the first MFA program in social design, and serves on the Board for the Public Policy Lab. She is the co-host for the podcast, Yah, No, focused on the intersection of design, business, and healthcare. A west-coast native, Miya currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.

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  Yuko Osawa

  Principal Designer, argodesign

  2022 Consumer Technology Jury Member

  Yuko Osawa is a Principal Designer at argodesign in Brooklyn, New York. With a career spanning 20+ years, she has lived and worked in Japan, Australia, the UK, Canada, and the US. Her work spans immersive exhibitions and digital design for subjects as diverse as corporate digital transformation, DNA sequencing, and connected toys for kids. She is inspired by the messiness of complex problems. Outside of work, Yuko is an avid snowboarder, rock climber, and plant mama. Her favorite food is cake. (That’s not a joke.)