Jury Alumni

• 

  Bruce and Stephanie Tharp

  Founders, Materious

  2016 Speculative Concept Jury Captain

  Bruce and Stephanie Tharp lead a husband-and-wife design studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan where they also are professors at the University of Michigan's Stamps School of Art & Design. Their studio has licensed and commissioned products and projects for companies like Ligne Roset, Moet-Hennessy, The Art Institute of Chicago, Crate&Barrel, Kikkerland, and Design Ideas. Educated in mechanical engineering, sociocultural anthropology, and industrial design, their practice and teaching crosses disciplinary boundaries of design, business, engineering, and healthcare, as well as the four fields of design: commercial, responsible, experimental, and discursive design. They are currently finishing a book project on discursive design.

• 

  James Thomas

  Industrial Designer, JCT.design and BicycleDesign.net

  2015 Transportation & Mobility Jury Captain

  Industrial designer, cyclist, photographer, husband, & father...not necessarily in that order. Find me online at JCT.design and BicycleDesign.net

• 

  Claire Thomas

  Campaigner, Design for 99

  2015 Furniture & Lighting Jury Member

  Claire is interested in the social value of design, and runs the new campaign Designfor99.org. She brings her experience of working with internationally acclaimed designers, architects and cultural organizations, advising communications strategy, running high level media campaigns and lobbying for government policy to support the design, technology and manufacturing industries.Clients and projects include - Design Museum London, Ron Arad Architects, Venice Biennale commissions by John Pawson and Zaha Hadid for Swarovski, Formafantasma for Established & Sons, Serpentine Pavilion designed by Peter Zumthor, London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, Bloomberg's contemporary art commission and the young creatives programme at the Roundhouse, Rolex Awards for Enterprise, Design Ventura sponsored by Deutsche Bank, and PR at Dyson including the James Dyson Awards. The brilliance of the inventors, artists, scientists and makers she met along the way inspired the creation of a campaigns agency that champions ingenious solutions to social, environmental and civic challenges.

• 

  Dever Thomas

  Partner, Design, Work & Co

  2021 Interaction Jury Member

  Dever Thomas is a design partner at Work & Co in Copenhagen. She sets and executes create direction for some of the world’s most admired global companies including IKEA, Aesop, Céline, La Mer, YouTube, and Virgin America. In her role, she collaborates closely with other disciplines — technology, product management, strategy — to shape the final product. She is a thought leader on digital design, published in the Wall Street Journal and Business of Fashion, and her work has won awards from Fast Company, Communication Arts, Glossy, and the UX Awards.

• 

  Drue Thomas

  Product Designer, Netflix

  2022 Interaction Jury Member

• 

  Marc Thorpe

  Founder, Marc Thorpe Design

  2018 Built Environment Jury Member

  MARC THORPE DESIGN WAS FOUNDED IN 2010 BY ARCHITECT AND INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER MARC THORPE. THORPE IS KNOWN INTERNATIONALLY FOR HIS INNOVATIVE AND DYNAMIC WORK, TAKING A RIGOROUS APPROACH TO THE INTEGRATION OF ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY. THORPE AND HIS TEAM COLLABORATE WITH CLIENTS TO DEVELOP AND EXECUTE BRAND GROWTH STRATEGIES. THE STUDIO CONCEPTUALIZES DESIGN WHILE BUILDING BRANDS, AND HAS THE RESOURCES TO PRODUCE CONSISTENT COMMUNICATION PLATFORMS, INCLUDE ARCHITECTURE, INTERIOR DESIGN, DIGITAL MEDIA, GRAPHIC DESIGN, FURNITURE DESIGN, PRODUCT DESIGN, RETAIL AND EXHIBIT DESIGN.
  
  THE STUDIO DESIGNS RELATIONSHIPS. THE FOCUS OF MARC THORPE DESIGN IS IN THE SYSTEMIC INTERSECTIONS A PROJECT PRESENTS. IN ORDER TO DISCOVER A PROJECT’S POTENTIAL, THE STUDIO WORKS CLOSELY WITH CLIENTS AND COLLABORATORS TO FOSTER NEW IDEAS, ESTABLISH COMMON VISION AND INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES OF APPROACH TO NURTURE THE DESIGN PROCESS. THE RESULTS ARE DESIGN SOLUTIONS WITH THE HIGHEST DEGREE OF PRECISION, QUALITY AND CHARACTER.
  
  THE STUDIO OFFERS ITSELF AS AN OPEN SYSTEM OF EXCHANGE. THORPE HAS DEDICATED THE STUDIO TO THE RESEARCH, PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE AND EDUCATION OF SYSTEMS THINKING THROUGH THE DISCIPLINE OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN. THORPE STATES, “WE BELIEVE IN A HOLISTIC DESIGN APPROACH, WHICH ENGAGES THE SOCIAL COMPONENTS OF SPACE AND FORM.” COLLABORATIONS WITH DIGITAL ARTISTS, INTERACTIVE DESIGNERS, NEW MEDIA DESIGNERS, SOUND AND LIGHTING ENGINEERS AND SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERTS HAVE ADVANCED THE PRACTICE’S DIVERSITY AND KNOWLEDGE.
  

• 

  Christel Thue Høgsted

  Senior Sports Apparel Designer, Pas Normal Studios

  2022 Sports & Recreation Jury Member

  Christel is currently a Senior Sports Apparel Designer at Pas Normal Studios in Copenhagen. responsible for the womenswear line. She received her MS in Sports Product Design from University of Oregon (2019), and previously came from a fashion background with a MA in Fashion Design from Designskolen Kolding (2009) and trained at the French fashion houses Chloé and Christian Dior Couture in Paris. She has worked in various creative fields from Apparel Designer, Costume Designer and Product Designer. She is passionate about women's sports apparel and strives to innovate within the space. She is also a ceramist, and her work has received recognition throughout Scandinavia and been published in lifestyle magazines: RUM International, ELLE Decoration, Space Magazine, Politiken, and Cover Magazine. Her work has also been profiled by Vitra and the Centre George Pompidou at Interieur Design Competition and repeatedly funded by the Danish Arts Foundation.

• 

  Vineet Thuvara

  Chief Product Officer, Fluke Corporation

  2026 Commerical & Industrial Equipment Jury Captain

  Vineet Thuvara is the Chief Product Officer at Fluke Corporation, one of world’s leading companies in test and measurement devices, software, and services. In his role he leads the Fluke business units and is responsible for growth, new product innovation and strategy apart from being a champion for AI. Prior to Fluke he was General Manager and Director at Amazon, leading the Echo product organization responsible for developing and shipping Amazon's First-party Alexa based AI devices and experiences.
  
  Before Amazon in 2021, Vineet spent 15 years at Microsoft in various leadership roles across Surface, Xbox, and Server and Cloud product organizations. Prior to that he was the co-founder and CEO of 5th Quadrant, an Industrial Design company based out of New Delhi, India.
  
  Vineet holds a Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering from University of Calicut, MS in Industrial Design from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, and an MS in Engineering and Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. He is co-author of the Life-Cycle Engineering Handbook for Indian Industries, guest lecturer at multiple universities, product advisor for start-ups, holds several patents, and has held scholarships at the Delft University, Netherlands and Hitachi Design Center, Japan.

• 

  Thomas Thwaites

  Founder, Thomas Thwaites Studio

  2016 Speculative Concept Jury Member

  Thomas Thwaites is a designer whose work examines the interaction of science, technology and culture in shaping our present society, and possible futures.
  
  His work has been acquired by the Victoria & Albert Museum for their permanent collection, and is exhibited frequently and internationally, including at the National Museum of China, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, the Science Museum (London), and the Zero 1 Biennial (California).
  
  Press includes features in national newspapers including the New York Times, Sued Detsche and The Financial Times. He has presented a four part television series, aired on Discovery Channel.
  
  His first book, The Toaster Project, published by Princeton Architectural Press, has now been translated in to Japanese and Korean editions. His second book, written about his Wellcome Trust funded project to take a holiday from being human by becoming a goat, will be published in May 2016.

• 

  Kristy Tillman

  Head of Global Experience Design, Slack

  2019 Visual Communication Jury Captain

  Kristy Tillman currently serves as the Head of Global Experience Design at Slack. As the first in the first in the role, she is building a vision and a team whose mission it is to lead the transformation of branded and built environments, workplace experience and culture, and their integrated services and programs through the use of design and technology to make Slack employees, partners and visitors’ lives more pleasant and productive.
  
  Prior to this role, Kristy lead and built Slack’s first Communication Design team, as the Head of Communication Design. Where was lead the design of Slack’s first user conference, marketing website’s first overhaul, and the creative direction of several brand marketing campaigns.
  
  Before Slack, Kristy was the Design Director at Society of Grownups— where she lead design teams dedicated to crafting exceptional experiences across both brand and product. She also worked as a designer at IDEO, an award-winning global design consultancy where she helped solve design problems across a variety of industries including consumer product goods, finance, education, and healthcare.
  
  Kristy believes in a future where design is a tool that aids underserved communities in solving sociocultural problems. As the co-founder of the Detroit Water Project and founder of Tomorrow Looks Bright, Kristy has a strong commitment to furthering the accessibility of design.
  
  She is an alumna of Florida A&M University.

• 

  Frank Tjepkema

  Founder and owner, Tjep.

  2022 Built Environment Jury Captain, 2022 Built Environment Jury Captain

  Frank Tjepkema (born 1970) is a Dutch designer based in Amsterdam. He started his award-winning design agency Tjep. in 2001 and works in a broad variety of disciplines including sculpture, architecture, interior design, product design and jewellery.

• 

  Karina Totah

  Chief of Staff to the President & CMO, Thyme Care

  2021 Strategy & Research Jury Member

  Karina Totah works to achieve greater equity in our cities and our healthcare system. Currently, she is Chief of Staff at Thyme Care, a startup that guides cancer patients through the complex healthcare system by providing personalized support, quality resources & quick access to high-value care. Prior, she was head of strategy for New York City Public Housing, the largest residential landlord in North America. Karina also practices as an end-of-life doula through her company, Nevit (www.nevit.net).

• 

  Matt Tramontana

  STEAM Coordinator, Princeton Day School

  2026 Medical & Healthcare Jury Member

  Bio With a background in industrial design, Matt began his design career creating thoughtful, human-centered products before transitioning into the education space. He now serves as the STEAM Coordinator at Princeton Day School, where he bridges industry and education, fostering a collaborative, interdisciplinary environment in which students approach challenges with curiosity, resilience, and creativity. By integrating real-world applications and industry insights, Matt prepares students for future careers in design, engineering, and innovation, emphasizing both problem-solving and empathetic, user-focused thinking. His work spans mentoring student projects, developing hands-on curricula, and connecting classroom learning with emerging technologies and industry trends. Matt is excited to bring this lens to the 2026 Medical & Healthcare Jury, offering a perspective that values human-centered solutions, practical impact, and the potential to transform lives through good design.
  

• 

  Greg Tran

  CEO, Trace

  2026 Emerging Technologies Jury Member

  Greg Tran is the Co-Founder and CEO of Trace, and has over 15 years of experience shaping the future of augmented reality. Trained as an architect at The Ohio State University and Harvard, he has led professional design teams at Magic Leap and Samsung Research. His personal work has been featured in Core77, WIRED, The Verge, Popular Science, and showcased at international festivals and design symposia.

• 

  Isabella Trani

  Founder, Of My Imagination (OMI)

  2026 Home & Living Jury Member

  Isabella Trani is a designer and co-founder of OMI, a London-based design studio specialising in the future of transport. OMI’s work spans across aviation, micro-mobility, transport interiors and space habitats, partnering with global industry leaders to deliver original, sustainable, and human-centred design.
  
  The studio’s practice is grounded in design thinking, balancing strategy, form, user experience, and technical constraints to create transport solutions that are both imaginative and functional. Recent projects include the design of Valo, the eVTOL aircraft for Vertical Aerospace, and work for a next-generation commercial space station for Max Space.
  
  OMI operates as a compact, independent studio, enabling close collaboration and a high level of craft across each project. Through her work, Isabella focuses on how emerging technologies translate into real human experience, with particular attention to usability, long-term value, and design integrity in complex transport environments.