Jury Alumni

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  Melissa Bruntlett

  Co-Founder, Modacity

  2015 Transportation Jury Member

  Melissa Bruntlett is co-founder of Modacity, a multi-service consultancy, focused on inspiring healthier, happier, simpler forms of urban mobility through words, photography and film. She is a regular contributor for Momentum Magazine, The Vancouver Courier, Vanity Buzz and most recently Grist. Melissa is very active in her community, advocating for walking, cycling and public transportation improvements, and works as producer and project manager for Modacity's film campaigns. Her most recent work includes developing a marketing campaign for a Transit Referendum in the Metro Vancouver area. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband and two children, and makes riding a bicycle or walking throughout her beautiful city a daily activity.Follow her on Twitter at@mbruntlett.

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  Jaye Buchbinder

  Director of Product, Emeco

  2023 Furniture & Lighting Jury Captain

  Born and raised in Long Beach, California, Jaye studied Sustainable Engineering at Stanford and currently works at Emeco in Product Development and Sustainability, where she chairs out of recycled materials. She lives and surfs in Venice Beach, California.

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  Dylan Buffington

  US Marketing Manager, Pas Normal Studios

  2023 Transportation Jury Member

  Dylan Buffington is an experienced creative professional in design and marketing with over a decade of industry experience. He started his career as a freelance designer, working with clients from various industries to develop branding, marketing collateral, and industrial design. Later, he moved to a full-time role as a Lead Creative at Specialized Bicycles, where he honed his skills in visual communication and brand strategy. Dylan has been serving as Creative Director for various companies, focusing on creative leadership and management, developing high-performing projects from concept to completion, and creating innovative marketing campaigns that drive business growth.
  
  Currently, Dylan is the US Marketing Manager at Pas Normal Studios, a leading Danish cycling apparel brand. He is responsible for developing brand, retail, and activation strategies. Dylan's expertise in design and marketing, combined with his passion for the industry, has allowed him to drive business success and push the boundaries of what is possible. He is a skilled communicator and collaborator with a deep understanding of the power of design to connect with audiences and drive business growth.
  

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  Jenifer Bulcock

  Founder/Owner, Peoplemade LLC

  2024 Interaction Jury Member

  Jeni is an experience design strategist based in New York City. Born and raised in Australia, she established a design business at the age of 24, which thrived in Australia and Canada before she embarked on a new journey in New York City a decade ago.
  
  Driven by a keen interest in strategic decision-making, Jeni transitioned into design and research roles within consultancy and in-house settings. Her experience encompasses both Customer Experience (CX) and Employee Experience (EX), where she has spearheaded strategic design initiatives and digital transformation programs across various industries. Her portfolio boasts an array of national and global brands, including Samsung, Meta, Square, IKEA, AIG, Better.com, and KraftHeinz, among others.
  
  In January 2023, fueled by her entrepreneurial spirit, she founded Peoplemade LLC, a Service Design and UX Research consultancy.
  
  Outside of work, Jeni finds joy in taking her dog on long walks and hosting dinner parties featuring seasonal produce sourced from farmers' markets.

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  Jenifer Bulcock

  Founder/Owner, Peoplemade LLC

  2024 Apps & Platforms Jury Member

  Jeni is an experience design strategist based in New York City. Born and raised in Australia, she established a design business at the age of 24, which thrived in Australia and Canada before she embarked on a new journey in New York City a decade ago.
  
  Driven by a keen interest in strategic decision-making, Jeni transitioned into design and research roles within consultancy and in-house settings. Her experience encompasses both Customer Experience (CX) and Employee Experience (EX), where she has spearheaded strategic design initiatives and digital transformation programs across various industries. Her portfolio boasts an array of national and global brands, including Samsung, Meta, Square, IKEA, AIG, Better.com, and KraftHeinz, among others.
  
  In January 2023, fueled by her entrepreneurial spirit, she founded Peoplemade LLC, a Service Design and UX Research consultancy.
  
  Outside of work, Jeni finds joy in taking her dog on long walks and hosting dinner parties featuring seasonal produce sourced from farmers' markets.

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  Max Burton

  Founder and Chief Designer, Matter Product

  2015 Consumer Product Jury Member

  Max Burton, the founder of Matter, is a product and interaction designer with over 2 decades of experiences. From housewares to digitally enabled products, he is inspired by participating in the creation of the future that melds technology with art and humanity.Prior to forming MatterÖ, Max worked as the Global Executive Creative Director for Product Design at frog, the Creative Director of Nike's Tech Lab and the VP of Design at Smart in New York. His work has been exhibited at the MoMa in New York, the Design museum in London and the Chicago Athenaeum.

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  Jason Busschaert

  Director of Industrial Design, Stanley Black & Decker

  2018 Open Design Jury Member

  As Director of Industrial Design at Stanley Black and Decker, Jason's role is to provide global leadership in the definition, design, and development of industry leading power tools and outdoor power equipment.
  
  Jason has been a catalyst, integrating new technology to support adjacent design functions all with a goal to optimize the user experience. These efforts further enhance and differentiate the strong brands of Stanley Black and Decker. Prior to working for Stanley Black and Decker, Jason started his career at Canadian Design Consultancy DW Product Development, working with and supporting various clients across a diverse set of markets and industries.
  
  Jason has been recognized with several design awards, most recently receiving a 2015 IDSA IDEA Bronze award for DEWALT’s first entry into Professional Outdoor Equipment.

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  Bliss Buter-Thompson

  Sr. Structural Packaging Design Manager, Logitech

  2020 Packaging Jury Member

  As Senior Structural Packaging Design Manager at Logitech, Bliss balances consumer, business, and sustainable packaging needs across their 7 brands.
  
  Bliss earned a Bachelor's in Illustration from Massachusetts College of Art and Design and a Master's in Product Design and Development Management from Northwestern University. Her 15 combined years of agency, in-house, and supplier-side packaging experience have contributed to Bliss’s unique design perspective and a keen eye for function, form, and feasibility.

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  Dr. Deepa Butoliya

  Assistant Professor, Stamps School of Art and Design, University of Michigan

  2021 Speculative Design Jury Captain

  Dr. Butoliya is a researcher and design educator based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Her research is located at the intersection of models of knowledge and critical thinking emerging from multiple and global perspectives. She researches critique in design from pluriversal perspectives- especially grassroots critical practices in design. She has a background in design and architecture with a career spanning 15 years in multiple roles as an industrial designer, researcher, and educator across two continents. She wants to help create a sustainable, equitable, and inclusive environment for societies with local awareness and a global vision.

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  Heather Bybee

  Packaging Design Consultant

  2020 Packaging Jury Member

  Heather has been working in packaging design since the beginning of her industrial design career. Her packaging experience has spanned from helping startup brands launch their first consumer product to advising corporations on how smart packaging design can solve business and consumer challenges. She has worked for in-house teams and design agencies. Some brands Heather has worked for or with include OtterBox, Beats by Dre, Square, Lyft, Polaroid, and Microsoft. She holds a Master’s in Design Strategy and Innovation from Brunel University in London, England and a Bachelor’s in Industrial Design from Auburn University. Currently Heather works as a packaging design consultant.

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  Kendra Byrne

  Group Product Manager, Google DeepMind

  2024 Robotics Jury Member

  Kendra is a Group Product Manager at Google DeepMind where she leads product innovation for new research products. For the last 5 years, Kendra has worked with teams to ground research in user-centered needs and help bring new technologies to life.
  
  Before joining Google DeepMind, Kendra held product leadership positions at X the Moonshot Factory, Bot & Dolly, and Formant. At X, she co-founded the project that graduated as Intrinsic, a robotics software and AI company at Alphabet. At Bot & Dolly, Kendra was responsible for developing easy to use interfaces for robotics in cinematography and visual eects.

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  Kendra Byrne

  Group Product Manager, Google DeepMind

  2024 Commercial Equipment Jury Member

  Kendra is a Group Product Manager at Google DeepMind where she leads product innovation for new research products. For the last 5 years, Kendra has worked with teams to ground research in user-centered needs and help bring new technologies to life.
  
  Before joining Google DeepMind, Kendra held product leadership positions at X the Moonshot Factory, Bot & Dolly, and Formant. At X, she co-founded the project that graduated as Intrinsic, a robotics software and AI company at Alphabet. At Bot & Dolly, Kendra was responsible for developing easy to use interfaces for robotics in cinematography and visual eects.

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  Adriana C Vazquez Ortiz

  Co-founder and CEO, Lilu

  2022 Personal Accessory Jury Member

  Adriana is co-founder and CEO at Lilu. She has a Masters in Integrated Product Design from UPenn and a BSc from MIT in Mathematics and Computer Science. Prior to Lilu she worked at Morgan Stanley's Liquidity Risk software team. She was named one of the top 30 Femtech Healthcare Influencers in 2019 and has won awards such as the SheKnows BlogHer competition (2019) and the AlphaLabGear Hardware cup (2018). She has represented Lilu at SXSW, TechCrunch Battlefield, and PitcHer at GraceHopper, and she's inventor of the Lilu Massage Bra, which was recognized as Philadelphia’s invention of the year in 2019 In her spare time Adriana loves to run, cycle and attempting to snowboard.

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  Brian C. Rubin

  Senior Education Designer, Education Design Lab

  2022 Design for Social Impact Jury Member

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  Chiara Cacciani

  Product Manager, Facebook

  2019 Service Design Jury Member

  Chiara has been working as a product manager for the past 5 years but she’s a service designer by training. She currently leads two teams at Workplace by Facebook (Facebook’s internal communication platform for companies). Like most PMs she has quite a diverse background: before Facebook she was a service design consultant, a pricing marketeer and a tutor at the University of Bologna (Engineering). She also designs and produces her own clothes in her spare time.
  
  Chiara holds a BA in Communication Design and a MSc in Product Service System Design both from Politecnico di Milano. She’s fluent in Italian, English and Spanish.

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  Jeremy Cai

  CEO, Italic

  2022 Furniture & Lighting Jury Member

  Jeremy Cai was born and raised in Illinois where his entrepreneurial streak began while operating a lending business at his middle school lunch table. Jeremy studied at Babson College before dropping out as an early member of the Thiel Fellowship to pursue a career in technology. Since then, Jeremy has brought many successful companies to life, including Fountain, a leading software platform that businesses such as Uber and Amazon use to hire millions of people each year, Not Pot, a cult-favorite wellness brand, and Tonari , a Japanese anime
  studio.
  
  In his current role as CEO of Italic, Jeremy oversees global strategy and culture.