Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman is a highly accomplished design professional working at the intersection of design and technology with a focus on wearable product, smart textiles and soft goods. With a background in performance apparel, product design and consumer products, she is a pioneering researcher in design methodologies and smart materials, and is Professor of Industrial Design at Pratt Institute. She is the author of Smart Textiles for Designers: Inventing the Future of Fabrics; has published many articles; and speaks internationally on design, innovation and the future.

With over 25 years of corporate experience in athletic, medical, wearable, and consumer product design, she has held positions as Design Director for Fila, Champion and Nike and has been a key influencer in shaping innovative products. As the founder of Interwoven Design Group, she has led the creation of award-winning projects, including the Apex Exosuit for HeroWear, the Perci Emergency Preparedness V est, and the upcoming GLDN PNT padel collection. For the Core 77 Design Jury in the Sports and Outdoor category, Rebeccah emphasizes her extensive corporate background. Her dual role as a design leader and academic, coupled with her commitment to diversity in design, positions her as a valuable contributor to the evaluation of sports and outdoor design.

Charlotte is a Footwear Designer at Nike WHQ in Portland, Oregon. She received her Bachelor of Industrial Design from Pratt Institute and Master of Science in Integrated Design, Business and Technology from USC ’s Iovine and Young Academy. Her work is imbued with a strong aesthetic sensibility and a heightened sense of how people emotionally connect with a product.

Evan Huggins is a San Francisco based designer with deep roots in the outdoor adventure community. He directs industrial design for the bike computer category at SRAM, a global leader in bicycle component design and manufacturing. Evan’s work has spanned hard and soft goods from conceptual projects through to shipping products in both startup and corporate environments. He is a firm believer in a user- first research based approach that places technology in service of the humans who use it.

Jayson is a design leader turning design thinking into action. He leverages the experience from his diverse creative career for the benefit of every challenge he takes on, bringing focus to the fuzzy front end, embracing the difficult challenges, collaborating transparently, leading with integrity.

Jayson has led some of the industry's best industrial design and user experience teams through complex programs to create successful product + brand solutions in nearly every industry imaginable.

Nichole is Founder and Creative Director of level, a West Coast, women-led industrial design shop based in San Francisco. The level studio is on a mission to create a global positive and progressive influence through smart, thoughtful design.

Nichole’s work at level has helped create new industry categories and propelled products into the global spotlight. The studio’s portfolio encompasses the likes of Microsoft, Google, Logitech, FitBit, North, HTC, AliveCor, Tempo and Nex.

level’s work has garnered wide recognition, including design awards such as FastCo., IDEA, Red Dot, iF and Spark. Notably, level was recognized as #03 in FastCompany’s Most Innovative Design Companies of 2021.

Nichole remains committed to creating a diverse, inclusive industry. She has dedicated her career to balancing motherhood and empowering the next generation of female designers through mentorship, having served as chair of IDSA’s Women in Design from 2017-2021. level are active members of the Diversity in Design (DID) Collaborative, initiated in June 2021 to foster systemic change by increasing diversity and improving conditions for Black creatives across the design industry.