2012MideastDDCspeakers


		BRIAN C. BAKER Founder AutoArcheology Brian Baker is an internationally experienced automotive designer, educator, historian, author and television producer. He is an alumnus of Art Center College of Design; attended College for Creative Studies (CCS) and Indiana University. He spent 25 years as a GM designer of concept and production vehicles in Europe and the US including the Chevrolet SSR. He helped develop the Discovery Channel series “Future Car” and formed a production company that develops programming for Velocity Art and Design, National Geographic Channel and the Web with his New York partner. He has more than 20 years as an educator for designers in collegiate and corporate programs including CCS, Wayne State University, Lawrence Technical University and the Cleveland Institute of Art. Additionally, Baker conceived and led the creation of the award-winning book Driving Style: GM Design’s first 100 years. Session Title: Design & Innovation History of this Region
		DAVID BISHOP Senior Interaction Designer Maya David Bishop specializes in presenting complex concepts to software users in usable and understandable ways. He is skilled at designing graphical user interfaces so that they are effective, comfortable tools that empower people to accomplish challenging tasks. As an interaction designer, Bishop understands implementation details as well as user models, and his skills range from making high-level uses of metaphor to understanding the subtleties and intricacies of custom controls. He is proficient at usability testing procedures, including lab-based testing and paper prototyping, and has experience with user modeling and task modeling techniques, such as heuristic evaluation and contextual inquiry. His thorough knowledge of UI standards extends to Windows95, Macintosh, IBM's SAA/CUA and XWindows. Bishop came to MAYA from Primavera Systems Inc., where he was a designer of high-end project management software. He holds a bachelor’s in applied mathematics and computer science from Carnegie Mellon University. Session Title: Design Literacy: Helping Topple the World
		JEFF BLOCK Senior Consultant, Applied Research and Consulting Steelcase Inc. Jeff Block is an applied research consultant for Steelcase Inc., the global leader in the office furniture industry. Appointed to this role in 2001, he is responsible for helping clients link business strategy with work environment, cultural and change management strategy. He is part of a cross-functional team that applies the Steelcase workplace research methodology to real client situations supporting the concept of user-centered design. Block joined Steelcase in 1984 and has held a variety of sales and marketing positions, including account manager and architectural and design liaison. His consulting experience includes working with over 40 clients, including automotive manufacturers, universities and a variety of corporate clients. For the past 16 years, he has also served as an advisor for Design Michigan. Before joining Steelcase, he began his career in the architectural design department of a large architectural firm in Detroit, MI where he worked on several major projects for Fortune 500 companies. Block holds a bachelor’s in interior design from Michigan State University. Session Title: The Impact of Space on Innovation
		JIM COUCH, IDSA Vice President Lextant Jim Couch has more than 25 years of broad industry experience. He has led and managed multi-disciplinary product development and design strategy programs for some of the world’s most respected brands, such as Alcon, Black & Decker, Coca-Cola, Diebold, Eastman Kodak, Ford Motor Co., LG Electronics, Procter & Gamble, SC Johnson & Sons, STERIS, Xerox, and Whirlpool. As a practitioner of user-centered design, Couch has helped develop tools and processes that identify latent user needs, revitalize mature products, and develop new and novel product and service offerings. With over 15 patents and numerous design awards to his name, he is skilled in all aspects of product development, with a strong emphasis on front-end opportunity discovery. He has served as an Industrial Designers Society of America board member, and as a juror on IDSA’s International Design Excellence Awards program. Couch joined Lextant in 2008 and oversees new business development, marketing and client services. Before Lextant, he led the industrial design studio at Altair ProductDesign after serving as head of product development for a pre-revenue medical device startup. He began his career with the international design consultancy Fitch. He held many positions during his 21-year tenure with the company, ultimately serving as general manager for the Columbus, OH office. Session Title: Customer Led Innovation
		JEFF DeBOER Vice President and Principal Sundberg-Ferar Inc. Jeff DeBoer has been a vice president and principal of Sundberg-Ferar Inc. since 1992. His primary focus is developing product strategies for clients using Sundberg-Ferar’s Genesis™ process, ensuring that companies are strategically and tactically poised to create and develop winning products. His passion for creating emotive and functionally innovative product solutions can be seen in work for industry leaders in home products, automotive interiors, major appliances, housewares and system furniture. He has also worked in Europe and Latin America converting unique cultural needs into products aimed at regional markets. DeBoer holds numerous mechanical and design patents and has taught courses at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. Session Title: Inspiring Innovation: Beyond the Obvious
		JEFF GALE Design Manager Chrysler Group Jeff Gale was appointed design manager in the Dodge Exterior Studio at Chrysler Group in June 2011. He manages the exterior design of current and upcoming Dodge vehicles, including the Dodge Dart, Challenger, Charger and Durango. Previously, Gale was design manager in the Advance Packaging Studio where he managed the design and vehicle packaging of next generation mid-size car, premium vehicle architecture, activity vehicle and minivan programs. Since joining the former Chrysler Corp. in September 2000 as a senior designer following six years at General Motors Design, Gale has worked on various vehicle projects within the Large Car Studio at Chrysler Group, including: 2008 Dodge Challenger 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan/Chrysler Town and Country 2006 Dodge Charger SRT8 2006 Dodge Charger 2006 Dodge Magnum SRT8 2005 Chrysler 300c SRT8 2005 Dodge Magnum 2004 Chrysler 300c 2003 Dodge Magnum SRT8 Concept 2002 Dodge M80 Concept An avid car enthusiast, he enjoys participating in track events and working on classic cars, including his 1970 Plymouth Road Runner, 1967 Dodge Dart and 2005 Dodge Magnum. He also enjoys go-karting and developing his welding skills. In 2007, he captured the Automotive Hall of Fame Young Leadership and Excellence Award for his work at Chrysler Group. Gale holds a bachelor’s in industrial design from the University of Cincinnati. Session Title: Dart—Global Collaborative Creation
		JOSEPH HOFER Lead Industrial Designer Research in Motion \| BlackBerry Joseph Hofer has played a key role in shaping the design DNA of the iconic BlackBerry Bold franchise as a lead industrial designer. He strives to make purposeful and beautiful products with an unrelenting attention to detail, which is deeply rooted in a background of furniture making. After graduating from Humber College Institute of Advanced Technology’s Industrial Design program in Toronto, Ontario, with highest honours, he joined the first handful of industrial designers in establishing a design culture at BlackBerry. Throughout his seven years at Research in Motion (RIM), he has been listed on over 100 patents granted worldwide and has lead the industrial design of the first UMTS, 3G and 4G BlackBerry smartphones, including the recently launched Bold 9900/9930. He also supported the design implementation of the Porsche Design P’9981 smartphone. Hofer believes that building communication tools that connect people and inspire action makes a lasting and positive impact on humanity. Session Title: A Bold Story
		IAN MURCHISON Industrial Designer Research in Motion \| BlackBerry Ian Murchison has worked as an industrial designer with the accessory design team at Research in Motion (RIM) for just over three years. He graduated from the Carleton University Industrial Design Program in Ottawa, Canada, in 2010, after completing a 16-month internship with BlackBerry. He received a scholarship for his work on his thesis project, which was focused on medical equipment and designing for humanitarian assistance. At RIM, he is part of the accessory design team, focusing on a wide range of products to enhance and complete the BlackBerry user experience. In his short time at RIM, Murchison has been granted 80 patents, filed worldwide. He also works as a freelance photographer, with his work ranging from magazine cover shoots, to product photography and weddings. He works to combine the end goal, the user experience and innovation together as one, no matter the product, service or scenario. Session Title: A Bold Story
		THOMAS PAVLAK Founding Partner POCO Labs Tom Pavlak is a founding partner of POCO Labs, an innovative consultancy that combines the best elements of research, planning and design to help bright ideas see the light of day. He works with clients to seamlessly integrate design and business ideals, an important synergy that ensures performance beyond a concept's original expectation. His work spans a variety of technologies, brands and markets, and he has broad experience in concept development, consumer research and product delivery. As a designer and strategist with over 20 years of experience, he has created thoughtful market successes for leading Fortune 100 companies, including Best Buy, Microsoft, Whirlpool, Lennox, Toyota, Procter and Gamble and The Walt Disney Co. Session Title: Design in a Complicated World: It's Time to Put Up or Shut Up
		TECKLA RHOADS Director, GM Global Industrial Design General Motors Teckla Rhoads’ role at GM Design is diverse, but that’s what she loves about it. Said Rhoads, “Since I started at General Motors, I’ve had the opportunity to explore a variety of different areas in design as well as build a business background in the industry. One minute I’m interacting with car designers and the next I’m working on global design strategies for the auto shows. It’s a unique career direction, but one I enjoy.” Rhoads was born and raised in the Detroit suburbs. Two years after graduating from the Center for Creative Studies’ Industrial Design Program, she joined the General Motors design team as a lettering specialist. She eventually moved on to GM Operations, which gave her a unique perspective on the inner workings of the business. Today, as the director of global industrial design, she focuses on building a global relationship with GM teams around the world. She also oversees many different aspects of design besides automotive and provides direction for staff working on everything from exhibit design, environmental design, corporate identity and product and merchandising design. “There’s always so much to learn. The industry is constantly evolving,” explains Rhoads. "General Motors is distinguishing itself as a company through design and it’s my job to make sure this is consistent not only among our products but also in every visual representation of the corporation—architecture, the interior of our lobbies and all of our brands. All of these elements work together to differentiate GM from its competitors Session Title: Global Industrial Design Then and Now: Designing Women at General Motors
		MARIA LUISA ROSSI, IDSA Chair of MFA Interdisciplinary Design College for Creative Studies Professor Rossi is an internationally acclaimed designer and educator. While studying design, her work was published in the prestigious Domus magazine. Later that year, she received a scholarship to attend the premier master’s program in industrial design at the celebrated Domus Academy in Milan. After earning her graduate degree, she spent two years in Paris as chief concept designer at ARPE, an international interior design firm. At ARPE, she designed interiors for private residences and Japanese hotels. In 1988, she co-founded the design consultancy Iavicoli & Rossi and moved to Tokyo to work in product design, interior design and sculpture. In 1997, she moved to Los Angeles, where she worked for five years on interior design projects for residential and commercial spaces. In 2002, she returned to Florence to become a professor at Polimoda, a leading fashion design and marketing institute, where she taught brand identity and communication to graduate students. She also taught at ISIA, an industrial and communication design school in Florence that is partnered with Polimoda. She has taught part-time for New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology and Syracuse University. Additionally, she has conducted workshops at Singapore’s Design Centre and the Ecole Supérieure d’Arts Appliqué in Geneva, Switzerland. Session Title: An Outsider's View from Inside
		SUSAN SKARSGARD Designer, Calligrapher, Author, Archivist and Manager, GM Global Industrial Design General Motors Design Manager Susan Skarsgard has worked for 15 years as a designer at General Motors and holds a master's in fine arts from the University of Michigan. Her artistic talents and sensibilities infuse her eclectic GM work on a daily basis, in everything from brand lettering to show exhibitions to archival art collections. Her career exemplifies the many design opportunities within the company. As she explains, “There is a true, fine art to car design that artists would appreciate. It's a largely untold story." Skarsgard abides by a long-held belief, “When the underlying intellectual concept is provocative, important and the human response is from talented hands: to me, that’s when art happens.” Her GM projects have been vast, ranging from calligraphy for vehicle logos to creating a beautiful painting for the executive dining room. One of her latest masterpieces is a historical, one-of-a-kind book showcasing archival photographs, architectural drawings and other related ephemera of GM's critically acclaimed Technical Center, which was designed by renowned architect Eero Saarinen. She is known internationally for her original fine art works, site-specific installation art, artist books, graphic design and calligraphy. As a lecturer and teacher, Skarsgard has conducted workshops and presentations for numerous institutions, organizations and conferences, traveling extensively throughout North America, Australia and Europe. Session Title: Global Industrial Design Then and Now: Designing Women at General Motors
		MARK WEST Paul and Helen Farago Chair of Transportation Design College of Creative Studies Mark West most recently served as senior design manager at Visteon Corp. in Van Buren Township, MI, where he was responsible for developing and managing the corporation’s design and market development activities. He also led the research and development of interior concepts for production and advanced concept vehicles for top North American and Asian manufacturers. Before joining Visteon, he spent several years as a lead designer at Powers Design International, Newport Beach, CA, while also developing technology concept vehicles for Ford Motor Co. Before that, West worked for Industrial Design Research, Laguna Beach, CA, developing the set for Amblin Entertainment’s “SeaQuest DSV” TV series. Session Title: An Outsider's View From Inside
		TIM YERDON Global Director, Innovation and Design Visteon Corp. Tim Yerdon has more than 17 years of automotive experience. As global director of innovation and design for Visteon Corp., he is responsible for tracking and analyzing market trends and voice-of-the-consumer data and then translating it into first-to-market product solutions. He leads a global multi-functional team chartered with the ideation, concept development and design of innovative, market-driven concepts. The team includes innovation managers, engineers, industrial designers, human-machine interaction experts and market researchers. Working with key internal functions, he also oversees the company’s intellectual property portfolio and technical collaborations with various companies, universities, government agencies and other industry partners. Previously, he led advanced cockpit electronics, advanced driver awareness systems, the InnovationWorks® organization and the North American marketing team for Visteon. He has held various positions in manufacturing, product development, program management and racing at both Visteon and Ford Motor Co. He has a master's in manufacturing systems from the University of Michigan and a bachelor's in mechanical engineering technology from Pennsylvania State University. He is the co-inventor on several patents awarded and pending in manufacturing, powertrain, electronics and interiors. He also serves on the board of directors for the automotive electronics division of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and is a charter member of the OESA (Original Equipment Suppliers Association) Automotive Suppliers Technology Forum. Session Title: Customer Led Innovation