Ann-Marie Conrado

Ann-Marie Conrado, IDSA | University of Notre Dame

2008 Young Educator Award Winner

Ann-Marie Conrado, IDSA, associate professional specialist at the University of Notre Dame, earned the first-ever Young Educator of the Year Award.

Conrado transitioned from a successful career as a manager at Insight Product Development to an academic career, giving her the opportunity to share her perspectives as founder and principal supporter of a school in Nepal and introduce her students to the concept of social design. Practical applications acquired from her graduate degree in anthropology allow her to authoritatively introduce aspects of her own ethnographic research methods to her students, directing their experience to the importance of the social and behavioral considerations in designing systems and products.

"I am deeply honored to be recognized at this early stage in my teaching career,” Conrado explained.  “The decision to become a design educator has allowed me to weave my varied interests together to instill in young designers the power and promise of design to tackle society's most intractable problems. It is my students’ creative energy, enthusiasm and dedication to social change that is truly inspiring."