Lead Industrial Designer, Kaleidoscope
Caterina Rizzoni is a practicing industrial designer and design researcher living in Cincinnati, OH. She is a Lead Industrial Designer at Kaleidoscope Innovation, an Infosys Company, where she leads cross-functional teams that create intuitive and innovative solutions centering usability for clients in med-tech, robotics, and consumer goods.
She has served as the At-Large Director of Conferences on IDSA’s Board of Directors since 2021, working alongside IDSA Staff to host conferences and ensure that the organization’s National events portfolio meets the needs of IDSA members. She has also served as Chair of the IDSA Cincinnati chapter, Vice Chair of the IDSA Columbus chapter, and VP of the IDSA Student Chapter at The Ohio State State University.
Caterina is a passionate community-builder with experience creating meaningful event-based programming for a variety of organizations. She has been actively committed to building IDSA at both the local and national level. Some of her work for IDSA includes developing the Taboo Schmaboo event series with the Columbus Chapter, and the Ohio cross-Chapter collaboration series Blurred Lines. She has also collaborated with organizations like the World Design Organization, Advanced Design, and Unif-ID on a variety of other events.
Caterina co-founded Design Allyship in late 2019 to provide designers with actionable resources to improve the condition of historically marginalized designers in the industrial and product design industry. The organization provides spaces dedicated to dialogue and discourse about the lived experiences of people of different backgrounds, and tools to enable allyship for all who wish to better the community.
She serves as a mentor in both formal and informal settings, including in Advanced Design's Offsite mentorship program, Unif-ID, and Startup Weekend, and is a vocal advocate for equitable and accessible design education. She also volunteers with undergraduate design programs including UC DAAP, Pratt, MIAD, CCAD, OSU, and CIA to critique and mentor students and share insight into professional practice.
Caterina holds a BS in Industrial Design with a minor in Art History from The Ohio State University. When she’s not designing, you can find her building tiny house kits or cooking with her partner, Atticus.
Statement of Candidacy (2024-2025 term)
It is my honor to present my candidacy for a second term as Director-at-Large of Conferences at IDSA. Over the past two years, I’ve been given the privilege to contribute to our National events portfolio, including the International Design Conference and the Deep Dive conferences.
As your Director-at-Large for the 2024-2025 term, I am committed to enhancing our event-based programming with the aim of creating transformative experiences that enlighten, inspire, and support our diverse membership. I fully understand that our conferences are a fundamental part of IDSA’s value proposition. If re-elected, I pledge to work collaboratively with you to refine and adapt our events in response to our ever-changing industry. My overarching goal is to closely engage with you, the IDSA membership, to craft conference programs that are tailored to your changing needs. Together, I am confident that we can design unique event programming that fosters growth and innovation within our community and industry. My first term saw the formation of the Conferences Committee, a dedicated team of volunteers from various sections of our membership. This committee ensures that our events and content effectively meet the needs of our diverse members. In my next term, I am determined to make our conferences more affordable without sacrificing quality. I plan to explore alternative pricing models for our events, thinking creatively to design exceptional yet cost-effective experiences. Financial challenges should not prevent our members from engaging in our conferences and receiving the immense value they provide. Inclusivity remains a top priority, and I will continue to champion diversity, equity, and inclusion within IDSA events. The Equitable Speaker Initiative introduced during my previous term aims to support and uplift speakers from underrepresented backgrounds. My commitment extends to not only diversifying our speaker lineup but also making our events accessible to all, irrespective of geographical or personal circumstances.
I plan to work with IDSA Staff to explore and evaluate new technologies to support continuous professional development for our members, including the virtual event platform Hopin. I firmly believe that our events should serve as a platform for learning and growth, offering meaningful insights and experiences that help our members excel in their careers.
Furthermore, I aim to utilize local and grassroots event planning resources to infuse a more regional and personalized feel into our conferences. By co-creating events with local chapters and communities, we can better cater to the unique needs of our members across different regions. In conclusion, I am wholeheartedly committed to serving our community and enhancing the value of our events. I am excited by the potential that lies ahead and eagerly anticipate the chance to serve as your Director-at-Large of Conferences for a second term.
Thank you for considering my candidacy. I am ready and excited to work alongside you to create conferences that stimulate, educate, and uplift our exceptional community!
Statement of Candidacy (2022-2023 term)
As the At-Large Director of Conferences, I will continue to create rich and meaningful event-based programming for IDSA membership that supports, educates, and inspires our membership. I believe conferences and events are one of the key pillars of the organization’s offerings, and as At-Large Director I will work with membership to iterate on existing events and meet the changing needs of industry professionals.
A good conference is a magical experience, balancing speakers that inspire, content that educates, and an environment that fosters real and genuine connections. Engaging with the design community by attending, hosting, and participating in events and conferences has been one of the most rewarding parts of membership for me. From attending District conferences when I was a student to witnessing the growth of Women in Design programming over the years, IDSA events have been integral to my ongoing growth and inspiration. I look forward to continuing to deliver the excellent programming that IDSA is known for and growing our conference portfolio to better meet the needs of membership.
I also aspire to grow IDSA’s inclusivity and accessibility through conference-building. I look forward to collaborating with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council to create events that increase diversity in IDSA’s core programming while bringing conversations on equity to the mainstream. By using our platform to amplify and uplift marginalized voices, we can raise the bar for the industry and better support and serve all our members.
Caterina was recognized for her continued leadership, diligence, and advocacy of IDSA members and exceptional work ethic in delivering a successful 2023 International Design Conference & IDSA Education Symposium.
Caterina Rizzoni, IDSA, is a practicing industrial designer living in Cincinnati, OH. She designs medical devices and softgoods as a Lead Designer at Kaleidoscope Innovation, an Infosys Company, where she creates intuitive and innovative solutions centering usability for clients in the med-tech space. Caterina is a passionate community-builder, and throughout the past year she has worked to create resources, events, and tools as a dedicated volunteer for IDSA and other design-related organizations. In her second year as chair of the IDSA Cincinnati Chapter, she worked to create and sustain cross-chapter initiatives from the Pantone Party to the Blurred Lines event series. “In some ways I’m grateful for the shake up,” she admits. “Despite the challenges of the past year, I think we’ve been able to work together to create new ways of exploring and learning about design together.” Her work in this space also includes the hosting and producing of the Hype Sesh event and video to educate membership about chapter leader volunteerism and prepare them for possible candidacy in upcoming chapter elections.
In her role as chapter Chair, she created a variety of programming and built upon existing partnerships with UC DAAP, hosting the second virtual ID DAAPworks show with over 20 professional jurors from across the country, and providing scholarship funds to local students with a passion for growing their careers as designers. Throughout the past year, she has volunteered time each week to serve as a mentor in both formal and informal settings, including Advanced Design’s Offsite mentorship program. “I want to pay forward the incredible guidance that I have been lucky enough to receive in my career so far,” Caterina says of her mentorship work. “It’s the conversations I have with these amazing young designers that inspires me – I learn as much from the experience as they do.” Throughout the past year, she also volunteered her time with undergraduate design programs including UC DAAP, Pratt, MIAD, CCAD, OSU, and CIA, to critique and mentor students and share insight into professional practice.
Advocacy is a core part of her work as an industrial designer. In 2021, Caterina worked to grow Design Allyship alongside Ti Chang, IDSA, providing designers with actionable resources to improve the condition of historically marginalized designers in the industrial and product design industry. In the past year she has spoken on behalf of Design Allyship at events hosted by Advanced Design, the World Design Organization, and Unif-ID to promote allyship as a tool for advocacy.
Caterina says, “It’s been such a humbling experience to connect with so many designers and become part of so many wonderful groups and initiatives. These connections, these conversations – this is what it means to be part of a community.” What’s next for Caterina? She’ll be using the next year to continue speaking and writing about design, and she is looking forward to stepping into her role as the incoming At-Large Director of Conferences of IDSA and serving the organization at the national level.
Chair, IDSA Cincinnati Chapter
