John McCabe, IDSA

Keynote Presentation: You’re part of the Zombie Apocalypse: It’s not your fault. It’s mine.

Join us for a lively debate covering trends in education, student needs, industry expectations, and institutional capabilities. This conversation will be a fun dialogue that is fueled by our over 30 years of public, private, and non-traditional educational experience. We will embrace diverse perspectives, fill any gaps we find along the way, and envision a future of learning where we aren’t aimlessly following the masses looking for brains.

Co-presented with Owen Foster

Now is when we need to come together as a community. Not professionals. Not students. But a community of designers. We should be helping each other create culture, stay relevant and prepare for the future. The blurring of the definitions of what are educational institutions, firms and corporations is a part of our current landscape and we as an organization need to capitalize on this opportunity to engage one another to create positive change in our industry and communities.

Statement of Candidacy

The term design has changed and this means designers are popping up in places we have never seen them before.  We need to identify future skills, industry opportunities and regional strategies that will propel our part of the country to be more successful and resilient. Let’s work together to develop a plan of action that aligns with who we are and what the Southern region wants to be known for. It will become what we make it. Let’s lead the way and do it together!

I have been active in IDSA for as long as I have been a part of the community. I was a student chapter VP while at Auburn University, a chapter faculty advisor during my time at SCAD. In 2016, I was recognized as Young Educator of the Year by IDSA, and on multiple occasions was a finalist and won IDEAs. I annually attend regional IDSA conferences and every international conference. I have stood on the stage and presented my opinions to you; I have laughed with you at the late night after-parties; and I have carried the banner of IDSA while attending other international conferences and workshops. I have been around enough to know what works and what needs some help. Between what I have learned while engaging with IDSA and what I experience with other international organizations, I know that together we can create a powerful regional presence and help IDSA become more prominently recognized.

Just go get a job and get paid! It can’t be that hard.

So hopefully, you’re graduating soon—#fingerscrossed.

John McCabe, IDSA, of Aether Learning answers the questions: How do you stand out from the crowd? What’s your strategy to get noticed and snag an interview? Do you know how to act in an interview? Is this job a good place for growth? What about negotiating benefits? You do know salary isn’t a big deal right?

He’ll cover all this—and talk about puppies. #BeTransparent #alwayshumble #learneveryday

With a formal background in architecture, environmental design and industrial design, John McCabe, IDSA, has facilitated a diverse range of project types, workshops and multidisciplinary teams during his role as a creative director, professor and startup co-founder. He is IDSA’s Young Educator of the Year for 2016.

McCabe’s design career began not with ID, but with architecture—at Auburn University’s College of Architecture, Design and Construction. His thesis was designed and built at the world renowned Rural Studio under the direction of Samuel Mockbee and Andrew Freear. McCabe then worked as an associate architect designing for education and healthcare. He returned to Auburn to earn two more degrees—a bachelor’s degree in environmental design and a master’s degree in industrial design—then with Jerrod Windham, IDSA—co-founded Fulcrum Collaborative, which developed urban planning solutions, award-winning wakeboard boats, packaging and branding for lifestyle products and training equipment for professional sports organizations.

For nearly a decade, McCabe served as program coordinator for the User Experience Design, Service Design and Design for Sustainability Programs at Savannah College of Art and Design. As a mentor and professor, he facilitated more than 30 projects with Gulfstream, Google, TTI, Remington, Fossil, HP, Chick-Fil-A, Dell, AT&T, BMW, Disney, P&G and many others. His experience in facilitating these service and product development efforts for Fortune 500 companies provided him the insight to create a dynamic and effective client-sponsored project process that was implemented through non-typical student experiences. McCabe managed those integrated, cross-disciplinary design teams through off-campus study abroad experiences to more than 17 countries around the world. He also served as the IDSA Student Chapter faculty advisor.

After experiencing firsthand the forces affecting institutionalized education, he felt the industry needed to be pulled in a different direction. McCabe began connecting with leaders and change agents to create a community that would develop a strategy for change. The outcome of those meetings is the non-profit, Aether—co-founded in 2016 by McCabe; Owen Foster, IDSA (IDSA’s Education Award 2015 winner); and Tom Gattis, IDSA.

The think tank is focused on developing advanced, educational curriculum and immersive collaborations—creating transformational experiences to develop empathic and strategic leadership at all levels. The ripple effects of one of its platforms—SHiFT—already is being felt globally. The students and professionals who attend the design camps not only are changing each other’s lives, but taking home lateral thinking methodologies; desire for positive global change; and most importantly—the power of empathy. Aether is collaborating with organizations from around the world to find and educate those who will be at the helm someday.  “A hell of a fun adventure is waiting for them—and I want to make sure they are more than prepared to be leaders of their industry,” says McCabe determinedly.