Assistant Professor & Program Director of Industrial Design, University of Kansas
Betsy Barnhart, IDSA is an Assistant Professor and Program Director of Industrial Design at the University of Kansas. She is also a leader of IDSA's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council (DEIC). Betsy was the recipient of Industrial Designers Society of America’s (IDSA) Young Educator of the Year Award in 2020. Betsy's research focuses on addressing inequities in industrial design: specifically, the under representation of women in practice, design leadership, and in education. She is gathering core data to better assess the status of women and minorities in Industrial Design practice and conducting skills assessments internationally to show disparities in learning outcomes for women and minorities in Industrial Design education.
She is also an accomplished sporting goods designer with over 15 years of Industrial Design experience and continues her professional practice designing Lacrosse and Field Hockey equipment for Nike and STX lacrosse, having received several patents for her design work. Betsy's educational practice is based on her extensive experience as an industrial design practitioner, bringing into the classroom real world experiences, focusing on innovation and market disruption in consumer products and sporting goods through industry partnerships with companies like, Stanley Black and Decker, Orvis, Zebco, and United Sports Brands. She also serves as the faculty advisor to the University of Kansas IDSA Student Chapter.
Heeey, It’s Lonely Up Here!
She finally made it to a leadership position in her professional career or in academia. Now, how does she navigate the top when she is the only woman in the room? What happens when she is finally “there” and she is an outlier? How should she self-advocate, amplify ally voices, and advance her initiatives? What should she do if she gets caught in a misstep or blindsided with bias?
This presentation will discuss how to be your own champion when you’re the only one, and the importance of creating a community—even if everyone is in different cities. The discussion will include how to advance an agenda as a lonely voice, and even how to get recognized for it, without facing backlash. We’ll also discuss the importance of visibility and how it relates to success and an understanding of your contribution. Finally, we’ll talk about how to use a balanced approach to have your values and contributions recognized, inside and out of work.
In this session, you will learn:
