2011
AIGA Alabama Design Summit July 21- 24, 2011 Birmingham, Alabama
Contents 1
Welcome
2
Introduction
5
Background
6
About the AIGA Alabama Design Summit
8
Summit Schedule
11
Studio 1: Expanding Mission Driven Capacity
14
Studio 2: Tourism for Community Regeneration
17
Studio 3: Thinking Like A Watershed
21
Studio 4: Overcoming Nature Deficit Disorder
25
Supporting Organizations and Initiatives
30
Guidelines for PechaKucha
31
Summit Participants
AIGA Alabama Design Summit | aiga.org
Welcome
Welcome to the AIGA Alabama Design Summit
We want to facilitate the kind of creative interaction among many types of professionals, all with a shared interest in solving a problem, that can be so successful in finding new solutions to stubborn problems that bear directly on the human experience.
Welcome and thanks to each of you for committing your most valuable contributions—your time, your creative energy, your empathy, and your determination to contribute to positive change—to a gathering in Birmingham to learn, to share, to solve and to model how creativity can be harnessed to defeat habit. AIGA, as the professional association for design, is deeply committed to this gathering, its experiences and its outcomes. We want to facilitate the kind of creative interaction among many types of professionals, all with a shared interest in solving a problem, that can be so successful in finding new solutions to stubborn problems that bear directly on the human experience. We want to help by convening the right people; channeling their interaction through a thoughtful process toward purposeful ends; and serving as a catalyst for real action. Our interest is to serve the needs of real people, while empowering all involved. And, in this case, to document a process that we can encourage to be used in communities around the country. We expect this to be an extraordinary several days—enriching for those who have offered to help; enabling for those who have shared problems seeking solutions; and enlightening in how we can learn from these days to inform others on a successful experience. Again, our sincerest thanks. Richard Grefé Executive director, AIGA
Welcome
July 21 to 24, 2011
1
Introduction
The Origins of the AIGA Alabama Design Summit
»»changeobserver.com/aspen.html
The Alabama Design Summit is an important model for how Design for Good will engage designers which will inform how this innovative and ambitious program will materialize.
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In November 2009, we both attended the Aspen Design Summit. Sponsored by AIGA and Winterhouse Institute with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Aspen Summit was a participatory event where 64 attendees worked together to develop innovative contributions toward solving large-scale national and global problems. The summit included leaders from design, NGOs, business, foundations, and social institutions. Participants were divided into six studios, where each addressed a specific issue (rural healthcare delivery, international education, the needs of menstruating girls, rural poverty, healthy aging, and sustainable food and obesity). We both were members of different studios in Aspen and continue to work on the projects post-Aspen. Doug’s studio is working with the CDC’s Healthy Aging project to double the current number of adults 50 and over who have received a set of recommended preventive health services. This project is now called “5 over 50,” named for the five medical tests that should be taken for those over 50 years of age. Sam’s studio focuses on rural Alabama and, working with local leaders, examines how new resources and design services can spur local social innovation and community development projects across Alabama, in an effort to combat poverty. Named “AL Innovation Engine,” we hope to address the conditions faced by rural and urban poor by gathering national support for innovative local projects and organizing individual projects into local frameworks to create synergies that can increase benefits. In addition to our studio participation in Aspen, Ric Grefé and Bill Drenttel presented us with a second challenge: Could we bring the Aspen experience—using design thinking as a problem solving tool for social and environmental issues—to the AIGA chapters? And could this be a mechanism through which AIGA members—as individuals, small groups, or chapters—could participate in a meaningful way in social change initiatives within their own communities? In October, AIGA will launch Design for Good, an initiative to activate AIGA’s role as a catalyst, connector, convener, and amplifier in addressing social challenges by linking design and the community of designers to social impact work on a local, national, and global level. The Alabama Design Summit is an important model for how Design for Good will engage designers which will inform how this innovative and ambitious program will materialize.
AIGA Alabama Design Summit | aiga.org
»»More information about the 2009
Aspen Summit—including full issue descriptions, a short film, and team updates since the Summit— can be accessed online at Change Observer, a channel of Design Observer that’s devoted to design for social innovation.
There are many people who have made this Summit possible and are deserving of our sincere thanks and appreciation: Ric Grefé and Bill Drenttel, for planting the seed as well as providing the guidance and support that has led to this Summit.
Summit Planning Team
Nisa Miranda and Cheryl Morgan, as well as the University of Alabama and Auburn University, for both keeping AL Innovation Engine moving forward with their encouragement and abundant energy and for their support in making this Summit a reality.
Charlie Cannon
Charlie Cannon and Matt Leavell, for working with community leaders to identify and define the initiatives each studio will address, recruiting our expert team of facilitators that will moderate each studio, and bringing local studio participants into the mix.
Tim Hamilton
Associate Professor of Industrial Design, Rhode Island School of Design; Co-Founder, LOCAL Architecture Research Design Director of Sales and Marketing; American Printing Company; President, AIGA Birmingham Matt Leavell RA, LEED AP
Tim Hamilton and the AIGA Birmingham board and membership, for assisting with local logistics, identifying chapter participants, and hosting our informal gathering Friday evening. AIGA staff members Amy Chapman, Jonathan Feinberg, and Christine Caruana, for assisting with all the pre-event planning and on-site logistics that make AIGA events, like this one, such a success. Our facilitators, Renna Al-Yassini, Jeremy Kaye, Stacy Reinhardt, and Sarah Tripp Stephan, for volunteering their time to review the case studies and talk with the community leaders in order to lead their respective studios through the design thinking process at this Summit.
Director, AL Innovation Engine Nisa Miranda
Director, University Center Economic Development, University of Alabama Cheryl Morgan
Director, Urban Studio; Professor of Architecture, Auburn University Doug Powell
Co-Founder, Schwartz Powell; Co-Founder, HealthSimple Sam Shelton
Principal, KINETIK
Our scribes, Robert Dodd, Susie Fagg, Zev Powell, and Ken Zinser, for offering to be the official note-takers for each studio.
Amy Chapman
Project Manager, AIGA
And, most importantly, to all of you, for taking the time to participate in this Summit. We look forward to working with you over the next several days and to extraordinary outcomes.
Christine Caruana
Administrative Assistant, AIGA Jonathan Feinberg
Director of Events, AIGA
Doug Powell AIGA Minnesota Sam Shelton AIGA DC
Introduction
July 21 to 24, 2011
3
COLLABORATE
“I wouldn’t have had half of the jobs I’ve AL Innovation Engine is actively working had if it wasn’t for [the Center],” says to create large-scale, positive change and Leach who hopes to soon attend college encourage economic development in rural to earn a computer science degree. communities throughout Alabama.
Background
Aspen Design Summit and AL Innovation Engine
Aspen AL Engine Team Charlie Cannon (facilitator)
Associate Professor of Industrial Design, Rhode Island School of Design; Co-Founder, LOCAL Architecture Research Design Chappell Ellison (scribe)
MFA Graduate Student, Design Criticism Program, SVA John Bielenberg
Founder, Project M; Founding Partner, C2 Pam Dorr
Director, HERO (Hale County Housing Resources) Andrew Freear
Director, Rural Studio, Professor of Architecture, Auburn University Chris Hacker
Chief Design Officer, Johnson & Johnson J. Daniell Hebert
CEO, MOTO Jeremy Kaye
Co-founder, Co*Lab Nisa Miranda
Director, University Center Economic Development, University of Alabama Cheryl Morgan
In November 2009, the Aspen Design Summit charged one of the studio teams with conceiving a National Design Center for Rural Poverty in Hale County, Alabama. The idea was to create a workshop where designers, academics, NGOs and community groups could gather together to experience, research and collaborate on design solutions for rural poverty. The studio team questioned whether this “helicopter approach” — swooping in to fix a problem and then leaving after the initial engagement —would do more harm than good. Recognizing the importance of working within communities, the team instead focused on developing a mechanism to connect outside resources—both people and funding—to support social innovation and community-based projects. Such a network might also connect leaders from neighboring communities, identify overlapping initiatives and leverage those connections to create new funding, promotional, and educational opportunities. This mechanism would become the Alabama Innovation Engine. In March 2010, as a follow-up to the Aspen Summit, the studio team met in Birmingham, Alabama. There they presented ideas to potential local partners and solicited feedback on the initial concept. Studio members Nisa Miranda and Cheryl Morgan approached the Provosts of their respective schools and secured matching funds from the University of Alabama and Auburn University to support a full-time staff person for the AL Innovation Engine. Today, the Alabama Innovation Engine is actively working to create large-scale, positive change and encourage economic development in rural communities throughout Alabama. It’s work is guided by two beliefs: first, that the best way to identify community projects is to work with local community leaders; and second, that connecting these projects can more effectively leverage the human, cultural and natural assets of Alabama.
Director, Urban Studio; Professor of Architecture, Auburn University John Peterson
Founder, Public Architecture Sam Shelton Principal, KINETIK
Background
July 21 to 24, 2011
5
AIGA Alabama Design Summit
The Summit Program
We hope participants will share ideas, their experiences, and then document best practices about how the design industry can influence and advance a social change agenda.
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The AIGA Alabama Design Summit is a participatory event where more than 50 attendees will work together, using design thinking, to develop innovative contributions toward solving social and environmental issues that affect people’s everyday lives. The summit will include leaders from design, business, and social institutions. We hope participants will share ideas, their experiences, and then document best practices about how the design industry can influence and lead a social change agenda. Attendees will be assigned into small studios of 12 people to focus on four specific initiatives: grassroots communication, tourism, water quality, and nature deficit disorder. Each studio will have a facilitator and a scribe. The facilitator is a peer participant who has agreed to guide the conversation, keep the team on track during the Summit, and lead them through the design thinking process. The scribe is a student participant who will keep notes in order to track and summarize each studio’s work in a final written report. Each studio will have three local leaders from the design community and five AIGA chapter leaders from around the country, bringing robust design experience to the team. In addition, each team will have two local clients. Facilitators bring the methodology, designers bring experience in design thinking, and local clients bring the hands-on knowledge. Over the three days, the facilitator will lead the team in discussion, debate, and development of an actionable plan. The studios will craft ways to address their assigned problems and present their findings to the larger group. The fundamental goal of each studio is to develop a course that can be implemented locally over an 18 to 24 month period to advance the challenges posed, including program definition and description; a business plan and funding requirements, and an implementation plan. The Summit kicks off with tours of the region. In addition to providing a get-to-know-each-other day for the studios, each will travel together to locally important sites to familiarize themselves with the specific issues they will address during the Summit. In our opening session Thursday afternoon, we will introduce the four initiatives. We will have short introductions by involved participants, as well as brief outlines by studio clients of the specific challenges we are undertaking.
AIGA Alabama Design Summit | aiga.org
»»For a complete list of Summit
participants along with bios and photos, please see page 30. After the Summit, contact information for all participants will be distributed via email.
Studio work sessions will fill most of Friday. On Friday night, at a reception hosted by AIGA Birmingham, each studio will present a brief overview of their initiative and their discoveries to date, in a PechaKucha format, to the Summit as a whole for feedback. Studio work will then continue on Saturday. A final discussion of each project, before the entire Summit, will happen late Saturday afternoon, where studios will present plans for concrete outcomes and actionable implementation. Sunday morning, AIGA chapter participants will meet to discuss the Summit: Lessons learned and how those might be applied in their local communities. It will also be an opportunity for chapter leaders to share case studies of similar programming they may currently be implementing, in their chapters, that focuses on design for social change. During that same timeframe, facilitators and scribes will meet with the AL Innovation Engine team to debrief and identify action steps for any individual and shared projects that have emerged over the course of the Summit. For participants not previously exposed to work with designers, studio moderators will lead the team through a design thinking process. This process is a framework for problem solving that often leads to creative solutions. For the most part, designers follow a pattern of steps to define a problem, generating ideas and translating the ideas into value. Among designers, there is a relatively clear sense of the attributes of design thinking, although it is articulated in different ways by different practitioners. Its key characteristics involve refining the problem statement to include dimensions often overlooked by others; aiming for human-centered solutions, which often means early ethnographic research to better understand those effected by the problem and solutions; encouraging divergent thinking; crafting many approaches to address a problem before narrowing them; and rapid prototyping, to encourage risk in considering options. Convergence on a valid solution occurs after testing prototypes and then focusing on gaining the consensus necessary from all stakeholders in order to execute a solution that results in real progress. We may only be able to do part of this work during our short time in Alabama, but it is our hope that we can craft and develop feasible and fundable programs of scale and impact that will help us reach the goal of implementation within 18 – 24 months. We have incredible expertise on every team, so the process should be energetic, challenging, and rewarding.
Summit Program
July 21 to 24, 2011
Additional Resources “Inside the Design Thinking Process,” by Helen Waters, Bloomberg Businessweek, Dec. 14, 2009
www.businessweek.com “Rediscovering Social Innovation,” James A Phills, Jr, Kriss Deiglmeier, Dale T. Miller, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Fall 2008
www.ssireview.org “Design Thinking for Social Innovation,” Tim Brown & Jocelyn Wyatt, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Nov 18, 2009
www.ssireview.org “Tools of Engagement—The New Practice of User Centered Design,” Robert Fabricant, Core 77, July 1, 2009
core77.com
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Schedule
Thursday, July 21 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Breakfast on your own
9:00 AM
Meet in the hotel lobby for project tour departures
9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Project tours, divided by studio assignment
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Break
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Kick-off presentations about process and projects
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Studios disperse for dinner at area restaurants (each individual is responsible for their own dinner costs)
Friday, July 22 8:30 AM
Continental breakfast available in general session room
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Group meeting with question/answer session
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM Studio Session 1 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM Studio lunch at area restaurants (each individual
8
is responsible for their own lunch costs)
2:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Studio Session 2
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
BREAK
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Gathering, hosted by AIGA Birmingham, and Studio PechaKucha presentations
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Dinner on your own
AIGA Alabama Design Summit | aiga.org
Saturday, July 23 8:30 AM
Continental breakfast available in general session room
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Group meeting with question/answer session
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM Studio Session 3
Tour details
12:30 PM – 2:30 PM Studio lunch at area restaurants (each individual
Expanding the Design Capacity of Mission Driven Organizations
is responsible for their own lunch costs)
2:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Studio Session 4
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
BREAK
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Studio presentations and discussions
With a focus on Birmingham, studio members will be introduced to local organizations and efforts underway. Physical sites will be identified and visited to give examples of both accomplishments and needs.
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Dinner on your own
Tourism as Community Regeneration
9:00 PM until ...
Summit nightcap at nearby bar or restaurant
Thinking Like a Watershed
CLOSE OF SUMMIT PROGRAM
Sunday, July 24 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Breakfast on your own
9:00 AM – 11:30 AM AIGA chapter participants meeting 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM Studio facilitators and scribes meet with
Schedule
Studio members will discover the state’s hidden treasures—sites not typically known by outsiders (and some unknown even to locals).
AL Innovation Engine team
July 21 to 24, 2011
Visiting the Cahaba River, studio members will experience first-hand the varying conditions where human development meets the river and how that growth has affected the quality of water. Overcoming Nature Deficit Disorder
Studio members will visit sites where urban, rural, and nature intersect and examine existing opportunities for increased outdoor experiences.
9
SHARE
Alabama has hundreds of groups working on significant quality of life and community issues. However, even the most successful groups are limited by their capacity.
Studio 1: Expanding Mission-Driven Capacity
Opportunity
Expanding Mission-Driven Capacity asks how design can assist in organizing the work that is required to achieve substantial change.
Social innovation is undergoing a tectonic change. Doing good is no longer the sole province of hairshirt idealists. New players entering this arena are drawing insights from behavioral psychology, systems thinking, open-source product development and a host of other fields to rethink the nature of our most pressing social problems. In the process, social entrepreneurs, activist government agencies and nimble non-governmental organizations are increasingly sharing new tools and techniques for effecting social change. Unfortunately, many mission driven organizations are hard pressed to meet their daily organizational objectives, much less take time to absorb how new insights into co-creation and crowd sourcing could fundamentally change the way they work with communities. Co-creation recognizes the important role that the customer or stakeholder can play in the direct creation of new solutions. Successful crowd-sourcing projects prove that strangers can make substantial contributions to projects they care about. To exploit these insights, organizations need new ways to reach out, not only to the individuals they serve but to whole new audiences. Expanding Mission-Driven Capacity asks how design can assist in organizing the work that is required to achieve substantial change. What tools are needed to help mission driven organizations create new conversations? What role can web-enabled technologies play in these efforts?
Background
»»cadc.auburn.edu »»uced.ua.edu »»herohousing.org
Studio 1
Alabama has hundreds of groups working on significant quality of life and community issues. Programs with deep local engagement, like the Rural Studio and the Urban Studio of Auburn University; the Center for Economic Development at the University of Alabama; and HERO in Greensboro are showing significant results. Their results come precisely because of the intimate relationships they build with the individuals and the communities that they serve. However, these groups are limited by their current capacity to interact with those communities. All social innovation programs run the risk of viewing their successes as the product of their programming rather than the strength of their relationships. To avoid this shortcoming, it is incredibly important for organizations to stay focused on the needs of their stakeholder groups. But, this focus risks a Catch-22—in which they spend so much time maintaining their relationships that they don’t have the time to develop more substantive conversations.
July 21 to 24, 2011
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»»prize2thefuture.org
Developing the tools to expand their communicative capacity has the potential to change how mission-driven organizations approach social change work. Several current initiatives in Alabama bear this out. “Prize 2 the Future,” for example, demonstrates how sharing new ideas with the public can be used to draw out community input. Secondly, the meetings organized for The Jefferson County Greenway System recognize that people from different communities can contribute to solutions if they can be organized in the right way. These strategies suggest the value of expanding collaboration to find new solutions to trenchant problems.
Clients
»»foundationbirmingham.org
Additional Resources Five Guiding Principles of Co-Creation fronteerstrategy.com Give a Minute giveaminute.info
»»alabamaengine.org
The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham Founded in 1959 for and by the community as a perpetual public endowment, the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham is dedicated to driving positive change through grantmaking, convening and leading, and to leveraging donor giving to meet community needs forever. Serving Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Blount and Walker counties, it’s the oldest and largest community foundation in Alabama and is ranked in the top 100, out of 700 community foundations nationwide, for $153 million in assets, $17.1 million in grants awarded, and $17.5 million in gifts received. Made up of more than 400 charitable funds established by individuals, families and businesses, the Community Foundation is a member of the Council on Foundations and certified in compliance with national standards for community foundations. Recent projects include the Three Parks Initiative, which provided seed funding for Railroad Park, Red Mountain Park and improvements to Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve. The Birmingham Education Foundation is the result of a grassroots initiative called “Yes We Can! Birmingham,” developed to strengthen Birmingham City Schools. In addition, the Community Foundation is a key partner in winning support for the Health Action Partnership, a program of the Jefferson County Health Department. And, in 2011, the Community Foundation launched the on-line idea contest, “Prize 2 the Future,” as the first phase of an innovative initial investment from Community Catalyst Funds of the Community Foundation. AL Innovation Engine A new initiative, AL Innovation Engine (AL-IE), is working to create large-scale, positive change and encourage economic development in rural communities throughout Alabama. AL-IE is jointly funded by Auburn University and The University of Alabama and is founded on two beliefs: first, that the best way to identify community projects is to work with local community leaders; and second, that by connecting these projects at common intersections, they can be developed or combined to take advantage of the variety of existing assets such as people, culture, or natural resources found throughout Alabama.
To read more about AL Innovation Engine please see page 25.
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AIGA Alabama Design Summit | aiga.org
communicate
Developing the tools to expand their communicative capacity has the potential to change how mission-driven organizations approach social change.
Studio 2: Tourism for Community Regeneration
Opportunity
Connecting the dots is a critical way to direct the economic power of Alabama tourism and organize that power to help accelerate other initiatives across the state.
»»adventurecycling.org/ugrr
Traditionally, tourism is seen as a tool for capturing the dollars of visitors passing through town. But new models of development are asking if tourism can also be an agent for community regeneration. One that transforms tourists from passive witnesses to active participants in the communities they are visiting. Instead of simply looking at tourism as a tool for collecting money, this model suggests an opportunity to identify networks of destinations that strengthen community bonds between towns to improve the economic health of a region. At present, most outside visitors and native Alabamians visit only one destination before returning home. Without linking the interests of the people traveling through the state to the abundant resources and opportunities of neighboring towns the possibility of greater impact is lost. Connecting the dots is a critical way to direct the economic power of Alabama tourism and organize that power to help accelerate other initiatives across the state. For example, imagine if the Underground Railroad Bicycle Path (which begins in Mobile, AL and passes through Toronto to end in Owen Sound, Canada) was understood as a spine for greater community and economic development in the small Alabama towns that it passes through. Tourism for Community Regeneration asks what role can design play in connecting the dots? How can important natural and historical landmarks be linked to exciting contemporary initiatives and activities? How can designers help to tell the positive history of Alabama while helping to create an optimistic outlook for its future?
Background
»»alabama.travel
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In many ways, Alabama is a collection of small towns. As technology has changed industry and traditional factories have left these towns, communities are forced to reconsider their economic drivers and look for new means of providing jobs and opportunity. Many communities have worked to expand their economic base through retail or connecting to nearby highways. Unfortunately, this strategy often generates unhealthy competition between neighboring communities. Alternative strategies need to be developed that leverage the unique opportunities of each town. While the path is not clear, the shrinking size of many towns demands that they rethink their purpose. Recreational tourism plays an important role for only a few small towns. However, there is an opportunity for regional cooperation and shared goals to drive economic development in more communities and create a stronger Alabama. Creating a network of
AIGA Alabama Design Summit | aiga.org
destinations and developing hospitality-training programs that educate locals about those destinations could help towns to rethink the possible economic drivers for their communities. Efforts to tie tourism to networked economic development might take advantage of the major research universities that produce industry leaders such as Tim Cook, acting CEO of Apple; academic thinkers and writers like E.O. Wilson; and technological innovators such as Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia. They might link important historical sites with nearby contemporary initiatives. They might connect technological innovations like the Saturn V rocket developed at the Marshall Space Flight Center to Anniston’s burgeoning aerospace industry. Whatever connections are made will need to celebrate and enhance what is unique to Alabama.
Clients Economic Development Partnership of Alabama A private, non-profit organization, EDPA’s primary focus is on helping the state attract and retain industry. EDPA fills a critical role in the industrial recruitment process by marketing and promoting Alabama as a business location, and by providing research, information and proposals to companies and consultants that are actively searching for a site. EDPA also works closely with Alabama communities and companies looking to become more competitive. Established in 1991, EDPA has been a key player in recruiting companies such as Mercedes-Benz, Boeing, Honda and Hyundai to Alabama. The Partnership has joined with state and local officials on hundreds of small and large projects across the state that have increased Alabama’s economic base. EDPA has led efforts to market Alabama as an automotive and aerospace leader, while also working to attract investment in virtually every industry sector.
»»edpa.org
International Expeditions IE is an adventure nature travel company located in Alabama. A front runner in the eco-tourism movement, IE organized the First International Rainforest Workshop in the Amazon in 1990, raising funds for a research center and the Canopy Walkway System. Rainforest tours help to fund ongoing conservation efforts. In Belize, IE provided major support for the fledgling Belize Zoo, now a symbol of how to work together in wildlife education and eco-tourism. In 1990, International Expeditions helped to form The International Eco-tourism Society (TIES) by providing the major source of funding. TIES works to bring communities, conservation and sustainable travel together to promote eco-tourism trips to natural areas, while conserving the environment and improving the well-being of local people. International Expeditions has been recognized as one of the Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth by the editors of National Geographic ADVENTURE magazine (2008 & 2009). IE is proud to be included on Travel + Leisure magazine’s list of “World’s Best” tour operators and safari outfitters for the seventh consecutive year.
»»ietravel.com
Studio 2
July 21 to 24, 2011
Additional Resources Sustainable Tourism Lab sustainabletourismlab.com DETOUR: National Tourist Routes in Norway turistveg.no/en
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contribute
The Cahaba River is the primary drinking water source for the Birmingham Water Board, serving one-fifth of Alabama’s population.
Studio 3: Thinking Like A Watershed
Opportunity
A new perspective on the importance of rivers, watersheds and urban river systems is needed. Unfortunately, efforts by environmentalists to frame both the ecological and the economic value of water resources have met with limited success.
Healthy watersheds make vital, if little understood, contributions to the overall well-being of cities around the country. A watershed, or drainage basin, is a natural infrastructure that collects rainwater, filters that water through the soil, and recharges freshwater supplies. Unfortunately, most municipalities grossly underestimate the economic, societal, and environmental values of these ecological services. As a result, unplanned development frequently impairs the natural capacity of watersheds, forcing public dollars toward costly corrective measures such as water purification plants, wastewater treatment, and flood control. This lack of stewardship has monetary costs for community members even as it reduces the important natural biodiversity and aesthetic and recreational value of waterways. A new perspective on the importance of rivers, watersheds and urban river systems is needed. Unfortunately, efforts by environmentalists to frame both the ecological and the economic value of water resources have met with limited success. A broader constituency is needed to effectively steward these resources and recognize the infrastructural, ecological, and human value of maintaining biologically functional rivers systems. Thinking like a Watershed asks how design can contribute to reframing the importance of watersheds. Is there a way to communicate how urban water systems (drinking water, stormwater and wastewater) and the natural water resources they rely on are interlinked and should be managed together? What role might designers play in visualizing watersheds, communicating their economic significance, preserving their function and celebrating their beauty?
Background
riversofalabama.org
Studio 3
The Cahaba River is the primary drinking water source for the Birmingham Water Board, serving one-fifth of Alabama’s population. A beautiful, natural river within minutes of suburban, urban and rural communities, the Cahaba is also a valuable resource for recreation, education, tourism, and property development. The 200-mile free-flowing Cahaba River has more
July 21 to 24, 2011
17
“Last I checked…you couldn’t drink a cup of asphalt.”— Paul Johnson, program supervisor of the Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center
Rivers and streams are rarely considered “vital infrastructure” but their impact on modern society is undeniable.
»»cahabariversociety.org
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fish species per mile than any other river in North America, 69 globally rare or imperiled freshwater and land species, and 11 threatened or endangered fish and mollusk species—accounting for nearly 25 percent of the nation’s freshwater biodiversity. Few other rivers have such a strong interface between human needs, urban development, vulnerable drinking water supplies, wastewater discharge, and rare and endangered freshwater life. The Cahaba and the Birmingham region provide an opportunity to demonstrate that wildlife, water quality, and water supply of one of the temperate world’s richest rivers can be maintained and restored in growing urban areas with proper development practices and education, to meet the “triple bottom line”—people, planet, and profits. Rivers and streams are rarely considered “vital infrastructure” but their impact on modern society is undeniable. To realize their triple bottom line requires developers, businesses, government and citizens to fundamentally rethink the relationship between watersheds and urban water systems. Doing so will provide more water, better biological filtration, lower water treatment costs and diminished regulatory burden while making the case for river restoration, the cleansing capacity of the watershed’s forests, and its treasure trove of life.
Clients The Cahaba River Society Founded in 1988, the Cahaba River Society (CRS) is a 501c(3) nonprofit organization, considered to be a leader among watershed groups nationally, regionally and in Alabama due to their effective approaches. CRS’s mission is to restore and protect the Cahaba River watershed and its rich diversity of life. This diversity includes not only the river’s globally-significant freshwater wildlife, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Bibb, Perry and Dallas counties that rely on the Cahaba River as their primary source of drinking water and the “peopleshed” served by the Birmingham Water Works Board, including inner city areas. With core values of integrity, education, collaboration and stewardship, CRS is a science-based voice and partnership catalyst. The impact of their work benefits watershed conservation statewide, as well as regionally and nationally through its partnerships, involvement in learning networks, and influence on state and federal policy.
AIGA Alabama Design Summit | aiga.org
Its flagship education program, CLEAN, has brought over 23,000 students, our future leaders, into the Cahaba for hands-on science and environmental education. The Conservation Development program works with development professionals, local governments, businesses, institutions, utilities and civic groups to transform urban development with cost-effective best practices that promote growth, protect water quality, safeguard our drinking water supply, and save money. CRS also works to restore degraded areas of the river, translate river science to inform decision-makers, and encourage wise water stewardship by people throughout our region. Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center The largest state non-game recovery program of its kind in the U.S., the Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center’s mission is to promote the conservation and restoration of rare freshwater species in Alabama waters and, in turn, restore cleaner water in Alabama’s waterways. Alabama is known to have the greatest number of freshwater species of mollusks and fish in the United States. However over the past 80 years, Alabama has lost over 67 species of these mollusks and fish to extinction. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has listed more than 64 species as threatened or endangered in Alabama’s waters. AABC is working to restore threatened or endangered species of mollusks and fish through propagation and restoration. The Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center is located near the City of Marion, in rural Perry County, Alabama. The Center is a complex of four buildings that sits on 36 acres of property near the Cahaba River and adjacent to the Marion State Fish Hatchery, Perry Lakes Park and The Nature Conservancy’s Barton’s Beach Preserve. The facilities at the Center include three aquatic culture buildings with over 7,500 square feet of space under roof, a 4,300-square-foot administration building with office and laboratory space, and approximately 30 surface acres of aquatic culture ponds.
Studio 3
July 21 to 24, 2011
»»outdooralabama.com/researchmgmt/aquatic.cfm
Additional Resources Blue Cities
crwa.org/blue.html Hudson Watershed Alliance links
www.hudsonwatershed.org/ resources.html
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TRANSFORM
Psychologists, public health organizations, environmental justice activists, and environmentalists are working together in new ways to increase physical access to natural resources such as green spaces, rivers, and forests.
Studio 4: Overcoming Nature Deficit Disorder Opportunity
Doctors and psychologists are finding that nature deficit not only impairs our physical health, but also reduces our everyday ability to concentrate and stay focused.
»»richardlouv.com/blog
The United States is losing its connection to its outdoor environment and that loss is having dramatic impacts on the population. The country is in the grip of an obesity epidemic, for example, that is exacerbated by indoor inactivity. According to a joint report released by the Trust for American Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: “Twenty years ago, no state had an obesity rate above 15 percent. Today, …38 states have obesity rates over 25 percent, and just one, [Colorado,] is lower than 20 percent.” Doctors and psychologists are finding that nature deficit not only impairs our physical health, but also reduces our everyday ability to concentrate and stay focused. At the same time, foresters and land managers report that visitors to parks and refuges are less able to navigate and enjoy public lands. An alienation from the natural world is forming that not only has an impact on health but also makes us, as citizens, less likely to work for the preservation and responsible stewardship of these lands, especially in this economic downturn. As we are coming to understand how intricately our personal health and wellbeing is linked to the health and well being of our immediate natural surroundings, new alliances are being built. To address these issues, psychologists, public health organizations, environmental justice activists, and environmentalists are working together in new ways to increase physical access to natural resources such as green spaces, rivers, and forests. Overcoming Nature Deficit Disorder asks how can designers contribute to efforts to increase public engagement with natural surroundings. What can design do to encourage people to get outside? How are broad ideas like “nature” communicated to an increasingly distracted population and to communities that do not traditionally access those renewing green spaces?
Background
»»longleafalliance.org »»alblackbeltheritage.com
Studio 4
Alabama is rich with diverse natural resources from the Gulf Coast to the foothills of Appalachia, containing some of the largest extant long leaf pine forests in the country, more than 77,000 miles of streams and rivers, and the historic prairies and farmlands of the Black Belt. Nearly 71 percent of the State is under forest canopy and actively used by hunters, fisherman, paddlers, and hikers. This diversity of use suggests that access to nature and physical recreation is available. Yet 30 percent of Alabamians report they engage in no physical activity whatsoever, and this isn’t limited to urban Alabamians with limited access to green space. The real challenge appears to be connecting people to outdoor activities. Connecting them physically —through parks, refuges and greenways; and connecting them emotionally to the wonders of the natural world.
July 21 to 24, 2011
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»»activelivingresearch.org/node/11725
Efforts are already underway within the state to build these connections. For instance, the Centers for Disease Control and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation are supporting efforts by Freshwater Land Trust and their partners to build an urban greenway system in Jefferson County that will make it easier for the region’s residents to get outside. Educational programs such as US Fish and Wildlife’s Earthscope program and summer day camps targeting youth help to build those emotional connections. But while these efforts already exist, finding alternative ways to connect larger populations to nature continues to be a challenge.
Clients
»»freshwaterlandtrust.org
»»fws.gov/wheeler
Additional Resources Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-deficit Disorder
Richard Louv, Algonquin Books, 2008.
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Freshwater Land Trust A 501c (3) non-profit organization based in
Birmingham, Alabama, the Freshwater Land Trust acquires, conserves, and connects open spaces that are critical for the protection of rivers and streams and that provide recreational opportunities for the community. The Freshwater Land Trust’s mission is the acquisition and stewardship of lands that enhance water quality and preserve open space. They work in Jefferson, Shelby, Blount, Chilton, Bibb, St. Clair, Tuscaloosa, and Walker counties. Freshwater Landtrust protects land through a number of different methods. The most common conservation tools used are land acquisition and conservation easements. But, some of their most successful projects are secured not through acquisition or easements, but through partnerships, such as “Our One Mile.” The “Our One Mile” initiative will create a network of greenways in Jefferson County to create positive impacts for the physical, economic, environmental, and social well-being of the Birmingham Region, one mile at a time. An initiative of the Health Action Partnership, it is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services. Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Located along the Tennessee River between Huntsville and Decatur, the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge is considered the easternmost Refuge in the Mississippi flyway. This 35,000 acre Refuge attracts thousands of wintering waterfowl each year and supports the southernmost concentration of wintering Southern James Bay Canada geese, also serving as winter habitat for the state’s largest duck population. In addition to migratory birds, the Refuge hosts 115 species of fish, 74 species of reptiles and amphibians, 47 species of mammals, and 285 different species of songbirds. The Refuge is also home to 10 federally listed endangered or threatened species. Comprised of a great diversity of habitat types such as bottomland hardwoods, wetlands, pine uplands, agricultural fields, and backwater embayments, these habitats provide excellent feeding, loafing, and roosting sites for waterfowl, as well as nesting sites for migrating songbirds. The Refuge provides a much needed oasis in one of the fastest growing regions in the state, with Madison being ranked as one of the top ten fasting growing cities in the nation in 2002.
AIGA Alabama Design Summit | aiga.org
understand
‌ establishing an emotional connection to the outdoors remains a hurdle for many of the people who would be best served by spending more time out in it.
encourage
The goal of AIGA is to stimulate thinking about design, and to demonstrate its value. Its mission is to advance designing as a professional craft, strategic tool and vital cultural force.
Supporting Organizations and Initiatives AIGA—the professional association of design
»»aiga.org
AIGA serves as a hub of thought-leadership and activity for the designing community.
AIGA was founded in 1914 as the American Institute of Graphic Arts and remains the oldest and largest professional membership organization for design, with 64 chapters as well as leading international initiatives. It represents more than 22,000 design professionals, educators and students through national activities and local programs. In 2005, the organization’s name was changed to “AIGA, the professional association for design,” reflecting the evolution of the profession from its earlier roots in the graphic arts. The goal of AIGA is to stimulate thinking about design, and to demonstrate its value. Its mission is to advance designing as a professional craft, strategic tool and vital cultural force. AIGA also speaks to external audiences about their roles as designers and the value of great design. AIGA functions on many levels. It promotes and communicates standards for ethical conduct and professional expertise and in collecting and analyzing information about the profession. It develops programming on critical issues facing design and celebrates both effective and innovative design. Moreover, AIGA serves as a hub of thought-leadership and activity for the designing community.
AL Innovation Engine
»»alabamaengine.org
AL Innovation Engine is a new initiative that is working to create large-scale, positive change and encourage economic development in rural communities throughout Alabama.
Supporting Organizations and Initiatives
AL Innovation Engine (AL-IE) is a new initiative that is working to create large-scale, positive change and encourage economic development in rural communities throughout Alabama. Jointly funded by Auburn University and The University of Alabama, AL-IE is founded on two beliefs: first, that the best way to identify community projects is to work with local community leaders; and second, that by connecting these projects at common intersections, they can be developed or combined to take advantage of the variety of existing assets such as people, culture, or natural resources found throughout Alabama. Other states have successfully incorporated these beliefs into economic development opportunities. Because of these successes, Auburn University and the University of Alabama recognize that the state of Alabama has the potential to do the same. AL-IE represents an approach, process, and methodology to achieve that goal. Many rural communities in Alabama are working in isolation to create opportunities for their residents. However, lack of access to resources means they sometimes have trouble envisioning a different future for their areas. AL-IE’s objective is to support communities within Alabama as they work together to realize the potential of their best assets: residents, local leaders, natural resources, and a rich history. Five organizational goals guide our work: support assetbased development, identify regional frameworks, leverage natural resources and scientific research opportunities, educate communities, and build partnerships.
July 21 to 24, 2011
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Organizational Goals and Projects
Every place has a unique combination of assets that should be used as a basis for economic development and town growth.
Support Asset-based Development. Every place has a unique combination of assets that should be used as a basis for economic development and town growth. Alabama is full of small towns and communities that have struggled to adapt to a changing economic environment and job market. AL-IE is looking to reorient those communities’ perspectives on economic development by encouraging them to focus on existing assets such as rivers and historical artifacts. With its regional viewpoint and background in small town development, AL-IE is positioned to assist those communities to work with each other and more efficiently create opportunities for economic development and community improvement. Identify Regional Frameworks. There are many local groups involved in local projects that are not aware of regional groups or opportunities that may be able to provide support. By the same token, there are many larger regional groups and networks that are unaware of the smaller projects taking place at the local level, where the greatest amount of change may be seen. AL-IE’s unique position allows us to be connected with groups at both of these levels, ultimately allowing us to create a knowledge base that unites these perspectives around projects that support community and economic development. By building on a foundation of existing networks, new projects will have the opportunity to share resources and move communities toward a tipping point that allows for greater economic development within local, regional, and statewide contexts. Leverage Natural Resources and Scientific Research Opportunities. To date Alabama has not capitalized on the potential that natural resources provide in terms of a draw for scientific research and eco-tourism. With a variety of geographies including rivers, forests, mountains, and the Mobile Bay river delta, Alabama provides immense bio-diversity in a unique temperate zone. Supporting and encouraging a scientific community in this region has the potential to bring jobs and national attention to vast areas of the state that have been largely ignored. AL-IE is positioned to connect design to the development of physical facilities such as education centers, trailheads, and nature trails. These facilities will present a unique opportunity to re-imagine the quality and character of public building in Alabama and AL-IE can create connections that take advantage of that potential. Educate Communities. AL-IE is interested in developing long-term projects within the state and generating an environment of opportunity. In order to create this positive environment, many communities need to be exposed to the assets and possibilities that exist around them. For instance, instead of looking to large cities to provide a model of development, towns can seek to develop their own growth patterns that are suited to local issues. A large part of any form of education is communication and clarity. While locals should define
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AIGA Alabama Design Summit | aiga.org
the issues themselves, AL-IE can create partnerships between designers and local organizations to develop effective means for educating communities about local issues and opportunities. Build Partnerships. Within Alabama there are numerous local, state, and federal organizations working to develop small and large-scale projects. Given the complexity of these projects, many of the organizations don’t have the resources to expand their viewpoint to include other developments occurring within their geographic region or within other groups that have similar goals. AL-IE is working with numerous organizations of all types to create connections and partnerships that lead to projects of a critical mass. Rural communities have a reputation for being isolated and competitive in their development approach. However, AL-IE works with those communities to demonstrate how linking local, smaller projects with other nearby communities creates a larger project that can then access resources not otherwise available to either of them.
Auburn University Auburn University today is a comprehensive land, sea and space grant institution—among the few that hold that distinction—occupying more than 1,840 acres and helping fulfill the dreams of nearly 25,000 students. The University began, though, as the small, more humble East Alabama Male College, which was chartered in 1856 and opened its doors in 1859 as a private liberal arts institution. From 1861 to 1866 the college was closed because of the Civil War. The college had begun an affiliation with the Methodist Church before the war. Due to dire financial straits, the church transferred legal control of the institution to the state in 1872, making it the first land-grant college in the South to be established separate from the state university. It thus became the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama. The original mission of a land-grant college or university was to teach agriculture, military tactics, the mechanical arts and classical studies so that members of the working classes could obtain a liberal, practical education. The land-grant designation was given by its state legislature or Congress to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890. Women were admitted in 1892, making Auburn the oldest four-year, coeducational school in the state and the second-oldest in the Southeast. In 1899, the name was again changed to the Alabama Polytechnic Institute. In 1960, the school officially acquired the name it has long been called and one more in keeping with its location, size, and mission—Auburn University. The institution has experienced its greatest growth since World War II, and now has more than 250,000 graduates.
Supporting Organizations and Initiatives
July 21 to 24, 2011
»»auburn.edu
The original mission of a land-grant college or university was to teach agriculture, military tactics, the mechanical arts, and classical studies so that members of the working classes could obtain a liberal, practical education.
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University of Alabama
»»ua.edu
On April 18, 1831 inaugural ceremonies were held and the University [of Alabama] officially opened as Alabama’s first public college with 52 students enrolled.
The University of Alabama is a student-centered research university and an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians. In 1818, the federal government authorized the Alabama Territory to set aside a township for the establishment of a “seminary of learning.” In 1820, the seminary was officially established and named “The University of the State of Alabama.” Tuscaloosa, then the state’s capital, was chosen as the University’s home. On April 18, 1831 inaugural ceremonies were held and the University officially opened as Alabama’s first public college with 52 students enrolled. In Fall of 2010, 30,232 undergraduate, professional, and graduate students enrolled at UA. Of these, 67 percent were native to Alabama, 53 percent were women, and 12 percent were African-American. The University of Alabama is dedicated to excellence in teaching, research and service. UA provides a creative, nurturing campus environment where their students can become the best individuals possible, can learn from the best and brightest faculty, and can make a positive difference in the community, the state and the world.
Winterhouse Institute
»»winterhouse.com/institute
Winterhouse Institute, founded by William Drenttel and Jessica Helfand, is focused on design-oriented social and political initiatives, as well as design education.
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Winterhouse Institute, founded by William Drenttel and Jessica Helfand, is focused on design-oriented social and political initiatives, as well as design education. In January 2009, Winterhouse Institute began a two-year project, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation with a $1.5 million grant, to develop collective action and collaboration for social impact across the design industry—and encompassing a range of other institutions that work on the needs of poor or vulnerable people. The funding is being used to develop specific programs for social impact by the design community, such as the Aspen Design Summit in 2009, case studies with the Yale School of Management, and to create an editorial website to monitor progress in the zone of design and innovation around social issues. Previously, Winterhouse Institute, supported by AIGA, initiated the Polling Place Photo Project, a nationwide experiment in citizen journalism to capture democracy in action on Election Day, which included an archive of photographs taken by citizens at their polling places. During the 2008 election cycle, the project was run in partnership with The New York Times. In collaboration with AIGA, Winterhouse Institute sponsors the Winterhouse Awards for Design Writing & Criticism, which seek to increase the understanding and appreciation of design, both within the profession and throughout American life. The $10,000 prize, as well as student awards, recognizes excellence in writing about design and encourages the development of new voices in design writing, commentary and criticism.
AIGA Alabama Design Summit | aiga.org
Winterhouse also publishes Design Observer, the leading site of writing, news and commentary about design and culture, design and social innovation, and urbanism and the public realm. And, launched in August 2009 as part of Design Observer Group, Change Observer and Places are new channels that provide journalism focused on specific content zones. Developed by the Winterhouse Institute, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, Change Observer is devoted to the many dimensions of design for social innovation. Places, originally an interdisciplinary print journal founded by MIT and Berkley faculty 26 years ago, is now an online journal focused on urbanism and design within the public realm.
Design for Good Our challenge. How do we effectively harness the collective commitment of the design community to improve social, economic and cultural conditions? Our vision. Design for Good is an ambitious initiative to position AIGA as a catalyst, connector, convener, and curator by linking design and the community of designers to social impact work on a local, national, and global level. Design for Good will mobilize the 22,000 members of AIGA—the world’s largest and most influential design association—to apply their design skills to problems in their local communities and accelerate social change. The program will achieve this ambitious goal by:
celebrating the many social change projects currently being led by AIGA members on the local level, n inspiring and igniting new activity at the local level, n training designers in the skills needed to work in this challenging new way, and to transform their businesses to meet the needs of this opportunity, n connecting designers to the resources, support, and networks needed to grow and expand their projects, n establishing relationships with the influential organizations— philanthropic, corporate, and governmental—already established in the social innovation marketplace n providing the means and metrics to measure the effectiveness of our work in this area, n telling the stories of our work in a creative and compelling way. n
»»aiga.org/designforgood
Design for Good is an ambitious initiative to position AIGA as a catalyst, connector, convener, and curator by linking design and the community of designers to social impact work on a local, national, and global level.
For nearly 100 years, AIGA has responded to the changing contexts of design practice. As a design institution, it is respected for advancing designing as a professional craft, strategic tool and vital cultural force. By activating an army of 22,000 designers—and providing the resources necessary for success—Design for Good represents a powerful commitment to meet the demands of a changing world.
Supporting Organizations and Initiatives
July 21 to 24, 2011
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PechaKucha Guidelines for PechaKucha
»»pecha-kucha.org
Pechakucha is the Japanese term for the sound of conversation, basically “chit chat.”
Additional information 20x20. Show 20 images, each for 20 seconds. Talk to the images. Have the
images forward automatically and talk along to the images.
PechaKucha was conceived by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham, of Klein Dytham Architecture, in order to create a forum where creative people could share their ideas, work, thoughts, and passions with others. The first PechaKucha Night, in February 2003, was held in Tokyo at their gallery/lounge space, SuperDeluxe. Now PechaKucha Nights occur in almost 300 cities worldwide with more than 60 events per month. Pechakucha is the Japanese term for the sound of conversation, basically “chit chat.” In order to provide a framework, Klein and Dytham added a constraint to the presentations: 20 slides shown for 20 seconds each. Because of this constraint, every PechaKucha presentation, regardless of the speaker or topic, is exactly 6 minutes and 40 seconds long. They found this makes presentations tight and quickly paced. Attendees of this Summit are masters of the presentation. Just the same, we thought it might be helpful to provide some guidelines that have been helpful for PechaKucha presenters. Each studio is responsible for a single presentation that will update and inform all the Summit attendees on the issue your studio is working on. We’ll have a laptop and projector at the event venue. All you need to do is bring your presentation, on a USB flash drive, as either a PDF or Quicktime file.
Be revealing. Don’t just describe what’s on the screen, reveal the thought process, mistakes and epiphanies. Do the unexpected. The best
PechaKucha presentations are the ones that uncover the unexpected.
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AIGA Alabama Design Summit | aiga.org
Participants
Renna Al Yassini Interaction designer, Cooper renna@cooper.com Renna Al-Yassini is an interaction designer at Cooper. She has worked for clients spanning diverse industries including consumer products, enterprise solutions, finance and banking, to healthcare and public services. She brings a keen interest and experience in teaching and designing for services. Renna regularly writes about the intersection of design, business, culture and social impact, leveraging her background as a communication strategist to nonprofits, government agencies and social justice initiatives. Renna holds a Masters of Design.
Matt Allison Principal, Matthew Allison Graphic Design matt.allison1@gmail.com Matt lives in Nashville, TN where he runs his own design studio, Matthew Allison Graphic Design. The focus is mostly print design with a bit of web mixed in and includes clients in the publishing, fine art and non-profit world. He enjoys being a part of the design community. As Vice-President of AIGA Nashville he is excited to bring Design for Good ideas to his city. He is also the Communication Chair at Ad 2 Nashville (under 32 division of AAFN) and enjoys working with Ad 2 on its yearly pro-bono campaign. Matt is also an avid runner and has completed 8 marathons to date.
Marshall Anderson, AIA Design Initiative marshall@design-initiative.net
Jessi Arrington Founder and owner, WORKSHOP jessi@workshoplovesyou.com Jessi Arrington is a founder and owner of WORKSHOP, a design company in Brooklyn. Her favorite color is rainbow and her default answer is YES. She’s a board member of AIGA/NY and a member of the work club Studiomates. She makes a point of wearing nothing new, and she blogs about that, color and designing life at LuckySoAndSo.com.
Participants
July 21 to 24, 2011
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Doug Barrett Assistant Professor, Graphic Design, University of Alabama dougbarrett@mac.com Doug Barrett is an Assistant Professor of graphic design at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has over 20 years of professional graphic design experience, working for non-profits and international corporations. His client list includes, MasterCard, Sun Trust, Rollins College, Kraft Foods, and Mars Inc. His research interests include commuting, space and place, typography and the visual culture embedded in our surroundings. His work explores how meaning is constructed and conveyed through visual and cultural relationships.
David Blumberg Designer and Associate Creative Director, Slaughter Group davidblumberg@slaughtergroup.com David Blumberg is a Designer and Associate Creative Director at Slaughter Group in Birmingham, Alabama. David assists in leading the design team at Slaughter Group as well as the non-profit Simon Cyrene Group, which was founded by Terry Slaughter. Before Slaughter Group, David was Principal Designer and Owner of Good Story Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee. Through GoodStory, David spent a year working closely with the non-profit group Care for Aids, rebranding and shaping their unique story through various media. David moved back to Birmingham in September 2010 from a ten year run in Nashville, TN. There he learned graphic design in trade school and worked for Thomas Nelson Publishers, CMT, Locomotion Creative, Lewis Communications, and others.
Roy Burns Design Director, Lewis Communications royburnsiii@att.net Roy is Design Director at Lewis Communications in Birmingham. Prior to that, he was Art Director at Razorfish in New York, and Design Director at Stoltze Design in Boston. Roy has worked on design, branding, interactive and multimedia projects for HBO, BMG/Sony Music Group, EMI/Capitol Records, AIGA, Houghton Mifflin, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Tiffin Motorhomes, Fidelity Investments, MIT, and Harvard Business School. Roy’s work has been recognized by the Art Directors Club, Type Directors Club, Graphis, HOW, Print, CA, AAF, AIGA and the Academy of Television Arts and Science. Roy has a wife named Liane, a son named Walt and a dog named Zee.
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AIGA Alabama Design Summit | aiga.org
Charlie Cannon Associate Professor, Industrial Design, RISD Director, Research and Design, LOCAL Architecture Research Design ccannon@risd.edu Charlie Cannon co-founded the Innovation Studio at RISD to confront pressing issues of our day through interdisciplinary collaboration, social entrepreneurship and design research. The studio’s projects have been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rhode Island Renewable Energy Fund, the RISD Research Foundation and the City of Denver. Charlie is also co-founder of LOCAL Architecture Research Design, a design firm in Brooklyn NY and Providence, Rhode Island that focuses on projects that develop and sustain local communities.
Amy Chapman Project manager, AIGA amy_chapman@aiga.org Amy works to recruit and connect interested and active members with various AIGA programs and initiatives and helps to develop systems for maintaining member involvement and communication. In this role, she is the primary contact for engaging designers who want to advance the mission and goals of AIGA for the profession. Amy is also AIGA’s principal liaison with other organizations and with the board and board committees. Amy earned a BFA in painting from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Robert Clouse Director of the Office of Archaeological Research, University of Alabama rclouse@bama.ua.edu Robert Clouse became the Director of the Office of Archaeological Research at the University of Alabama in 2001. Prior to his arrival in Alabama, Dr. Clouse was head of the Minnesota Historical Society’s Archaeology Department from 1981 to 2001. He was also an adjunct associate professor in the University of Minnesota’s Anthropology Department, Interdisciplinary Archaeological Studies Program, and the Classical and Near Eastern Studies Department. He taught a practicum in archaeological field methods and archaeological field schools for 18 years. Over the last few years he also taught study abroad courses in Spain on heritage resource preservation and management. Robert was the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office Archaeologist for two and one-half years, and served an additional two years as acting Minnesota State Archaeologist. For many years he also served as the Tribal Archaeologist for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Indians Tribal Historic Preservation Board. He currently is on the board of the Register of Professional Archaeologists. Robert received his Ph.D. in 1996, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Participants
July 21 to 24, 2011
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Dwight Cooley Project Leader, Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Complex dwight_cooley@fws.gov Dwight Cooley has worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the past 30 years in Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Alabama. Since 2001, Dwight has served as Project Leader of the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Complex, a group of seven national wildlife refuges spread over 12,500 square miles of north Alabama. His professional interests revolve around migratory bird management, endangered species management, and connecting people with nature. He holds a B.S. in Biology from Athens State University and a M.S. in Zoology and Wildlife from Mississippi State University.
Steve Cox Co-founder and executive director, International Expeditions scox@ietravel.org Steve Cox is executive director of International Expeditions (IE), the world leader in nature travel. Founded in 1980, IE specializes in small group and independent journeys to the most exhilarating destinations around the globe. Prior to joining IE, Cox worked for nine years as an assistant to U.S. Senator John Sparkman. Upon Senator Sparkman’s retirement in 1978 Cox worked with Southern Progress Corporation and helped develop a Tour Department for the readers of Progressive Farmer Magazine. In 1980 Cox left Southern Progress and joined Dr. Richard Ryel who formed IE. A pioneer of environmentally responsible travel, IE is committed to preserving natural habitats and improving the welfare of the people and communities it visits. Steve attended Shelby County High School and is a graduate of Auburn University with a degree in Political Science.
Richard Dendy Faculty member, Samford University rrdendy@samford.edu Richard Dendy, has taught and practiced Graphic Design and Illustration (Photography–marginally), in the state of Alabama (teaching at Auburn University, The University of Montevallo, and currently Samford University) for over 25 years. He is a founding board member of AIGA Birmingham, it’s first Education chairman, its longest standing member, and a very recent AIGA Fellow.
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AIGA Alabama Design Summit | aiga.org
Anthony Dihle Senior Designer and Associate, MV+A Architects adihle@gmail.com Anthony Dihle is currently the VP of AIGA DC, particularly involved in programming and DC Design Week. For his “real” job, Anthony works as the sole in-house graphic and environmental graphic designer at an architecture firm in Bethesda, Maryland. In addition, he owns and operates a printmaking/design company in DC, hosting a variety of workshops and making posters for local and nationallyknown bands. His first foray into Design for Good was an art/design goods auction for an arts workshop for disadvantaged youth in the DC area called Dollars for Degas. He’s been caught swimming in the Potomac more than once.
Robert Dodd Recent BFA Graduate, Industrial Design, Rhode Island School of Design rdodd@risd.edu Robert Dodd is a recent graduate of Rhode Island School of Design’s Industrial Design department, having received his BFA in June. While completing his undergraduate studies, Robert strongly focused on developing his knowledge of innovative design for social entrepreneurship; with projects ranging from international causes, such as work in Costa Rica, to extremely localized causes, including Charlie Cannon’s AL Engine Innovation Studio. While at RISD, Robert spent his time balancing his interests in product design and system design with his interest in graphic design. He is planning on relocating to New York City at the end of the summer, and pursuing a career with a design firm centered upon sustainability and social awareness.
Mark Dudlik Director, Lost Creature post@markdudlik.com Mark Dudlik is currently the vice-president of AIGA Arizona. He is also the director of Lost Creature, which runs programs like Phoenix Design Week and is opening the Phoenix Design Museum in October.
Susie Fagg Intern, Auburn University Urban Studio susie.fagg@gmail.com Susie currently works at the Auburn University Urban Studio where she is examining ways to connect urban populations with nature in the Village Creek Master Plan, a component of Birmingham’s historic Olmsted Plan. She recently graduated from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Architecture. While at Auburn, she helped with the University’s Climate Action Plan. Also, she was an active member of the AIAS, holding the positions of Secretary and Treasurer. She plans to relocate to San Francisco or Austin in the near future.
Participants
July 21 to 24, 2011
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Jared Fulton Architectural Designer, Slaughter Group jared@simoncyrene.org Jared Fulton is an Architectural Designer at Slaughter Group, based in Birmingham, AL. Jared is project manager and designer for Slaughter’s non-profit, Simon Cyrene Group. He is currently working on models for self sustainable communities through communal urban farming, resident employment programs, share programs, and designing affordable energy efficient housing in Rosedale. Jared has a Masters in Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, a Bachelor of Architecture from Auburn University, and is an alumni of the Rural Studio. Prior to Slaughter Group, Jared has worked at Rick Joy Architects, Kyu Sung Woo Architects, Hoskins Architecture, and was co-owner of BOX Architects in Birmingham. In 2003, Jared completed a six month thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, a 2,100 mile continuous hiking trail between Georgia to Maine.
Brian Ghiloni Senior designer and partner, Locust Grove Studios brian@baltimore.aiga.org Originally from New Hampshire, Brian has called Baltimore home for the past 15 years. Brian is senior designer and partner at Locust Grove Studios, a design firm specializing in special event and exhibit design. Together with partner Joe Karlik, they have worked with a diverse client base ranging from some of the most prominent companies in the world, to governmental and non-profit organizations. Throughout the year he splits his time between Baltimore and Maryland’s upper eastern shore where the studio is situated in a restored, 1860 one-room schoolhouse. For the last three years Brian has served on the AIGA Baltimore Board, currently serving as web chair. This past March, Brian and fellow AIGA Baltimore board member Alissa Jones, organized Ideas for Action. The event, moderated by Bernard Canniffe, brought together area creatives, community leaders, and members of Johns Hopkins University to address social issues effecting Baltimore.
Jillfrances Gray Managing Principal, JFG jfg@jfg.com Jillfrances Gray is the Creative Director, Managing Principal of JFG, a multidisciplinary design firm, specializing in visual communications located in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Jillfrances has over 10 years of experience working with clients in establishing unique, strategic and creative marketing brand communication programs across an expansive industry range. In addition, she serves as the Director of Community Engagement for the Boston chapter of the AIGA, where she has successfully established a monthly Roundtable Series, moderating groups in a variety of industry related topics and oversees the chapter’s efforts on community outreach.
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AIGA Alabama Design Summit | aiga.org
Ric Grefé CEO, AIGA grefe@aiga.org Ric is the CEO of AIGA, the professional association for design. He is generally involved in all of AIGA’s activities, although his major contributions are in strategy, formulating new initiatives to enhance the competitive success of designers and advocating the value of design. Ric earned a BA from Dartmouth College, crafted books at Stinehour Press, spent several years in intelligence work in Asia, reported from the Bronx County Courthouse for AP, wrote for Time magazine on business and the economy and then earned an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. Following a career in urban design and public policy consulting, Ric managed the association responsible for strategic planning and legislative advocacy for public television and led a think tank on the future of public television and radio. He has been at AIGA since 1995, developing programs that reinforce the relevance of design as an extraordinary creative gift and a critical element of business strategy.
Tim Hamilton Director of Sales and Marketing, American Printing Co. timhamilton@americanprintingco.net Tim Hamilton is Director of Sales and Marketing for American Printing Co. and serves as President of AIGA Birmingham. Tim has been an industry leader working for some of the top printing companies in the country in his thirty-year career. His desire to be the best and work with the best has kept him involved with AIGA for twenty years. Some of the work Tim has collaborated on has been featured in AR 100, Communication Arts and How magazines. His work has won awards from Mohawk, SAPPI and Domtar and he has worked on paper promotions for those same paper companies.
Philip Hawthorne COO, Executive Consulting Services philip.hawthorne@gmail.com Philip was a founding board member of AIGA Rhode Island in 2004, returning to the board in 2010 to re-focus the chapter’s mission. Philip is driving the chapters’ plans to grow a new mandate guided by the passionate response from local members and volunteers to opportunities for wider community engagement. Philip hails from South Africa, was educated at the University of Cape Town and Rhodes University, with subsequent training at RISD. He is currently COO of Executive Consulting Services which provides go-to-market communications and design consulting for early stage companies.
Participants
July 21 to 24, 2011
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Sally Hermanto Associate director, reDesign shermanto@gmail.com Sally Hermanto is the new associate director of reDesign, AIGA Minnesota’s sustainability group. Outside of AIGA she is an art director at Target Corporation. Sally has been an active member of Target’s Volunteer and Citizens Councils, leading events and initiatives that promote volunteerism and civic engagement for Target employees. She has also served on the board of Bonfire Foundation, a private family foundation, and Art Buddies a non-profit after school program serving kids of low-income families. Sally is a native New Yorker and earned her BS in psychobiology at Binghamton University and her degree in graphic design at Parsons School of Design.
James Hersick President and creative director, RocketFuel Design Company jhersick@me.com James Hersick is a multi-discipline designer, strategist, illustrator and photographer. He is president and creative director of RocketFuel Design Company and current president of the AIGA Blue Ridge Chapter. RocketFuel is an award-winning design firm that tells stories about people, products, services, and initiatives that make a positive impact on our lives. At RocketFuel, James has worked with a variety of clients including AOL, Capital One, Education Week, Marriott, the University of Maryland Medical System and others. He believes passionately in using design to make a difference in communities.
Wendy Jackson Executive director, Freshwater Land Trust wendy.jackson@freshwaterlandtrust.org Wendy Jackson has more than 18 years of experience in the field of real estate with most of those years spent in conservation. Prior to working in the field of conservation, Wendy worked in commercial real estate and banking, joining the Freshwater Land Trust in 2001. During her tenure as Executive Director, the Land Trust has helped to protect almost 8,000 acres of land in north-central Alabama. She has also helped to secure almost $17 million dollars in gifts of land, cash and other contributions. Wendy started her career in conservation with The Nature Conservancy, serving for over eight years as the Alabama Chapter’s Director of Land Protection and Government Relations. Wendy has been recognized across the state for her businesslike approach to conservation and her unique ability to bring diverse partners together for the benefit of conservation. She is the 2005 recipient of the James Dockery Environmental Leadership Award, which is presented to individuals who have played a leadership role in preserving the South’s environment.
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Paul Johnson Program supervisor, Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center paul.johnson@dcnr.alabama.gov Paul Johnson is program supervisor of the Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center, an imperiled species recovery facility operated by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources outside Marion, Alabama. A native of Kentucky, Paul has a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Aquatic Biology from the University of Louisville. He completed a Doctorate in Zoology from Louisiana State University, where he began with work with federally listed freshwater mollusks. Over a 20 year career he has developed multiple culture and recovery techniques for rare freshwater species.
Ryan Jones Principal, Seedbomb Creative rajdezign@yahoo.com Ryan Jones is an independent designer, writer and sustainable design consultant at his home-based business in Kansas City, Missouri. As principal of Seedbomb Creative, Ryan strives to create collaborative design solutions for companies that are redefining sustainability. He also is an adjunct professor of design at several institutions, including the Kansas City Art Institute, University of Kansas and Johnson County Community College. Ryan has served on the board of directors of AIGA Kansas City in various capacities for six years and currently fills the role of Editorial Director, developing content for communications to the creative community.
Jeremy Kaye Co-Founder, Co*Lab jeremy@colabpdx.com Jeremy’s professional experience lies at the intersection of business and design. His expertise is heading multi-disciplinary teams charged with disruptive innovation that responds to the evolving needs of under-served consumer groups, and setting new standards for consumer adoption of products and services. Jeremy spent the first portion of his career at J. Crew, Patagonia, the GAP and Nike, leading business-driven brand design and marketing efforts. Most recently, after many years leading global brand strategy programs for clients in consumer products, healthcare, finance, education, hospitality, and retail at Ziba in Portland, OR, Jeremy left to co-found Co*Lab and develop a new model of creative strategy firm that operates at the intersection of business strategy, experience design, and emerging technologies.
Participants
July 21 to 24, 2011
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Carol Kerr Designer and faculty member, UWM and MIAD carol@carolkerrstudio.com Carol began a career in graphic design in the early 80s and worked as a designer, creative director, lecturer and program director in Sydney, Australia for about 25 years. Carol moved to the U.S. in 2008 and now has a design and art practice in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and teaches at UWM and MIAD. Over the past 10 years she’s become increasingly interested in (and concerned about) environmental issues and being a part of resolving the problems we are facing.
Bruce Lanier Principal Architect, Standard Creative, LLC bruce@standardcreative.com Bruce Lanier is Principal Architect at Standard Creative, LLC, a Birmingham-based architecture firm focussing on residential and light commercial design. He graduated in 2000 from Auburn University’s College of Architecture, Design, and Construction where he continues to be actively involved as a member of the Rural Studio Advisory Board. He is married with 3 children, ages 9, 7, and 2.
Matt Leavell Project manager, AL Innovation Engine matt.leavell@auburn.edu Matt Leavell is the project manager for AL Innovation Engine, a design based community and economic development initiative. At Engine, he is developing ways to connect design resources with communities throughout Alabama. Prior to Engine, he worked as an architect and urban planner at a variety of firms. Most recently he was an urban designer at SOM in New York City where he worked on extra-large projects around the world including the $4 billion redevelopment of an old power plant site on the East Side of Manhattan and the design of a new island community off the coast of Bahrain. An Alabama native, he holds a Master’s of Science in Urban Planning from Columbia University and Bachelors’ of Architecture and Interior Architecture from Auburn University. He is also a licensed architect in the state of New York and a LEED accredited professional.
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Min Lee Assistant professor and director of Graphic Design, University of Montevallo mlee5@montevallo.edu Min Sun Lee is an Assistant Professor and director of the Graphic Design program at the University of Montevallo. Lee was born in Seoul, Korea, and embraces her unique combination of Korean and Western culture in her design. She is especially interested in the research and design of unique solutions to problems involving the human experience, social patterns and communication between cultures. She feels that through proper execution, design can serve as a valuable ally to those in need. She has presented and published her work nationally and internationally on graphic design curriculum, interface design and packaging design.
Lea Ann Macknally President, Macknally Land Design lmacknally@macknally.net Upon graduating with a BLA from Mississippi State University in 2000, Lea Ann put down roots in Birmingham, AL. A licensed landscape architect, Lea Ann has over a decade of experience in the profession of landscape architecture with a strong focus on the design of public spaces and integrated sustainable design. Lea Ann took over as President of the firm in 2007 and continues to lead the firm on exciting projects such as Birmingham’s Railroad Park, Benjamin Russell Children’s Hospital Campus and Alabama National Cemetery. Lea Ann’s experience and passion for her work has led to opportunities in promoting native landscape design and restoration, innovative stormwater management, and the importance of civic spaces. She has led the firm’s focus in the philosophy of creating innovative and collaborative design concepts with a strong practical foundation. Her understanding and ability to balance the desires and needs of the client and characteristics of the site are evident in the firm’s strong portfolio of long-term clients and successful projects.
Rachel Martin Principal, Rachel Martin Design info@rachelmartindesign.com Rachel Martin is Principal of Rachel Martin Design, a sustainable and socially responsible collaborative design studio in Charlotte, NC. She believes designers have the power to lead the way in communicating the importance of positive social and ecological responsible messages and implements these values into projects and everyday life. Rachel is the Sustainability Director for AIGA Charlotte, Creative Director for Green Drinks Charlotte, an adopter of the Designers Accord and member of Design Can Change, DESIGN 21: Social Design Network and The Living Principles communities. Rachel has also helped launch AIGA Charlotte’s Eat Your Greens event series to educate designers to be more sustainable and socially responsible in their design work. Participants
July 21 to 24, 2011
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Weston McWhorter Designer and interactive strategist studio@westonmcwhorter.com Weston McWhorter is a multi-disciplinary designer and interactive strategist currently living and working in the modern renaissance enclave of New Orleans, Louisiana. Father of two, husband of one. He has served as an adjunct professor at Loyola University teaching UI design, information architecture and the fundamentals of web design to junior and senior design majors. This fall he will be navigating his bicycle through the heartland of America to raise money and awareness for the pediatric cancer foundation – Pablove. Additionally, he is currently serving as president of the New Orleans chapter of AIGA the professional association for design.
Nisa Miranda Director, University Center for Economic Development nisa.miranda@ua.edu Since 1995, Nisa Miranda has been the Director of the University Center for Economic Development (UCED) at The University of Alabama. At UCED, Nisa provides technical assistance and applied research to economically distressed areas in the State of Alabama to enhance local economic development efforts that diversify the State’s economy and ensure positive growth—work critical to improving sustainable economic growth in Alabama’s rural communities. UCED administers technical assistance in economic development by developing and structuring programs that build local capacity; increase the elected and civic leadership base; increase tourism/recreation and entertainment; and provide a well-educated and prepared workforce. She is a founding member of two non-profits that support economic development in rural and distressed areas, the Alabama Communities of Excellence, Inc. and Your Town Alabama, Inc. Miranda serves on the Southern Growth Policies Board -Southern Global Strategy Council; is a board member of the Alabama Export Council, Alabama Agribusiness Council, Black Belt Treasures, and Japan America Society of Alabama; Co-Chair of the Alabama Rural Action Commission; and member of the Black Belt National Heritage Area Task Force and the Alabama Trails Commission Advisory Board. A native of Brazil, Ms. Miranda holds an MBA from The University of Alabama.
Dan Monroe Part owner and chief wordsmith, Cayenne Creative Group monroe@cayennecreative.com Dan Monroe is part owner and chief wordsmith of Cayenne Creative Group - a brand-development agency in Birmingham, Alabama, that offers up national and international brand experience in the form of a small, agile firm. Dan is also a LEED Accredited Professional who, when not writing for clients, is a poet, a storyteller, an aficionado of single malt scotches and a firm believer that finding sustainable ways to do things is simply a vital human skill.
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Cheryl Morgan Director, Urban Studio; Professor of Architecture, Auburn University morgace@auburn.edu Cheryl is a licensed architect and a Professor of Architecture in Auburn University’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture. She is the Director of Auburn’s Urban Studio in Birmingham, AL. The Urban Studio’s Small Town Design Initiative Program – a significant component of Auburn’s outreach agenda – has worked with close to 70 small towns and neighborhoods in Alabama under Professor Morgan’s direction. This work has resulted in assets-based illustrative master plans that position a community to leverage their distinctive opportunities. Before coming to Auburn in 1992, Cheryl practiced architecture and urban design in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a graduate of Auburn and the University of Illinois.
Gwen O’Brien Co-principal and creative director, Plenty gwen@plentycreative.com Gwen O’Brien is co-principal and creative director at Plenty, a branding, graphic, and interactive design studio founded in 2003. With 15+ years of experience in her field, Gwen is the recent recipient of the 2011 Distinguished Alumni Award at Kendall College of Art & Design. Gwen loves giving back to her community and finding ways to help make Grand Rapids a better place to live. Often that plays itself out in the broader design community—she serves as the Vice President for AIGA West Michigan. Gwen is also passionate about animal advocacy and how our food choices impact our world.
Doug Powell Co-founder, Schwartz Powell Design and HealthSimple doug@schwartzpowell.com Doug Powell is a designer, entrepreneur and strategist. Together with his wife, Lisa Powell, he founded the Minneapolis-based Schwartz Powell Design in 1989. In 2004, following their daughter Maya’s diagnosis with Type 1 diabetes, the couple launched Type1Tools to bring well-designed, kid-friendly tools to the daily experience of managing this complex disease, and in 2006 received an INDEX Design to Improve Life award. Type1Tools’ success led to the expansion of the business into HealthSimple, with a vision to help the millions of people living with chronic health problems. In 2007 HealthSimple was acquired by a division of Johnson & Johnson. Doug served as consulting creative director for HealthSimple through 2009, working closely with the Johnson & Johnson Global Strategic Design Office. Currently Doug helps a variety of partners in health and nutrition use design to advance their causes. Additionally, he organizes collaborative teams to develop and pursue self-initiated startup concepts. Doug is a past member and treasurer of the national board of AIGA and a past chapter president of AIGA Minnesota. On his blog, Merge, Doug discusses new ways designers are working. Participants
July 21 to 24, 2011
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Zev Powell Sophomore, College of Arts & Sciences, Washington University St. Louis zev.powell@go.wustl.edu Zev Powell is a rising sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. In addition to his course work, Zev serves on the planning committee of the campus concert promotion group and plays on the university soccer team. Zev recently returned from a six-week study abroad program in Spain, and also spent his spring break on a humanitarian program in Cuba. Undecided as to his academic degree, Zev has a strong interest in environmental studies and sustainable practices.
Stacy Reinhardt Senior Interaction Designer, frog stacy.reinhardt@frogdesign.com Stacy’s passion for design is rooted in the satisfaction that comes from solving complex problems and realizing smart solutions that have a positive impact on people and organizations. As design systems have become increasingly interconnected, so have the palette of disciplines that continue to shape her career including: interaction design, brand, design research and innovation strategy. Most recently, her role at frog has contributed to award-winning mobile experiences that allow people to create, consume and curate their lives through technology. On the weekends, she can be found experimenting with local produce and finding new uses for the blender.
Karen Rolen Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham krolen@foundationbirmingham.org Karen has spent her professional career in the nonprofit sector, working with a number of different organizations with emphasis areas including the fine and performing arts, humanities, and public health. For six years, she served as the founding director of the Nonprofit Resource Center of Alabama (Alabama Alliance of Nonprofits), developing an array of services to strengthen Alabama’s nonprofit sector. At the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, Rolen oversees CFGB’s grantmaking activities and scholarship program as well as plans, directs and provides leadership to several strategic community initiatives. A native of Montgomery, she received a B.A. and M.A. in American Studies from the University of Alabama and a Master’s in Public and Private Management from Birmingham-Southern College. Rolen is a graduate of the 1999 class of Leadership Birmingham, the 2002 class of Leadership Vestavia Hills and the 2009 Class of Leadership Alabama. She and her husband Frazer have a daughter who resides in Washington D.C. and a son who is a junior at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi.
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Vincent Scatliffe Founder and Creative Director, Contnuous Lne and SXC vincent@contnuouslne.com Vincent J. Scatliffe began developing his eye for design in Elementary School while attending a magnet art school in Miami, FL. Later, he began to grow professionally as a designer by attending Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI. which also lead him to study luxury, global, product and graphic design at Strate College in France. Currently, he is the Founder and Creative Director of Contnuous Lne (Brand Design Firm) and SXC (Inspirational Apparel company). His desire to be involved in the community is driven by his passion for design and helping others improve their quality of life.
Sheri Schumacher Associate Professor, Architecture, Auburn University schumsl@auburn.edu Sheri Schumacher is an Associate Professor in the Architecture Program at Auburn University where she teaches design studios and interior architecture courses. As a designer and educator her work is at the interface of architecture, furniture design, ecology, cultural studies and material culture. Her investigations aim to expand design toward greater relevance; design that responds to the needs of society, supports environmental responsibility and improves the quality of people’s lives. She is currently researching new ways to understand craft and its role in design and contemporary society.
Sam Shelton Principal, KINETIK sam@kinetikcom.com Sam Shelton is a designer, educator, and business strategist. He is a founding partner of KINETIK, a design firm in Washington, DC. Since 1988, Sam’s strong belief in the power of design as a strategic force for good has guided the firm’s path in a changing world. His passion is evident in the projects he directs as well as his commitment to design education and AIGA, the professional association for design. He is a past AIGA National Board member as well as a past Board member and President of the Washington, DC Chapter. Sam is an adjunct faculty member at the Corcoran College of Art and Design where he leads the College’s Design Ignites Change initiative, and has served in various strategic and educator capacities for multiple design programs in the DC area. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communication Arts and Design from Virginia Commonwealth University. In 2006, Sam was presented with the AIGA Fellow award, recognizing his significant contributions to the design community.
Participants
July 21 to 24, 2011
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Sarah Tripp Stephan Senior Vice President, Pyramid Communications sstephan@pyramidcommunications.com In her role as Senior Vice President at Pyramid Communications, Sarah serves as lead strategist on many health and wellbeing, education, and human service initiatives. She specializes in guiding groups through strategic planning processes to help organizations define and maximize their impact. This often involves developing communications strategies that connect and move people to action, creating distinctive brands and helping organizations tell their stories through a variety of digital and traditional mediums. In addition to setting strategy, Sarah leads firm-wide business development across Pyramid’s five core practice areas, regionally and nationally: Health & Wellbeing, Education, Energy & Environment, Native/Tribal Communities, and Arts & Culture.
Beth Stewart Executive Director, Cahaba River Society BethS@cahabariversociety.org Beth K. Stewart returned to Birmingham to become Executive Director of the Cahaba River Society in 1995. Previously she worked for 15 years in the community planning field in Birmingham, New Orleans, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Kentucky and served as the founding Executive Director for the statewide nonprofit Kentucky Waterways Alliance. Beth has a Master’s Degree in Landscape Architecture from The University of California, Berkeley with a focus in urban and environmental planning. She leads the Society’s programs on Low Impact Development, storm water management, drinking water efficiency, and faith-based care of creation.
Bill Taylor President, Economic Development Partnership of Alabama btaylor@edpa.org Following a successful career in the automotive industry that spanned 38 years, Bill Taylor is now President of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama. Prior to joining EDPA, Bill was President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz U.S. International. A native of London, Ontario, Bill came to Alabama when MBUSI located in the state in 1993. He was a key figure in the start-up of the new plant, led production for five years and became president of the company in 1999. Bill was instrumental in the establishment of the Mercedes Production System, now a global standard for all Mercedes-Benz plants, achieving the highest levels of quality and efficiency. Bill served on the EDPA Board of Directors from 2000– 2009 and was actively involved in Alabama’s economic development efforts through participation in a number of state and local initiatives related to workforce and community development and existing industry retention and expansion.
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Tracy West Creative Director, 50,000feet tracy@chicago.aiga.org As Creative Director at 50,000feet, Tracy has more than 15 years of industry experience and has helped lead strategic creative development for MINI, BMW and Perkins+Will. She has extensive experience across a varied range of sectors that include automotive, financial services, consumer retail, corporate communication, identity, paper and the arts. Her work has been recognized and published in Communication Arts, Black Book AR100, Society of Typographic Arts and Print Magazine among others. Tracy currently serves as a Programming Co-Chair for AIGA Chicago.
Roy Wilhelm Web designer, National Geographic rlwilhelm@gmail.com Roy Wilhelm is a web designer at National Geographic in Washington, DC. He has been an AIGA Board member for eight years, first in Richmond and now with the DC chapter serving as Social Change Chair. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communication Design from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Ken Zinser BFA Student, Graphic Design, Corcoran College of Art + Design kenzinser@gmail.com Ken Zinser is currently a graphic design student at the Corcoran College of Art + Design in Washington, DC. While focusing on interactive design, Ken maintains an interest in exploring the broader possibilities of design thinking. In April he traveled to Alabama with a small group of Corcoran students developing a project for Design Ignites Change focused on the Oakmulgee District of the Talladega National Forest and its role in helping to offset the effects of nature deficit disorder. Entering into his final year at the Corcoran, in September Ken will begin work on a senior thesis project based on the topic of “Race and Graphic Design.�
Participants
July 21 to 24, 2011
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