While she may be an engineer by trade, Dr. Christina Harrington identifies herself as a designer. She has a background in electrical engineering and industrial design and focuses her design skills and research on the areas of universal, accessible design. Specifically, she has looked at how to use design in the development of assistive products for older adults and individuals with differing abilities, and how to use design to center communities that have been historically been at the margins of mainstream design. Based out of Chicago, Dr. Harrington is the Assistant Professor in the School of Design at DePaul University and serves as the Director of the Equity and Health Innovations Design Research Lab.  

Connect with Dr. Christina Harrington: 

LinkedIn 

Christinaharrington.me 

Twitter: @adapperprof 

“What if? How come? Why?” 

Michele Washington is a user-centered designer based in New York City. She has a MS in Communication and Design from the Pratt Institute and an MFA in Design Criticism from The School of Visual. Currently, Ms. Washington teaches design at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City. Her latest design interests include pure research, strategic planning, and branding. Michele works with numerous non-profit organizations, cultural institutions, and start-up companies to refine strategic plans, revamp websites, and/or develop products. 

Connect with Michele Washington: 

LinkedIn 

Office of Michele Washington 

Twitter: @culturalboundar 

Instagram: @culturalboundaries 

Curious Story Lab     

"Get a Passport and Go” 

Dr. María de Mater O’Neill is a designer, artist, and educator born, raised, and based in Puerto Rico. María has spent 25 years of her life as a painter, switching to design when the painting industry became too restrictive. Currently she is the Creative Director and Head Researcher for Rubberband Design Studio, LLP and is Adjunct faculty at the University of Puerto Rico. Whether it’s a small or a large-scale project, María uses her toolbox, empathy and her experiences to her advantage, working together with her clients to solve problems.  

Connect with Dr. María de Mater O’Neill: 

LinkedIn 

Rubberband Design Studio, LLP 

Michael Bonnick is the founder and Chief Design Consultant at MELB DESIGN Ideation studio and he is also a lecturer at the University of Technology in Kingston, Jamaica. Formally trained in Industrial Design in London, Michael's design influences and career have taken him from Jamaica to London and back to Jamaica again, stimulating design spaces and carving out niches within Jamaica's own developing market.  

Connect with Michael Bonnick: 

LinkedIn 

MELB Design Ideation Studio 

Born in raised in Barbados, Debbie Estwick has held many roles throughout her career in design. She has held the role of director of marketing and communications, professor of integrative design, to design advisor. Debbie has a master’s in design and brand strategy and currently is in charge of corporate communications at Barbados Investment and Development Corporation (BIDC). She uses design and design thinking to create challenges and collaborator with others to address real world problems affecting Barbados.  

Connect with Debbie Estwick:  

LinkedIn 

DebbieEstwick.com 

Instagram: @de.sign.books 

"Whatever the thing is, it doesn't have to be perfect." 

Rebecca Otten is a Professor of Practice and the Director of Strategy & Engagement at the Taylor Center. She facilitates the Taylor Center’s field leadership, campus and community partnerships, and program assessment. She also teaches "Introduction to Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship” as well as “Cultivate your Inner Changemaker" and works with GrowDat Youth Farms, a local organization that nurtures a diverse group of young leaders through the meaningful work of growing food. 

Connect with Rebecca:  

LinkedIn  

Tulane School of Architecture  

Alfredo Gutiérrez Borrero is an industrial designer based in Colombia. Currently, he is an associate professor of Industrial Design at the Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano. Central to Alfredo Gutiérrez Borrero’s design work is examining Western design equivalents across cultures, ultimately working to discover and improve the visibility of the traditions that Western professions have projected a shadow on. At the moment, he is also finishing his PhD dissertation on indigenous design equivalents in New Zealand and Bolivia, and he recently won a grant for a project, in collaboration with Arizona State University, titled “Enabling Autonomous Design Processes in Colombian Post-Conflict Societies”.

Connect with Alfredo Gutiérrez Borrero:

LinkedIn

Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano

“Terrence Moline’s passion is infusing people’s stories with images to create art.”  

Terrence Moline is a director, designer, illustrator currently based out of Austin, Texas. He also builds communities and transforms stories with illustrations to generate art that conveys meaning. He is the founder of the community "African-American Graphic Designers" as is committed to uplifting and amplifying the voices of Black designers and creative professionals. 

Connect with Terrence: 

LinkedIn 

terrencemoline.com  

Instagram: @tmoline  

Behance 

“A designer is programming society when they create public images.” 

Dr. Renata Marques Leitão is an adjunct professor teaching graphic design at OCAD University in Toronto. Born and raised in Brazil, but formally trained in design in Montreal, Renata’s work is shaped by her upbringing and her training resulting in an identity uniquely her own. After her receiving an education and training that was rooted in European-Anglo standards, Renata has worked to understand how design can reflect and have the power to create culture and social change.  

Connect with Dr. Renata Marques Leitão: 

LinkedIn 

Instagram: @renataml