Before joining the faculty at Western Michigan, Carly taught at Wentworth Institute of Technology, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Cincinnati. She is especially interested in improving the design school experience, and her research is focused on growing and supporting diversity in the field of industrial design. As a designer, Carly has developed children’s toys and packaging and supported brewery operations with packaging and merchandise design and photography. Most recently, she has provided live illustration for consumer research workshops and product development brainstorms.

Carly has been a long-standing advisor for various IDSA student chapters.