VOICES OF LEGACY
Past, present, and future
Speakers, presenters, and panelists
Jason Belaire
TIVE CREATIVE GROUP
Founder/Principal

Jason Belaire, IDSA, is an industrial designer, presenter, and entrepreneur with 25+ years of impact. As IDSA Chair, he launched the Circular Design Council and led groundbreaking sustainability initiatives. Known for pioneering design experiences, Belaire blends EQ-driven research, trend forecasting, and inclusive leadership. He’s shaped major events like Denver Design Week and Outdoor Retailer’s Trend and Design Center.
Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman
INTERWOVEN DESIGN GROUP | PRATT INSTITUTE
Founder & Principal | Professor

Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman, FIDSA, blends art and design to create emotionally resonant, human-centered solutions. As founder of Interwoven Design Group and a longtime Pratt Institute educator, she explores the intersection of creativity, technology, and nature. Her work—spanning wearable tech to ceramic sculpture—embodies her belief that innovation emerges through curiosity, collaboration, and the seamless fusion of disciplines.
Stephan Clambaneva
PARK
Managing Director

Stephan Clambaneva is Managing Director of PARK USA, driving circular innovation and sustainable design leadership. With 25+ years of experience across IBM and Dassault Systèmes, he’s shaped industries from mobility to MedTech. A global speaker and mentor, Stephan champions design as a catalyst for positive change—merging strategy, impact, and vision to challenge outdated systems and elevate design’s role in business.
Ralph Gilles
STELLANTIS
Chief Design Officer

Ralph Gilles is Chief Design Officer at Stellantis, leading design for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep®, Ram, Maserati, and FIAT in Latin America. A passionate car enthusiast and longtime Chrysler designer since 1992, he champions diversity as an executive sponsor and actively supports community initiatives. Gilles has earned numerous industry awards, including the 2023 EyesOn Design Lifetime Achievement Award, celebrating his influential design leadership.
Brian Roderman
IN2 INNOVATION
Co‑Founder & Chief Innovation Officer

Brian Roderman, President and Chief Innovation Officer at IN2 Innovation, brings over 30 years of design leadership across 50+ industries. Named one of IDSA’s 50 most notable designers, he blends strategic thinking with creativity to unlock new opportunities for organizations. An IDSA Fellow, Brian champions curiosity, storytelling, and innovation frameworks that drive meaningful, future-forward design solutions.
Greg Verras
SHINOLA
Design Director

Greg Verras is Design Director at Shinola, where he leads the creation of timepieces and lifestyle products that fuse modern design with American manufacturing. With 15+ years of experience, his systems-oriented approach balances form, function, and fabrication. Rooted in hands-on iteration and storytelling, Greg champions durable, meaningful design and the role of leadership in preserving brand integrity.
Ken Musgrave
WHIRLPOOL
Head, Digital Product and Experience Design

Greg Aper
SUPERUNKNOWN
Chief Exploration Officer

Greg is Chief Exploration Officer at Superunknown and a globally recognized expert in integrating AI into design. Known for his dynamic, improvisational talks, he has trained teams at Netflix, LEGO, and more. Combining formal machine learning education with two decades in UX, industrial, and brand design, Greg pushes the boundaries of AI to shape a new design paradigm.
Christopher Robin Roberts
BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE HEALTH
Director of Service Design

Christopher Roberts is Director of Service Design at Baylor Scott & White Health, bringing 20+ years of experience across industrial, UX, and service design. A systems thinker, he improves experiences for patients, caregivers, and staff. Co-founder of Dallas’s Service Design Network chapter, Christopher is known for connecting strategy to execution and championing design as a catalyst for meaningful, lasting change.
Farrell M. Calabrese
FMC IMPACT
Founder & Principal

Farrell bridges the industrial design community with corporations to drive sustainable, circular solutions. She empowers designers with tools, insights, and partnerships to influence early-stage decisions and align with evolving consumer and corporate expectations. By translating complex challenges into actionable strategies, she positions designers as key players in systemic change through education, collaboration, and storytelling.
Seth Frankel
PA CONSULTING
Associate Director

Seth Frankel is Associate Director of Design at PA Consulting’s Boston studio, where he leads human-centered, cross-functional design efforts across industries—from surgical robotics to sustainable packaging. With a background spanning Philips, HP, BMW Group, and Fisher-Price, Seth blends strategic thinking with hands-on prototyping. He holds degrees in Industrial Design and Evolutionary Biology, bringing both rigor and empathy to innovation.
Lew Epstein
LOT21
Founder & CEO

Omari Souza
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS
Assistant Professor

Omari Souza, Assistant Professor of Communication Design, merges industry experience with academic insight to champion equity and inclusion in design. A Bronx native with Jamaican roots, he founded the State of Black Design conference and co-hosts the "Design of Business | Business of Design minisode" podcast. His work focuses on decolonizing design and promoting ethical, inclusive practices across disciplines.
Lindsey Maxwell
TEAGUE
Vice President

Lindsey Maxwell is Vice President of Client Engagement at Teague, where she drives strategic partnerships across industries. With over 20 years in product and experience design, she has shaped iconic projects in aviation, space, and defense. A former IDSA Board Chair and dedicated mentor, Lindsey champions human-centered design and empowers clients to redefine what’s possible at the intersection of technology and mobility.
Dr. Patricia Moore
MOOREDESIGN ASSOCIATES
President

President of MooreDesign Associates, Moore holds degrees in industrial design, psychology, gerontology, and advanced biomechanics. Named one of the 100 Most Important Women in America and among the 40 Most Socially Conscious Designers, she’s been widely honored for advancing Universal Design. Her many awards include the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award, World Design Medal, and multiple honorary doctorates.
Victoria Garner
CITIES REIMAGINED
Lead Service Designer

Victoria Garner is a service designer and strategist who transforms complexity into clarity for mission-driven organizations. As Lead Service Designer at Cities Reimagined, she advances equity and innovation in urban systems. A 2025 Urban Future Young Leader, Victoria brings empathy, curiosity, and human-centered design to projects spanning public policy, digital transformation, and urban innovation—making systems more accessible and impactful.
Marty Gage
LEXTANT
VP of User Experience Research

Marty Gage is Vice President at Lextant and a global leader in design research, helping top brands like Google, Ford, and P\&G translate consumer insights into business strategy. Known for aligning teams around user desires, he drives innovation and growth. Marty co-authored a design research book, created a SCAD certification, and regularly teaches and speaks worldwide.
Jill Pfund
BAD IDEAS STUDIO
Co Founder & Creative Director

Jill is a UX designer and co-founder of Bad Ideas Studio, where she helps others break free from perfectionism and fear-driven creativity. Drawing from her own experience with anxiety and OCD in big tech, she co-created the Bad Ideas Workshop—an inclusive space for playful, judgment-free exploration. Jill champions authentic expression and unconventional thinking to unlock creative freedom.
Quintin Q Williams
SCAD
Professor of Sneaker/Accessory Design

Quintin "Q" Williams is a footwear designer, educator, and industry veteran with 15+ years of global experience. A SCAD graduate and PENSOLE alum, he’s designed for top athletes and brands like Disney and Bata. Co-founder of Q4SPORTS, he now leads SCAD Atlanta’s Sneaker Design Minor, mentoring the next generation of footwear and accessory designers.
Bonnie Fahoome
DESIGN CORE DETROIT
Executive Director of Business Programs

Daily Gist
NEWELL
Vice President R&D, Writing and Baby Segment

Daily Gist is Global Vice President of R\&D at Newell Brands, leading design and engineering for iconic brands like Sharpie®, Graco®, and NUK®. With 25+ years in industrial design and consumer product innovation, she champions design thinking and servant leadership. A graduate of Auburn University, Daily began her career at Porter-Cable before advancing to top leadership at Newell.
Bret Recor
BOX CLEVER
Founder + Creative Director

Bret is a world-renowned industrial designer, entrepreneur, investor, and the visionary founder of Box Clever and Box Garden Ventures.
Our award-winning design studio is recognized for creating physical products and experiences that delight consumers and build category-leading brands. Bret’s creative leadership has shaped breakthrough designs in multiple categories, including Away, Caraway, Clip, Jawbone, HermanMiller, One Laptop Per Child, Nixon, Tiffany & Co., Knoll.
Priyankaa Krishnan
META
Program Manager

Priyankaa Krishnan, a Program Manager at Meta, boasts an impressive educational background in Industrial Design, Instructional Design, and is a PhD ABD in Human Computer Interaction from Iowa State University. Her professional affiliations include being an active Women in Design Representative for IDSA for three years. Pri is a designer by day, creating impactful designs and solutions, and an artist by night with work presented in Los Angeles Emerging Artist galleries.
Romina Barrera
IDSA
Lead Researcher

Romina Barrera is a Mexican designer and Lead Researcher at IDSA, advancing equitable design through ethical data practices. With 10+ years of experience, she guides Fortune 500 companies in crafting inclusive, evidence-based solutions. Romina excels in translating complex data into impactful design, blending behavioral insights, AI, and cultural fluency to drive innovation across physical and digital experiences.
David Byron
SUNDBERG-FERAR
Director of Innovation Strategy

David J. Byron is Principal and Director of Innovation Strategy at Sundberg-Ferar, where he leads human-centered design across diverse sectors—from Hyundai’s walking cars to future education strategies. With a BFA from CCS and early automotive design roles at GM and Saleen, David now champions design advocacy as president of the Michigan Design Council, filmmaker, educator, and mentor dedicated to purposeful, impactful design.
Dr. Isabel Prochner (she/they)
VIRGINIA TECH
Associate Professor of Industrial Design & Affiliate Faculty in Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics

Dr. Isabel Prochner is an award-winning industrial design researcher, educator, and public scholar advancing equity, health, and inclusion through design. A Virginia Tech faculty member, she has published widely and spoken at major events including Women in Design 2024. Her forthcoming book, *Human Factors for Industrial Designers*, and her international research collaborations highlight her commitment to inclusive, community-centered design.
Molly Wang
SHINOLA
Senior Designer

Molly Wang is a Senior Designer at Shinola and a founding member of its design team, shaping iconic watch collections through heritage-driven, research-based design. With over a decade of experience, she blends artistic vision with technical precision to create emotionally resonant products. Originally from Taiwan, Molly draws inspiration from Detroit’s resilience and culture of making.
Michael Seum
KOHLER
VP of Global Design

Michael Seum is Vice President of Global Design at Kohler, where he drives innovation through consumer-focused product, digital, and brand experience design. With award-winning leadership across agencies, startups, and global corporations, he blends business acumen with creative vision. Michael builds collaborative design cultures that spark innovation, shape brand equity, and deliver transformative, design-led growth across competitive markets.
Alex Schorndorf
Sr UX Designer

Alex Schorndorf is a designer and artist shaping digital experiences at Google Messages, where she helps billions connect daily. With a background in fine art and strategy, she blends empathy, play, and big-picture thinking. As co-founder of Bad Ideas Studio, Alex empowers teams to break free from burnout and perfectionism, fostering joyful, fearless creativity through workshops and collaborative design.
Sally Uren
FORUM FOR THE FUTURE
Director and Chief Acceleration Officer

Dr. Sally Uren OBE is Executive Director and Chief Acceleration Officer at Forum for the Future, after over a decade as Chief Executive. A leading expert in systemic change for sustainability, she co-founded the Net Positive Coalition and leads major initiatives on regenerative agriculture and climate-health action. Sally also advises global businesses and serves on multiple boards dedicated to purpose-driven impact.
Jay Peters
PARK | SCAD
Partner | Chair & Professor

Jay is a Design Management and Leadership expert with 25+ years of experience driving innovation and business growth through design. As Chair at SCAD and Partner at PARK USA, he empowers over 1,000 professionals and top organizations, advancing design maturity and triple-bottom-line impact. Jay shapes future leaders through curriculum development, coaching, and strategic consulting in professional practice and education.
Per Magnus Skold
TRIMECH DESIGN SOLUTIONS
Senior Designer

With 20+ years of experience, Magnus is a Senior Designer at Mako Design, known for user-focused solutions across industries—from aircraft interiors to EMP-proof phones. He blends sketching with AI-assisted development, holding multiple patents and accolades. A passionate mentor, Magnus champions design as a service, guiding teams from concept to launch and pushing innovation through impactful user experiences.
Dickon Isaacs
BOX CLEVER
Chief Creative Officer

Born in England, Dickon is an award-winning creative business leader, advisor, and investor - guiding our team to deliver exceptional experiences for clients and partners. He leads all aspects of the process at Box Clever, leveraging global corporate and consultancy experience growing businesses for Intuit, Motorola, and IDEO. Dickon’s leadership has created positive impact and increased market share, by guiding teams to create breakthrough designs and human-centered experiences in categories including Mobile Devices, Audio, Wearables, Medical, Wellness, Furniture, and Precision Imaging.