Presenters
Design as Activism Symposium
Session Presenters
Chicago leaders explored how design can challenge social inequities and drive meaningful change.
Below is a list of facilitators, panelists, and speakers presenting at the symposium.
Speakers
Nick Adam
Associate Partner & Design Director | Span
Ruth Aguilar
Senior Ligas Family Advocate
Weslynne Ashton
Professor of Environmental Management & Sustainability and Food Systems Action Lab Co-Director
Sharon Bautista
Qualitative Research Manager | Code for America
Anne H. Berry
Anne H. Berry
Director, School of Design | University of Illinois Chicago
Elizabeth Blasius
Architectural Historian and Partner | Preservation Futures
Sara Cantor
Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director | Greater Good Studio
Chandra Christmas-Rouse
Director | Metropolitan Planning Council
Summer Coleman
Design Director | Severe Side Productions & Summer Coleman Design
Cecilia Cuff
Founder | The Nascent Group
Cheryl Dahle
Climate Initiative Manager
Katherine Darnstadt
Founding Principal | Latent
Lucía Garcés Dávila, MA
Participatory Design Facilitator and Educator
Shannon Downey aka Badass Cross Stitch
Art Activist
William Estrada
Multidisciplinary Artist and Educator
Amira Hegazy
Adjunct Associate Professor | University of Illinois Chicago
Luce James
Design Strategist | Ascendant
Emma Jasinski
Senior Community Designer | Design Trust Chicago
Ahmad Jitan
Director of Organizing and Advocacy | IMAN
Andrés Lemus-Spont & Marya Spont-Lemus
Co-Creators | ¡Anímate! Studio
Clio Lyons
Operations Manager | Design Trust Chicago
Nermin Moufti & Kristin Lueke
Co-Founders | Field of Practice
Jessica Meharry
Visiting Assistant Professor
Dimitri Nesbitt
Knowledge Mobilization Specialist | Center for Racial and Disability Justice at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Dave Pabellon
Associate Professor of Graphic Design | Columbia College Chicago
Heather Snyder Quinn
Associate Professor of Design & Design Futurist | DePaul University & The Parallel Futures Design Lab
Nicole Robinson
Chief Executive Officer | YWCA Metropolitan Chicago
Rafa Robles
Co-Founder and Director | Duo
Alex Stark
Artist, Curator, and Queer Disability Advocate