I have utilized design tools and methods throughout my career and in a variety of innovation leadership positions.

For more than a decade I have been a consultant specializing in the innovation process, most recently as President of Kao & Company and prior to that as an Associate Partner and Practice Director at IDEO where I focused on the emergent area of service design. I was an early advocate of integrating a business perspective directly into the design process (and vice-versa), and have had the opportunity to share my views through program management, speaking engagements, and seminar facilitation at major business schools and corporate events.

As a consultant, I have contributed analytical business tools and creative methodologies to the development and management of a variety of strategic innovation programs for clients as varied as JP Morgan Invest, AT&T, Hewlett-Packard, and Steelcase, and have managed explorations into improving internal innovation efforts for clients such as Pepsi-Cola, American Express, McGraw-Hill, and the government of New Zealand.

Prior to my consulting career I was a registered architect with extensive experience as a designer and project manager for a variety of cultural and institutional facilities. I have held teaching positions in architectural design at Cornell, Yale, and the University of Virginia, and have taught managerial communications at MIT. I hold an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, an MArch from Yale University and a BArch with honors from Cornell University.

In addition to a laptop I faithfully carry a sketchbook and colored pencils wherever I travel.