Mount Vernon Institute for Innovation, Mount Vernon Presbyterian School, Atlanta, GA, www.mountvernonschool.org

Design Thinking In Business: Chris Kasabach

mvifi@mountvernonschool.org — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:04:59 +0000

Chris Kasabach comes from the intersecting worlds of design, business and technology. He is the Director of the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, Co-founder of BodyMedia, and Co-founder and Chair of k*lab, which was conceived and started at the Harvard Kennedy School. His collaborative works have been recognized by the publications, museums and awards that set the standard in design, business and technology including the New York Times, Wired, Time, Business Week, the Smithsonian/Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum and several International Design Excellence Awards. He is an inventor on over 25 patents and patents pending.

In 1999 Chris co-founded BodyMedia Inc., an international healthcare company that helped redefine the field of self-care over the last decade. BodyMedia’s solutions include small wearable monitors, personalized web-based “dashboards” and mobile applications that put an individual’s health in their own view and hands. BodyMedia’s conception was based on the mobile and wearable computing lab he co-directed at Carnegie Mellon in the 1990s working for groups including Boeing, Daimler-Benz and Intel.

Interested in how design and new media can have the widest public impact, Chris spent 2010-11 at Harvard’s Kennedy School where he completed an MPA and founded k*lab, an organization that bridges schools at Harvard and MIT to conceive innovative ventures. He was named a Lucius N. Littauer Fellow for significant contributions to the school. Chris is a 1991 graduate of Carnegie Mellon’s School of Design where he has been an adjunct faculty member in the graduate and undergraduate programs. He is a trustee of Winterhouse Institute and a board member of Carnegie Mellon’s Athletic Association. Chris is married to the designer Vanessa Sica, Managing Director of the Masters in Product Development Program at Carnegie Mellon.

Design Thinking In Entertainment: Laura Dames

mvifi@mountvernonschool.org — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:14:49 +0000

Laura Dames is senior vice president of Business Operations for Turner Entertainment Networks (TEN), which includes industry leading television brands TBS, TNT, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and truTV. In this unique role, she oversees many critical functions for the networks, including leading the vision and strategy for formatting of on-air inventory and programming as well as the creation of all sponsorships, marketing partnerships and promotions for national advertisers, from strategy to concept development through to final creative production. She is based in Atlanta and reports to Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks.

Dames provides leadership for two key areas within TEN: On Air and Programming Operations and The TEN Sponsor Shop.

The TEN Operations group owns the strategy and process for formatting all network programming to create the best on air viewer experience, while also maximizing revenue potential. The group serves as the key contact point for national ad sales strategic planning and technical broadcast operations. They are also responsible for setting and implementing the philosophy and process for the prioritization, allocation and placement of all on-air and cross-channel marketing assets.
The TEN Sponsor Shop the handles all national ad sales sponsorships, promotions and trade marketing efforts on behalf of the networks, from strategic development through creative production. The work this group creates includes such industry-changing initiatives as TVinContext™, a system that boosts the power of ads by pairing them with related program content; custom-produced sponsored content like micro-series, mini-dramas and Bit-coms; custom multi-platform marketing partnerships; and the development and production of Turner Entertainment Network’s annual Upfront communication and events.

Previously, Dames served as the senior vice president of marketing operations for TNT, TBS and TCM, where she was responsible for the development of all sponsorships, marketing partnerships and promotions for both national advertisers and distribution affiliates, as well as managing the programming and on air operations teams.

Prior to that role, Dames served as vice president of marketing operations for TNT, charged with identifying and managing the use of Time Warner assets to strengthen the marketing and promotional efforts for TNT’s programming and branding initiatives. Her work in this area included managing the use of host and cross on-air time on the Turner networks, as well as identifying the resources available to the company from other areas of Time Warner.

Dames’ earlier experience included her role as director of marketing for TNT, overseeing the development and implementation of marketing strategies and multi-platform consumer marketing and promotion campaigns for TNT’s award-winning original films and specials, as well as trade initiatives.

Dames, who joined Turner Broadcasting in 1992, graduated summa cum laude from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with a bachelor of arts in communication and a certificate in film studies.

Design Thinking In Higher Ed: Leonard Medlock

mvifi@mountvernonschool.org — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 04:17:11 +0000

Leonard Medlock is co-founder of Inner City Educational Technologies (ICEdT), where he designs casual learning games geared towards urban youth. He is currently working on RAPGA.ME, a Twitter app that fuses Hip-Hop battle tradition with on-the-go status updates to spur creative writing. He began working on the game as part of his Master’s project, BarupMobi, completed at Stanford’s Learning, Design, and Technology program. Leonard also hones his writing skills as an associate editor for EdSurge newsletter, and does research at the Stanford PBL lab on knowledge worker engagement. In his free time, you can find him coaching at the Stanford d.school, or chasing his youth on the basketball court.

Design Thinking In K12 Ed: Kim Saxe

mvifi@mountvernonschool.org — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 02:20:10 +0000

Kim Saxe, Director of the Innovation Lab at The Nueva School and lecturer at Stanford University, is a long time educator, and former engineer and R&D director. She has been teaching over 20 years, the last 14 at Nueva. She is a pioneer in the field of Design Thinking and Design Engineering in K-8 education. She directs the Design Thinking, Design Engineering, and Entreprenuership programs at Nueva. She continually re-invents Nueva’s inspiring and ever-changing 4,000 sq. ft. Innovation Lab, which was design in partnership with Stanford’s Institute of Design. Kim has run many workshops for teachers, administrators, and adults on Design Thinking and curriculum development, both at Nueva and at Stanford’s d.school. Additionally, she regularly speaks at conferences, such as the NAIS Conference, the Maker’s Faire, and Nueva Innovation Learning Conference. She is passionate about Design Thinking and how it can truly transform people’s lives, and thus the world.

Design Thinking In K12 Ed: Mary Cantwell

mvifi@mountvernonschool.org — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 02:34:29 +0000

Mary Cantwell is a 14 year veteran educator with a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership in Technology. During her 5 years at Mount Vernon Presbyterian School, she has led the Science Lab instruction for kindergarten through 5th grade and is a member of the Faculty IT Support Team. Most recently, as the Design Thinking Coordinator for kindergarten through 6th grade, Mary developed and designed D.E.E.P., the design thinking process utilized at Mount Vernon which is based on Stanford’s d.school model. Mary was the recipient of the GISA Lovejoy Grant in 2009 which enabled her to attend a week long workshop at the Dauphin Island Sea Camp. She also received a Mount Vernon Fellowship in 2010 allowing her to travel to the Galapagos Islands and to Ecuador to work at the La Hesperia Biological Preserve. In 2011, Mary attended Stanford University’s Design Thinking Boot Camp. Mary has presented at many conferences including GISA, TeachMeet Nashville, AATE, and InnovatED. At the end of the 2009/2010 school year, Mary was named Innovative Teacher of the Year for Mount Vernon Presbyterian School.

Design Thinking In Administration: Dr Brett Jacobsen

mvifi@mountvernonschool.org — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 02:20:04 +0000

Dr. Brett Jacobsen serves as the Head of School at Mount Vernon Presbyterian School in Atlanta, Georgia. Mount Vernon is a school of inquiry, innovation, and impact preparing students to be college ready, globally competitive, and engaged citizen leaders. Over the last several years, Mount Vernon has become widely recognized for its innovative approach to education. In 2010, MVPS launched the Center for Design Thinking, unique approach to K-12 education. Under the leadership of Mary Cantwell, design thinking challenges in the i.Design Lab have been incorporated in a comprehensive way touching every K-6 student. Since its inception, schools throughout the country have contacted Mount Vernon about the success of this program. As a result, the Mount Vernon Institute for Innovation made a decision in its inaugural symposium to host Design Thinking Summit 2012 where leading design thinkers could articulate the value of design thinking, collaborate and engage with participants, and demonstrate the design thinking process.

Blog: www.drjacobsen.wordpress.com

Twitter: @jbrettjacobsen

Mount Vernon Institute for Innovation

mvifi@mountvernonschool.org — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 03:40:41 +0000

The Mount Vernon Institute for Innovation is sponsored by Mount Vernon Presbyterian School in Atlanta, Georgia. Under its direction, the Center for Design Thinking, Center for Citizen Leadership, and Center for Global Competitiveness promote inquiry, innovation, and impact.

Design Thinking Summit FAQ

mvifi@mountvernonschool.org — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 02:20:35 +0000

On March 23, 2012, Design Thinking Summit 2012, MV Institute for Innovation’s inaugural experience, will bring together a community of learners to

discuss the value of design thinking,
understand the basic tenets of dt,
interact with dt experts, and
participate in an engaging dt challenge.

Who Should Join Us?

mvifi@mountvernonschool.org — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:07:26 +0000

Heads of Schools, Superintendents, Curriculum Directors, STEM Coordinators,Technology Specialists, Teachers, Business Teams, Designers, 21st Century Learners, anyone who wants to change the world