Presenters from Spring 2012

Yvonne Lin: Associate Director at Smart Design

February 1
Facilitators: Natalie Nixon and Barbara Kimmelman

Yvonne Lin is an Associate Director at Smart Design and is one of the founding members of the Femme Den. Her area of expertise is considering gender in developing unique and functional solutions to complex design problems. She has a BA in Visual Art and a BA in Engineering from Brown University. She is the inventor on more than twenty patents and has designed products for companies like Nike, Johnson & Johnson, Hewlett-Packard, Lego, Pyrex, Microsoft, and Under Armour. She also spends a lot of time skiing, rock climbing, traveling super economy class, and putzing around her apartment making small art projects. The Femme Den is here to save good women from bad products. They started as an underground collective of international women at Smart Design, searching for answers in a world that was not designed for them. They've now grown into a leading team of design researchers, industrial designers, and engineers who are paving the way for a deeper understanding around design and gender. They speak around the world on the topic, working to stimulate positive change in the design and business communities.

Click here to read a recap of her lecture>>>

Joann Leonard: PMP, Principal Education Consultant for Oracle
February 8
Facilitators: Leslie Samoni and Chris Pastore

Joann Leonard is a Principal Education Consultant for Oracle. In this role, she meets with organizations planning for software installations or upgrades. She consults with training departments to identify their training deployment plans using software to develop e-learning simulations and documentation. She has a Bachelor of Arts in History, from Temple University, a Master of Science in Information Science from Drexel University’s School of Information Science and Technology and holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification from Villanova University. As a PMP, she has managed projects to implement customer relationship software and new business development. Over the past several years, she has lectured in essential Project Management principles to several of Philadelphia University’s Industrial Design Senior classes at the beginning of their Senior Capstone Project. Currently she is conducting several intensive Project Management Certification Preparation classes for Oracle. Joann has instructed professionals in a variety of software applications projects as an analyst and manager at Prudential, SmithKline, Microsoft, and Right Management Consultants.

Kenneth Jewell: Envisioner
March 7
Facilitators: Tod Corlett and Evan Goldman

Kenneth Jewell is an Envisioner, a title coined while at Continuum in the Strategy Practice, he was a creative lead for 12 years, helping define the right consumer experience for global Fortune 100 companies and young start-ups. Now independent, he continues to envision products and services that delight people and drive business results. Trained as an industrial designer and graduate of Art Center College of Design, his skills allow him to act as a link between design, engineering, and business by visually communicating concepts and strategies. He also provides a smooth transition between the strategy and development phases, bringing the knowledge gained in the early part of a project into later design phases. These lateral skills and insights help Kenneth be an advisor to product development and design courses at Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan School of Management, Boston University, and Emerson College. Kenneth has changed billions of diapers for Procter & Gamble by envisioning Pampers' design language, helped articulate the "Bean-ness" for L.L.Bean, and had a hand with General Motors next generation hydrogen vehicle. Most notably, he collaborated with Nicholas Negroponte, co-founder of the MIT Media Lab, to help envision the first One Laptop Per Child Photo credit: linkedin.com 

Sarah Rottenberg: Directing Associate at Jump Associates & Sarah Signer-Nourie, President of Singer Learning, Inc.
March 28
Facilitators: Ron Kander and Maribeth Kradel-Weitzel

Sarah Rottenberg is a directing associate at Jump Associates and co-leads the New York office. An experienced innovation coach and business strategist, she regularly writes and speaks about how organizations can create new experiences for their customers that increase top-line growth. Sarah guides teams to desired outcomes by facilitating them through the learning process and shaping deliverables to maximize organizational impact. Sarah is also a part-time lecturer in the Integrated Product Development program at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Jump, she worked as a Research Manager at a strategic planning firm in Chicago. She has a masters of science degree in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago and a bachelors degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. Prior to her career in consulting, Sarah worked as an assistant to the Cultural Attaché at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC. Although she can’t talk about what she did there, she swears she was not a spy.

Sarah Signer-Nourie, M.A. is an award-winning trainer, educator and coach. She has brought new life to learning and motivational change for youth and adults of all kinds in groups of 1 to 3000, in urban and rural, educational and corporate settings around the globe. Sarah’s programs open possibility in learning and growth, creating a bridge between brain research and real life learning. She creates extensive training and development, from keynotes to system-wide change initiatives, specializing in teaching, leadership and teambuilding.

Sarah is an inspiring, high-energy presenter with a wealth of enlightening, research-based theories and practical techniques that spark coaches and trainers in becoming more effective, motivational and impactful. Her roots in the world of education, Sarah is committed to bring new life to learning for people. Whether she is facilitating teambuilding with start-ups, coaching powerful presentation for executives, retooling curriculum or teaching models or motivating people past their preconceived limits, Sarah’s passion is uncovering the potential, play and power in each person she works with.

Sarah is creator of the audio series and live training programs Tapping Their Greatness: Tools for the Inspired Leader, Pocket Full of Greatness, High Impact Training & Powerful Presentations, and coauthor of the book Quantum Teaching: Orchestrating Student Success.

To view the presenters from fall 2011 click here.