CHIChicago

D. Denenge Akpem is an Afro-Futurist space sculptor, performance artist, designer, writer, and educator.  She teaches Black Arts Movement, Black World Ritual Performance, Arts of Africa, and Afro-Futurism: Pathways to Black Liberation at Columbia College Chicago. For the last fifteen years, her work has bridged the disciplines of interior design, site-specific sculpture, public art practice, and science fiction.

Joel is a Southern California native working as a Mobile UX Designer at Google. Aside from Google Analytics and Android, he also advises on other startups in the valley and spends his free time hosting The Blnce podcast.

Michael Boeke is a designer, product guy, and startup veteran, who currently designs and produces software at online payments company Braintree. He focuses on applying design thinking and modern technology to shake-up traditional (read: boring) industries.

As an Experience Design Director with Mad*Pow in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Adam combines his interaction design experience with his background in Computer Science, Film and Visual Design to create effective, efficient, and easy-to-use applications, websites, and interactive media.

J has been making websites and software for the web since 1998, and has been credited with creating several software features that web designers and developers take for granted today. He is the President of Nine Labs, an experience and strategy consultancy where he works with companies far and wide to improve their products and services. 

Patrick has spent his career using the web to create connections between audiences and organizations. To form those connections he sketches ideas and stretches ideas; makes stuff and fakes stuff; combines things and refines things. It’s a process that leads to work that resonates with users and generates positive impact for businesses. He currently leads the interaction design practice at Manifest where he partners with great colleagues and clients.

As president and founder of Nebo, Adam helps oversee brand strategy, user experience and creative direction for the 50 person independent agency. His passion is helping clients craft interactive experiences that connect with their customers and believes that a good user interface shouldn't require instructions.

As principal of Content Science, Colleen has advised Fortune 50 companies, government agencies, nonprofits, and boutique brands on content and user experience strategy. Colleen shares insights from her consulting in her two books with New Riders: Clout: The Art and Science of Influential Web Content and Does Your Content Work?

For 18 yrs, Gabe has been designing interactive exhibits and interfaces, and leading teams to create innovative experiences. In 2003 he founded Belle & Wissell in Seattle–a studio that crafts memorable, participatory experiences by blending inventive design and technology.

Intent on actively shaping a better world, Mel Lim is committed to understanding the processes of designing brands, and the ways they impact businesses and customers, both socially and environmentally.
 With over 15 years of international experience in project management, user experience design, and brand development, Mel established her own studio – MLD – in 2003.

MT Maloney is a freelance digital artist and digital media professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design. His animated works have screened in 5 continents, the latest of which premiered at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

Clarissa Peterson is a UX designer and developer, specializing in building responsive websites and training organizations in responsive design workflow. She frequently speaks on responsive design and mobile content strategy. Clarissa is also the author of Learning Responsive Web Design, coming soon from O’Reilly Media.

Nick Snyder is a front-end developer, designer, speaker, and writer currently based in Boston, MA. As a Creative Technologist at Mad*Pow, Nick combines his knowledge of design and front-end development to create rich and engaging templates.

Annette Thurston is executive director of Citizen, leading strategic mobile design initiatives for its key accounts, including Intel, AT&T, and adidas. Her background in art history and antiquities, as well as her life-long design career spanning advertising, brand strategy, web, and mobile design, has helped her develop artfully innovative experiences that enhance the lives of users.

Silicon Valley native Megan Williams is a Senior UX Designer and spends her days focused on developing and improving PayPal’s Consumer digital wallet. Her designs focus on creating simplified and intuitive experiences. In addition to her passion for design, Megan also loves mentoring and coaching for the Santa Cruz Derby Girls - an all-female player, full-contact, flat track roller derby league based in Santa Cruz, CA.