John supports Bridge Innovate® by adding layers of Service Design, Foresight Strategy, and UX Design to an already robust core set of innovation tools. He has been facilitating creative talent development and organizational change for more than 15 years through higher education and his own organizations.

John’s design career began as an Architect from Auburn University and the world renowned Rural Studio. After years of working as an Associate Architect, he returned to academia to earn additional degrees in Environmental Design and Industrial Design. As John balanced teaching at Auburn and practicing design at his own company, Fulcrum Collaborative, his love for mentoring truly began to grow. He became a Professor of Industrial Design and Program Coordinator for the User Experience Design, Service Design, and Design for Sustainability Programs at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). During that decade at SCAD, he focused on external collaborations and facilitated over 30 multi-disciplinary projects with numerous Fortune 100 companies and social innovation organizations.

John has had the unique privilege to work on many projects that were selected for highly regarded international design awards, has been published and awarded top honors for his work in education, and developed some of the most advanced design curriculum in the industry. But what really drives him is not the professional accolades, but knowing that he’s helping create citizen agents of change. This is why he recently founded Aether, a think tank focused on connecting the invisible dots between disciplines, in order to develop talent that understands design, speaks business, and embraces technology.