Liz Gerber

As a professor in the Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University, Liz Gerber’s mission is to use design to build people’s confidence and motivate innovation. As an expert in creativity and innovation and the founding faculty member of Design for America, she is doing exactly that.

Realizing the demand for informal, interdisciplinary service learning opportunities in design and the abundance of local societal challenges in Chicago, Liz founded Design for America (DFA) in October 2008. An award winning initiative that engages students in design for local and social impact, the Design for America model is spreading virally as students from campuses across the country set up their own DFA studios.

Liz received a BA from Dartmouth College and completed her doctoral degree in Management Science and Engineering and master’s degree in Product Design at Stanford University. Prior to joining the Segal Design Institute, Liz taught business and design at Stanford’s d.school and worked in the toy industry. She writes about tools and practices that support innovation for academics and practitioners in the design, human computer interaction, and management communities.