CUSP CONFERENCE - Key Persons
Ashlyn Sparrow is a serious gamer.
When her parents bought her a PlayStation and Final Fantasy VIII on her eleventh birthday, the opening cutscene changed Ashlyn Sparrow's life forever. From that point on, she's been drawing fantasy characters and maps, designing small games, and tinkering around with computers.
Today, as the Learning Technology Director of Game Changer Chicago (GCC) Design Lab at The University of Chicago, she works closely with researchers and faculty to lead the development of serious games, interactive learning experiences, and digital media art with and for youth.
Job Titles:
- Digital Director
- Director of Digital Design for Sesame Street
Breonna Rodriguez is the Director of Digital Design for Sesame Street and the founder of Zenfulie, a weekly Sunday newsletter that promotes conscious living.
A graduate of Drexel University with a career that's touched nearly all disciplines of graphic design, Breonna also produced and directed a digital documentary in 2016 called #minusthedoubt. This fall she'll release her first wellness app aimed at helping people move through anxious moments. When this Emmy nominated design director isn't creating content for Zenfulie or speaking at national conferences, she writes about love, self-care and careers for outlets including Vivala, HERMag, GirlMob and HipLatina.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and CEO of PraxiCut
- Practice Perfector / Full Bio
Cecilie Tassone wants to make surgery practice perfect.
A biomedical engineer and entrepreneur, Cecilie is co-founder and CEO of PraxiCut, a Chicago-based company focused on developing affordable, realistic surgical practice models that can be used to help physicians learn and practice surgical procedures. PraxiCut's surgical models look and feel like real human tissues, and are compatible with the minimally-invasive surgical tools that physicians can expect to find in the operating room.
Since co-founding PraxiCut shortly after graduation from Illinois Institute of Technology, Cecilie has spearheaded research and development, created and secured the company's core intellectual property, and forged strategic alignments with clinical institutions.
With a fervor to improve healthcare, Cecilie is passionate about designing physical products at an affordable price-point, and in her spare time, enjoys cooking, reading novels and travelling.
Though the reach and ambition of her work is global, Chelina Odbert grounds every project in the local character, challenges and beauty of each community.
The co-founder and Executive Director of Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI), a non-profit design practice that partners with under-resourced communities to advance equity and activate the unrealized potential in neighborhoods and cities, Chelina is a strong believer in participatory planning and design as keys to sustainable development. She's built an award-winning practice that puts good design in places where it is not often found, and puts residents at the center of the design and decision-making process.
Chelina has extensive field experience in Africa, Latin America and the US, and her leadership in forging new pathways in design has been widely recognized by groups such as Ashoka Changemakers, American Express, The Atlantic, and The Aspen Institute. She holds a bachelor of arts from Claremont McKenna College, where she graduated with magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa honors, and she received her Master of Urban Planning from Harvard University.
Job Titles:
- Consultant at Slalom Consulting
- Photographer
Chris Mendoza is a Consultant at Slalom Consulting helping companies solve business problems and build for the future. Prior to being a Consultant, he acted as a Project Manager and Product Owner at Morningstar leading strategic enterprise-level brand and marketing implementations. He also wore many other hats at Morningstar including Data Analyst, Business Analyst and ScrumMaster within their Global Equities and Investment Management groups, respectively. Before Morningstar, Chris cut his teeth interning at Compass Lexecon and working with small startups at DePaul University, working for clients and firms including NVidia, Facebook, Microsoft and Coldwell Banker.
For the past few years, Chris has been deeply involved with the Chicago design community. Whether he's photographing evening AIGA design gatherings or filming the Chicago chapter of CreativeMornings, he's had a helping hand in elevating our city and bringing the Chicago design community closer together. Outside of volunteering within the community, Chris has been learning and connecting talent across disciplines. Throughout his career, Chris has traveled around the globe to champion the Agile process by providing training on Agile project development, acceptance criteria writing and project roadmapping. He and his work have been recognized with AIGA, CreativeMornings and Zagat.
Lately, Chris has been engaged with Chicago's blockchain communities. Chris is a self proclaimed Blockchain activist, Bitcoin maximalist and cryptocurrency enthusiast. He is a proponent of Open, Neutral, Decentralized, Borderless, Censorship-resistant blockchains.
Job Titles:
- Creative Character / Full Bio
Chris Sickels is the force behind Red Nose Studio, where he creates an eccentric and inviting miniature world with puppets, textures and light.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of the Center for Urban Pedagogy
Christine Gaspar is a demystifier.
Executive Director of the Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP), a New York-based nonprofit whose mission is to use the power of design and art to increase meaningful civic engagement, Christine partners with designers and community organizations to create visually-based educational tools that help demystify complex issues, from zoning law to sewage infrastructure.
Christopher Maurer is an architect, researcher, and humanitarian. Founder and principal of Redhouse Studio, he and his team engage in all facets of architecture, from research and innovation in low impact material technologies, to design and fabrication, to building commissioning and net-zero retrofits.
A graduate of Kent State University, Christopher's work in limited-resource environments inspired him to reduce material inputs and leverage building processes to make maximum positive impact. And he's currently working with leading researchers at NASA and MIT to develop and promote new ‘bioterials' which can change the way we build and live.
Christopher has lived and worked in North America, Europe, and Africa. In New York, he was a director at studioMDA, founded by Markus Dochantschi, protégé of Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid. In Africa, he was director of MASS Design Group, where he designed and built humanitarian projects for clients including Madonna, Partners in Health, the UN Millennium Village Project, the Clinton Global Initiative, Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation, and Noella Coursaris.
Christopher has also written open source material for the AIA and the Center for Architecture Foundation on sustainable building technologies.
Danny Sangra is consistently iconoclastic.
A Central St. Martin's graduate, he's an established artist, designer and prodigiously multitasked director who has collaborated with brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Nike, Vogue, Balenciaga and Metallica. With a particular love for French new wave, his writing and film making style incorporates an unusual mix of surrealism, comedy and fashion.
Dorian Warneck's passion for filmmaking began with an old camera he found in his parents' attic when he was about eight years old. Years of filming his friends skateboarding transitioned into making films about all sorts of things (although he still films his friends skateboarding from time to time). He's worked as a director, producer and editor for Lunch & Recess since it's inception in 2010, completing projects for clients such as Popular Science Magazine, Johnston & Murphy, WebMD, and Tito's Handmade Vodka, to name just a few. His films have been featured in multiple festivals including Indie Grits Film Festival, Nashville Film Festival and the Atlanta Film Festival, and have received numerous acknowledgements in the online film community. Inspired by people, good stories, nature, skateboarding, music, friendship, his dog, and everything else that makes up the world around him, Dorian probably couldn't stop if he tried.
Job Titles:
- Founder and CEO of Üllo LLC
James Kornacki, PhD, is founder and CEO of Üllo LLC, a Chicago-based company that believes that wine is best enjoyed the way the winemaker intended-free from the sulphite preservatives used to keep it stable during shipping and storage. Üllo's Wine Purifier is a first-of-its-kind product that gives consumers the option to remove sulfites, for a healthier, more natural way to enjoy wine.
Growing up with an aunt who was unable to drink wine due to a sensitivity to sulfites, James was inspired to learn more about the use of preservatives in winemaking. After learning an estimated three million Americans are sensitive to these chemicals, he made it his mission to solve the problem. In 2015 James invented the company's patented Selective Sulfite Capture™ filter technology while completing his doctorate in chemistry at Northwestern University. This breakthrough process works by sequestering only sulfites, and allowing other compounds in wine to flow through unaffected.
James named the company to reflect his story as a chemist, with the "Ü" in Üllo derived from an historical alchemy symbol meaning "to purify," and believes that pure living is as important today as ever.
Janett Liriano is a creative technologist with a passion for user experience. As CEO of LOOMIA, she's working to optimize and scale the company's suite of patented core technologies centered on soft, flexible circuits that can be embedded into textiles for heating, lighting, sensing, or data-tracking applications.
A master electrician and team leader who is the daughter of an electrical engineer and a creative, Janett has specified and installed interactive medical and audio systems, and formerly served as stage manager, director, and lighting designer on at New York's Lincoln Center and Boston's Cutler Majestic Theatre.
With a special focus on electronics and analog processes, Janett studied Design and Technology at Emerson College and Audio Engineering at SAE Institute. She's a graduate of New York's Fiorello H LaGuardia High School for Music and Arts and the Performing Arts for Technical Theatre, where she directed, stage managed, built/designed sets, lights and costumes. A SAG/AFTRA member, Janett has been both behind and on the stage/camera as an actress for notable programs like Law and Order. In her free time, she is an avid swing dancer.
Job Titles:
- Designer
- Super Designer / Full Bio
Jason Mayden is a super designer.
Jason Mayden is MS Designer + Entrepreneur-In-Residence at Accel Partners, CEO + Founder Super Heroic, and Media Design Lecturer at Stanford d.school.
In his previous role at Nike, Jason oversaw the design and execution of all conceptual products, data driven innovations, and inline lifestyle and performance product for Jordan Brand, as the Senior Global Design Director. During his 13+ year career at Nike, he led and contributed to the creation of innovative sport performances products for athletes and cultural icons such as Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Derek Jeter, and Michael Jordan. In 2011, Jason received his Master's in General Management and Social Innovation from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. Shortly thereafter he returned to Nike as the Global Director of Innovation for Nike Digital Sport, where he was responsible for the strategic investigation of new technologies and services, such as the Nike Fuel Band.
Most recently, Jason was the VP of Design at Mark One, an IoT startup focusing on the intersection of consumption and behavior change. Also a d.Fellow and Media Designer at the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University, Jason is a frequent lecturer at Stanford University's prestigious Graduate School of Business, a regular columnist/blogger for Hypebeast Magazine and hypebeast.com, and an advisory board member to his undergraduate alma mater, the College for Creative Studies. He also spent time at Accel Partners, assisting with the continuous development of Accel's brand position among the global community of entrepreneurs, while working with portfolio companies on deepening and extending their knowledge and ability to create cultures of curiosity.
In 2017 Jason launched his own brand, Super Heroic, a business focused on providing quality play performance footwear, apparel and technology for elementary school aged children. The brand is thriving and Jason is passionate about spreading the Super Heroic message!
German-born, Vancouver-raised building designer and photographer Joe Rommel is at home with the structure and discipline of both professions, but people watching through the camera lens is his innate passion. Also world-educated, Joe has lived and worked in extraordinary places, including the UK, eastern and western Europe, Saudi Arabia, Japan, China, Hong Kong and Macau, Mexico, the US and of course, Canada.
Lindsay Luker blends her knowledge of the medical sciences with the philosophy of yoga to promote good health and balance. As a primary eyecare physician, Lindsay carefully examines, diagnoses, and treats visual and ocular health. As a yoga instructor, she's devoted to creating a lively, informative and safe environment in which all can learn while feeling at ease. A practitioner of yoga for as long as she can remember, Lindsay strives to help people find a pleasant balance in their physical, mental and spiritual lives.
Meghann Artes is an award-winning filmmaker and animator who has worked with Sesame Street, Dreamworks, Nickelodeon, Bix Pix, Nick Jr., NBC and ABC. Her short films have enjoyed success in festivals across the country and her work for Sesame Street was awarded both an Emmy and a Peabody.
Drawing from her small town childhood and her urban career, Meghann's independent works artfully utilize handmade elements and modern techniques. Meghann's whimsical subject matter as well as her use of color and texture draw in audiences of all ages.
Meghann holds an MFA from the Animation Workshop at UCLA and is currently an independent filmmaker and an associate professor at DePaul University in Chicago.
Job Titles:
- Director / Animator
- Freelance Director and Animator
Michael Marczewski is a freelance director and animator based in London. Since leaving world-renowned design studio ManvsMachine, Mike has gone on to carve out a name for himself creating films that mix sharp design and satisfying animation with his trademark dark humor.
Philip Sansom is an award winning film director, producer & photographer based in London. His beautifully crafted storytelling and keen editorial eye struck a chord with creative agencies around the world, working internationally with clients such as BMW, Mini Cooper, Adidas Y3, Audi, Honda, O2, Esprit, Old Navy, Miller, The Glenlivet & The Macallan. He has worked as an art director, editor, and photographer and brings together a wealth of expertise with which to create his cinematically driven and visually inventive ideas.
After completing a BA Hons Degree in Fine Art, Phil started his career at graphic design agency Blue Source before moving to the newly formed music video department - Colonel Blimp. In 2004 he established directing duo Diamond Dogs, which saw him nominated for 8 MVAs including Best Director in 2008. He established his own content production company PHIX in 2012 and quickly built up an impressive client list of brands and agencies within the advertising and luxury markets, winning commercial & TV commissions from agencies such as Dazed, Adam & Eve DDB & FCB Inferno.
In 2013 he wrote, directed & edited his short film One Mans Loss, which was instantly featured on NOWNESS and made a Vimeo Staff Pick. His latest short film Last Respects was shot in the Scottish Highlands last year and the short is now screening before going out the festivals in 2018.
Phil has recently finished a documentary for SKY Arts with Blondie drummer Clem Burke and is currently finishing a three year film project for The Macallan. His first feature film UNARMED is in development with Northern Ireland Screen, and he is developing a slate of film and TV projects while continuing to shoot high-end content and commercial work in both film and photography.
Red Nose Studio's illustrations appear in advertising, magazines, books, newspapers, packaging, character development, and animation, and his work has been featured in HOW, Print, Creativity, Communication Arts, and American Illustration. His work has been honored with gold and silver medals for both illustrative and motion work by The Society of Illustrators.
His stop-motion animated films have screened at various festivals including Los Angeles International Short Film Festival and Montreal Stop-Motion Film Festival. He authored and illustrated The Look Book, and has illustrated the children's books Here Comes The Garbage Barge, The Beginner's Guide to Running Away From Home, The Secret Subway, and the forthcoming Elvis Is King!
When they were handing out books, Ryan Cockrell-Director/Writer at Charleston, SC-based Lunch & Recess-thought they said ‘looks' and asked for a thriller. The humblest, smartest and best looking of all the Lunchers & Recessers, Ryan has been told he looks like a combination of Sean Connery, Tom Cruise, Zak Galifinakis and Jim Caviezel-but more attractive.
Ryan began making films at age ten when his aunt turned her back on the home VHS video camera. He then nagged his mother for the most expensive camera available at the time, convincing her to starve his brother and sister in order to afford the payments. He never looked back, going to USC-the wrong USC in Columbia because he didn't have the internet and therefore didn't know any better- but somehow made it out with a pretty good understanding of turning pictures into stories, and lucked into a job at NBC National News. He traveled the world from 1999-2006, covering stories such as the 2004 election coverage and the Pope's funeral. After being smited by God in Vatican Square (probably for swearing at his gear) or serendipitously injuring his back (depending on your perspective) he decided to move on, first working as an editor, then as a producer before forming Lunch & Recess with Ethan Jackson in 2010.
Job Titles:
- Illustrator / Animator
- Illustrator and Animator
Steve Cutts is a UK based illustrator and animator. His work includes the ‘LA-Z Rider' couch gag for ‘The Simpsons' and the music video for ‘Are You Lost In The World Like Me?' for Moby. He's worked on projects for renowned agencies across the world including UNESCO, The Gaia Foundation, Isobar, LMFM, and Analogfolk, and his work has been featured on various television networks, including Adult Swim and Fox in the US, and Channel 4 in the UK.