Design Adjacent with Shauna Carey, Chief Executive Officer, IDEO.org on gratitude, social impact, finding the best solutions, challenges, curving paths, and small steps to the future

Shauna Carey currently serves as Chief Executive Officer, leveraging her deep expertise in both design and social impact to oversee the strategy and vision for IDEO.org. Previously, in her role as Executive Design Director & Chief Communications Officer, Shauna worked alongside design teams and communities to surface insights to unlock new possibilities, create narratives that inspire action, and share stories about the impact of design. Over the past nine years at IDEO.org, Shauna has worked on projects and programs focused on advancing health equity, criminal justice reform, refugee rights, gender equality, and climate resilience. She also previously served as Managing Director and co-lead of our New York studio.

Prior to joining IDEO.org, Shauna worked to expand access to quality education and health care at organizations like Room to Read and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. She also helped launch and grow a number of mission-driven startups in Europe and the San Francisco Bay Area. A social scientist at heart, Shauna holds a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Outside of work, she’s happiest barefoot on a beach somewhere or at home in Brooklyn, where she can usually be found wandering around with a strong cup of coffee in hand.

About AIGA Design Adjacent

AIGA Design Adjacent is a monthly podcast series with AIGA’s Executive Director, Bennie F. Johnson, in conversation with industry leaders who are innovating and designing the future. These conversations expand beyond the design community, encompassing industries and areas that intersect with design and shift the ways in which we think about and interact with each other and the world around us.

About Bennie F. Johnson

Bennie F. Johnson is the Executive Director of AIGA, the professional association for design. Bennie thrives on the connections between marketing, technology, education, and innovation. With experience in strategic and consumer marketing, brand management, and innovation management, he is drawn to opportunities that allow him to lead and create new modes for business engagement. He has broad experience growing brands, businesses, and organizations with a special focus on venture launch and brand relaunch business environments.