An internationally recognized design leader, Mickey Ackerman has spent decades teaching designers how to define problems clearly, then solve those problems through multidisciplinary teamwork. For 15 years as the head of the Industrial Design department at the Rhode Island School of Design, Mickey established a portfolio of sponsored studios and created real-world design solutions for industry leaders such as Intel, Rubbermaid, Frigidaire, and General Mills. He has established strategic partnerships with the Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan School of Management, Brown University Engineering Department, NASA, and Boston’s Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology, among many others.

Mickey has a lifelong interest and fascination with materials; he received a Masters in Industrial Design at RISD, he holds multiple patents, and his designs have won international awards. An educator at heart, Mickey is passionate about student-centered learning and has served on the Board of Directors for the Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Vermont and the Green School in Bali, Indonesia.

He is currently an advisory board member for Earth DNA, a platform for climate advocacy and action, and Global Fellows in Courage, a Providence-based fellowship that connects international entrepreneurs with the rich design industry in Rhode Island.

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