BILL BURNETT
Co-Founder and Executive Director

Bill is the Executive Director of the Design Program at Stanford. He holds a number of mechanical and design patents, and design awards for a variety of products including the first “slate” computer. In addition to his duties at Stanford, he is on the Board of VOZ (pronounced “VAWS – it means voice in Spanish) a social responsible high fashion startup and advises several Internet start-up companies.

DAVE EVANS
Co-Founder

Dave Evans has been on a mission to help others find and pursue theirs ever since his undergrad days at Stanford. Along the way, he co-founded Electronic Arts and introduced the computer mouse to the world while at Apple.

KATHY DAVIES
Managing Director

Kathy has 15 years of experience developing electromechanical and software products, and proudly holds five patents. She consults with Silicon Valley companies, teaches design thinking, conducts ethnographic research, and develops product strategies and concepts. Kathy is also the co-creator of “Designing Your Life for Women” and a passionate advocate for design thinking as a methodology to empower social change.

MARIEL ROSIC
Lecturer + Fellow

Mariel works in support of more authentic, expressive, and beautifully designed lives. She is eternally curious about designing the future of interfaith and non-denominational spiritual communities, and creating technologies and experiences that deepen (not replace) our embodied wisdom.

Her work is informed by her eclectic background, and experiences ranging from training as a Buddhist nun to living in pallet racks off-grid with artists and anarchists.

Outside of the lab, she designs and guides communal rituals, coaches founders and CEOs, runs experiments in communal living, and facilitates transformative workshops. She is an alchemist, storyteller, and agent of benevolent mischief.

DUSTIN LIU
Associate Director

Dustin strives to inspire awe, wonder, and surprise by noticing the interconnectedness of seemingly disparate experiences, ideas, and domains.

Outside of the Life Design Lab, Dustin works as a strategist supporting performance and impact transformations for purpose-driven organizations.

He is a self-described serial hobbyist, feeling most at home when he is learning something new (currently throwing clay!) You can often find him listening to Broadway soundtracks on repeat, attempting to find the perfect lemon at his local farmer’s market, and finding the perfect bowl of noodles.

JUNAID AZIZ Adjunct Lecturer and Cofounder of ENGR104R: Designing Your Spiritual Life

Junaid is a cofounder of Designing Your Spiritual Life, and spearheaded efforts to bring students to Mecca as part of the Designing Your Muslim Life experience. He is a key partner in building relationships with universities in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. 

Junaid studied Globalization and Consumer Behavior at Penn, and holds an MBA and another M.A in creative management. Outside Stanford, Junaid works at the intersection of design thinking and brand strategy, designing strategic frameworks for founders obsessive about building an aspirational brand. He has worked in haute horology at Rolex and other luxury watch brands and in communications and media across Europe, Asia and the US.

DR. AMINA DARWISH Associate Dean for Religious & Spiritual Life and Advisor for Muslim Life Cofounder of ENGR104R: Designing Your Spiritual Life

Amina Darwish joined Stanford in February 2021 after serving at Columbia University. Dr. Darwish brings years of experience building and serving in nonprofit organizations and a more than a decade serving Muslim communuties. Dr. Darwish brings a unique blend of understanding the different cultures within the Muslim community while staying grounded in traditional Islamic scholarship. She has earned ijazas, traditional Islamic studies certifications, from the Qalam and Critical Loyalty seminaries including an ijaza in the ten Qira’at, and has taught college level coursework on Islam and Muslims. She also earned a Ph.D. in Chemical engineering and remains passionate about including ethics, meaning, and service into STEM disciplines.

JENNIFER ROWLAND Assistant Dean of Career Education & Associate Director of Career Coaching and Education - Experiential Learning

Jennifer co-designed and co-instructs InternConnect, InternSearch and InternPrepare, a year long series of classes and workshops combining design thinking with traditional career services to help students prepare for internships and other experiential learning opportunities.

Prior to coming to Stanford, Jennifer spent over 20 years working in sponsorship marketing and strategic partnerships including working on and attending 8 Olympic Games, 3 FIFA World Cups, and 2 Rugby World Cups. Here she feels blessed to help provide students with the information, experience, and connections they need to find their own meaningful work.

HAYLEY LEVENTHAL Assistant Director of Career Coaching and Education - Experiential Learning

Hayley co-designed and co-instructs InternConnect, InternSearch and InternPrepare, a year long series of classes and workshops combining design thinking with traditional career services to help students prepare for internships and other experiential learning opportunities.

Hayley joined Stanford's Career Education team after a decade of experience in higher ed career services teaching internship and career preparation courses, managing mentor programs, and building relationships with employer partners. As a former first-generation and low-income college student, Hayley is passionate about social justice in career development and education, as well as connecting students to work that is meaningful (and paid!).

Jawn Lim is Associate Professor and Design Innovation University-wide Module Coordinator & Deputy Cluster Director at Singapore Institute of Technology, and a Visiting Associate Professor here at the Stanford Life Design Lab. Jawn is a design futurist who delights in empowering creativity in others, from individuals to companies in finance to hospitality. He frequently serves as an awards judge in branding, design, and technology. He is the Chief Design Officer at the Singapore Productivity Centre, Chair of the Advisory Committee at the Singapore Polytechnic’s Media, Art, and Design School, and a board member of Teach The Future. Previously, Jawn was an architectural designer with Frank Gehry. He holds an Advanced Certificate in Management, Innovation, and Technology from MIT and a Doctor of Design from Harvard.

Mark Wee is the Executive Director of the Designing Your Life Institute which he co-founded with Bill Burnett in Singapore, where he is driving a national life design movement to empower every Singaporean to design sustainable careers and joyful lives. He previously helmed the DesignSingapore Council, driving national policies for design for make Singapore an innovation economy and a lovable city. Also an award winning architect and practicing artist, Mark studied architecture at Cornell University. 

• ALEX GOPINATHAN (DYL SP21)

• ALIZA HOFFMAN (DtP S17)

• ALLIE DA CAR (DYL SP19)

• ANA MARTINS (DYL SP21)

• ANDRES LAZO (DtP S17)

• ANDREW EPIFANIO (DYL W19)

• ANDREW EPIFANIO DYL W19

• ANDREW SATANAPONG SGSI F17, DYS F16

• ANGIE HAWKINS DtP SP20

• ANNIE VLECK DYL F16

• ARAME MBODJ DYL F20

• ASHLEY EBERLE DYS SP20

• BLANCA VIRREY DtP SP20

• BROOKE ARMSTRONG DYL SP19

• CARI COSTANZO DYS F17

• CAYLA HATTON DYL W18

• CHIARA GIOVANNI DYL F20

• CHRIS GOLDE DtP S17

• CIERRA GILLISON DYS W19, DYL SU20

• COLLEEN McCALLION DYS F16, DYS F18

• DANIELLE WOOD DYS W19

• DANNY ALVAREZ DYS W18

• DAVID GLASGOW DYS S17

• DAYO MITCHELL DYS W18

• DENISE BENATAR DtP S17

• DIANA SUEDBECK DYS W19

• ELIZA KLYCE DYL S17

• ELLIS SCHRIEFER DYL W21

• EM HAVENS DtP S18

• EMMA CHENG DYL F17

• ERIC WILBURN DYL F18

• ERIKA M WELCH DtP S18

• ERIKA NOBLE DYL F17

• FAWN QIU DYL SP21

• FIONA LEE SGSI F17

• GENAI LEWIS DYL F17, DYL W18

• GITANJALI BHATTACHARJEE DYL F18

• GRAY FARLEY DYS SP21

• HAYMITCH STEVENS DYS F19, DYS F20, DtP SP20, DYL W20

• HIROSHI ISHII-ADAJAR DYL W17

• IRINA STHAPIT DtP SP19

• JEREMY HUNT SGSI F17

• JOHANNA DAY SGSI

• JOSLYN JOHNSON DYS F18

• JUSTIN NEIMAN DYL W17

• KADY RICHARDSON DYL F18

• KATHERINE NOBLES DYL W17

• KRISTEN AZEVEDO DYS F19

• LARA SPENCER DYS W21

• LAURA PICKEL DtP S18

• LEELA SRINIVASAN DtP F18

• LESLIE GARVIN DYL SP19

• LINGTONG SUN SGSI F17

• MAIJA CRUZ DYL SP19

• MANUEL RINCON CRUZ DtP S18

• MARISA MISSION DYL SU20, DYL F20, DYS W21, DYS SP21

• MARTA HANSEN DYL SP19

• MARYANN TUNG DYL W18

• MATT MISTELE DYL S17

• MEGAN DINO DYS W18

• MEREDITH O’HARE DtP SP20

• MICHAEL HAHN SGSI

• MICHELLE HULL DYL F18

• MICK SMYER DYS W17

• MIRANDA SHEPHERD DYS F17

• NATHANIEL BERGER DYS F17

• NELIA RODRIGUEZ DYL F19, DYS W20, DYL SP20, DYS F20, DYL W21, DYL SP21

• NELSON SHUCHMACHER ENDEBO DYL W21

• NING DE-EKNAMKUL DYS S18

• NORA BRACKBILL DtP SP19

• OLIVIA MARTINEZ-STEWART DtP S17

• QUINCY MINGO DYS S18

• RACHELLE SLOSS DYL F17

• REBECCA ROSE DYL F17, DYL S17

• ROY ANG SGSI, DtP SP19

• SARAH JOELSON DYL SP20, DYL SU20

• SHANIA SANTANA DYS SP21

• SHANNON BIRK JIBAJA DtP S18

• SHELLEY WILLIAMSON DYS S17

• SUSAN BURNETT DYL F16

• TESSA FORSHAW DYL W18

• TRACY BRANDENBURG DtP S17

• VANESSA OCHAVILLO DYL F17, DYL S17