In a highly interconnected and increasingly complex world, it’s easy to lose a sense of ourselves and what it takes to make a positive difference – impact, by design. We need to make sense of things and translate that into wise action. That connection is how I frame what I do and how I do it. I bring together data (evidence), design, and an understanding of human systems to help organizations lead change, understand complexity, and innovate.
Who am I? I am a strategic designer, educator, evaluator and psychologist who works with organizations and their leaders to connect who they are, what they do, and reflect the impact they create with strategies to keep it sustainable. You could say I’m an innovation consultant or an executive, but what I do is more than that. I’m a coach, a teacher, a supportive provocateur, and a leader.
I support purpose-driven organizations, such as non-profits, public health and health services, governments, and companies, with a social, environmental, or health-focused mission to make a positive difference by combining evidence, strategy, and design.
How do I do this? I write, teach and share content on innovation, design, change-making, and systems transformation as the Principal of Cense through my work on www.censemaking.com and The Design Loft training newsletter. To learn more, visit: www.cense.ca .
My mission is to inspire and support leaders in making things better by making better things.
By that, I mean helping them design things better, aligning with a changing world and their values in meaningful ways that contribute to their purpose, and using evidence to help learn and drive change for a positive impact.
Professional Life
My doctorate in behavioural science from the University of Toronto focused on individual, organizational and community-level behaviour change. I studied psychology and public health and combined these two disciplines with a focus on behaviour change. I’m also a professional designer with a Master’s degree in Strategic Foresight and Innovation from OCADU. I bring this experience with graduate and post-doctoral training in psychology and systems thinking together to shape my approach to what I do that is human and life-centred, design-driven, and systems-oriented.
I’m a member in good standing of the Canadian Psychological Association, AIGA (the professional society for design). I hold a Credentialed Evaluator (CE) designation and am a long-time professional member of the Canadian Evaluation Society and American Evaluation Association (AEA). From 2016-2019, I ran the Design Loft — a mini conference-within-a-conference at the annual AEA convention — to teach evaluators design skills. This conference has now transformed into a training and support newsletter I publish by the same name.
I continue to stay active with academic life, holding a position as an Adjunct Professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. I am also an Adjunct Faculty Fellow of the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research at York University, where I contribute to the Wellness Impact Lab. I’m also a faculty instructor with the Design for Health graduate program at OCADU.
Coffee and cafe culture is a passion of mine. Coffee houses were the original innovation labs and the mix of energy, conviviality, sharing of ideas, reflection and a warm drink is something that inspires me. I love the idea of coming together to reflect, write, debate, share, listen to music (and people) and invent — all things that come together in the best coffeehouses.
If you’re interested in connecting, let’s grab a coffee sometime. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn.
You can also learn more about me and follow my work by clicking here.
My current curriculum vitae (CV) is available here and my resume is available here.