Thank you to the thought leaders and influencers who have graciously given their time and offered their support of San Francisco Design Week as advisors. Learn more about our advisors below:
John Maeda
Global Head, Computational Design + Inclusion at Automattic
John Maeda is an American executive spearheading a new convergence across the design + technology industries. He recently joined Automattic as Global Head of Computational Design + Inclusion and previously.
JD Beltran
Artist, Filmmaker, Writer, Educator, and Public Art Administrator
JD Beltran is an artist, designer, filmmaker, writer, educator, and public art administrator. Her award-winning work, which blends the narrative and abstract in investigating how materials tell stories, has been screened and exhibited internationally, including at the Walker Art Center, the SFMOMA, the International Film Festival Rotterdam, The Getty and more.
Diane Dorrans Saeks
Interior Design, Author
Diane Dorrans Saeks is a best-selling California- based author, editor, blogger, Instagrammer and teacher/instructor, design lecturer, and feature writer who focuses on interior design, architecture, style, gardens, travel and fashion.
Alex Schleifer
VP of Design atAirBnB
Alex is a designer, who as a teenager co-founded the digital agency Sideshow, which went on to produce award-winning work for a variety of global clients. They were acquired by Say Media in 2011. He’s been on the incredible design team at Airbnb since 2015.
August de los Reyes
Head of Product Design, Pinterest
August de los Reyes leads the product design and research teams at Pinterest, where he sets the design vision for experiences that help millions of people around the world discover and do what they love.
Ana Arriola
VP of UX & Design at Samsung; Champion of LGBTQ community
Ana Arriola celebrates the renegade spirit of California by designing products and experiences that are – Human. Simple. Authentic. Currently, she is the Global VP of UX & Design at Samsung for Visual Display and Digital Appliances + PXd Studio.
Vas Kiniris
Owner, Zinc Details/Community and Neighborhood Advisor
After graduating from UC Berkeley with an architecture degree, Vas Kiniris co-founded a design/furniture store, Zinc Details, in the Tenderloin with a $2k investment.
Ti Chang
Co-Founder and VP of Design of Crave
Ti Chang is an industrial designer passionate about designing products for women. Her early work with major consumer brands such as Trek Bicycle and Goody Products helped to hone her skills and define her true calling: creating luxury sex toys for women.
Trevor Hubbard
Founder of Butchershop
Over the last 15 years, Trevor has led hundreds of award-winning brand transformations, product launches, and marketing strategies. His work has shaped the trajectories of startups and global brands alike
Barry Katz
IDEO Fellow, Stanford University
Barry M. Katz is Professor of Industrial and Interaction Design at California College of the Arts, Consulting Professor in the Design Group at Stanford University, and Fellow at IDEO, Inc.
Dominique Price
Director at M Moser Associates, Architect & Urbanist
Dominique Price is a California architect working at the intersection of social infrastructure and construction arts, blending technical expertise with humanistic sensibility.
Ravi Naidoo
Design Indaba, Interactive Africa
Ravi Naidoo is possibly best known for establishing the international Design Indaba, which has become recognized as one of the world’s leading design institutions through the flagship Design Indaba Conference and Festival annually held in Cape Town. He is also the founder of Interactive Africa.