School of Information Commencement

The commencement ceremony honors the class of 2010 with student speakers, keynote speaker Tim Brown of IDEO, and presentation of the James R. Chen Awards.

Reception on the South Hall lawn immediately following the ceremony.

Keynote Speaker: Tim Brown

Tim Brown is the CEO and president of innovation and design firm IDEO, taking an approach to design that digs deeper than the surface. 

An industrial designer by training, Tim has earned numerous design awards and has exhibited work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Axis Gallery in Tokyo, and the Design Museum in London. He takes special interest in the convergence of technology and the arts, as well as the ways in which design can be used to promote the well being of people living in emerging economies.

Tim frequently speaks about the value of design thinking and innovation to businesspeople and designers around the world. He participates in the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and his talks “Serious Play” and “Change By Design” appear on TED.com.

Tim advises senior executives and boards of Fortune 100 companies and has led strategic client relationships with such organizations as the Mayo Clinic, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, and Steelcase. He is a board member of the Mayo Innovation Advisory Council and the Advisory Council of Acumen Fund, a not-for-profit global venture fund focused on improving the lives of the poor. Additionally, he writes extensively, with articles in the Harvard Business Review, The Economist, and other prominent publications. His book on how design thinking transforms organizations, Change By Design, was released by HarperBusiness in September 2009.

Tim's blog about design thinking can be found at http://designthinking.ideo.com.