Deborah Alden

Deborah is a design strategist, venture advisor, and educator with a penchant for blurring the line between for-profit and purpose-driven organizations. She is currently a Director at WeWork, developing new offerings focused on culture and organization transformation. Approaching 20 years of experience incubating offerings, shaping organizations and culture, and building bridges, her work has ranged from innovation and brand consulting for Fortune 100 companies to establishing new models for business and education. She's had the privilege of advising hundreds of inspiring entrepreneurs and leading the design and development of four purposeful organizations—most recently, as the Founding Managing Director of the Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator, an initiative of Pratt Institute focused on supporting ethical design entrepreneurs. 

A frequent guest critic and facilitator, Deborah has taught human-centered design and research at IIT Institute of Design, CEDIM in México, and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, where she was the Inaugural Chair for the BFA in Visual Communication. She is regularly invited to speak globally including SXSW, TEDx, Icograda World Design Congress, ASODI Congreso Interiorismo, and Tallinn Design Week.

Education
MS in Communications Design (Digital Design Concentration), Pratt Institute
BA in Architecture, Washington University

Course
Design Research and Integration