David O'DonnellAdjunct Lecturer
About
David is a design strategist and design researcher with over 25 years of experience in innovation consulting and the field of design thinking. He has spent his career helping companies and institutions leverage empathic research with the people they serve to create thoughtful, innovative solutions to their challenges.As a design consultant at Salesforce Ignite, gravitytank, Sapient, and ELab he developed product concepts and product portfolio strategies for Fortune 500 companies in industries from automotive, to financial services, consumer package goods and food.
As an Associate Partner at gravitytank, David developed the company’s social innovation team and has worked extensively for philanthropic clients in the fields of education, health care, work force development and violence prevention. He has worked with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on innovation in the fields of K-12 education and immunization and data collection and led the gravitytank team which won the Records for Life competition.
David holds a Masters in Urban Planning and Public Policy and worked for several years as a Deputy Commissioner for the City of Chicago on environmental policy. He has taught design thinking methods at a range of educational institutions including The Illinois Institute of Technology’s Institute of Design.
David is a member of the Sonder Collective an international cooperative of designers based in the US, the EU and several African countries and runs a small strategy consulting business called Post Normal working on energy transition and public health projects for non-profits and government agencies.