Summer is passionate about using design thinking to drive more empathy and creativity within organizations. Prior to Ross, Summer lived in Washington, D.C. and worked in strategy and analytics at a retail tech start-up and a workforce development non-profit. Outside of class, Summer enjoys hiking, painting, and reading. Please let her know if you have any book recommendations!

Born and raised in Houston, TX, Michael worked in fine art for seven years prior to Ross. As director of a contemporary art gallery, he supported the careers of 30 artists, placing their work in museum and private collections, and he worked with collectors to make strategic acquisitions. After Ross, he is interested in pursuing a career in marketing.

Lamia is a Marketer with 7 year experience working with Sales & Marketing in CPG in Bangladesh. She is a true believer in using design thinking in telling stories and offering the best product experiences to users. She is passionate about anything creative and wants to explore more ideas and thoughts within design and tech.

Maddie, a jazz musician since the age of eight, is passionate about the intersection of creative industries and technology. In 2017, she graduated from Colgate University with a degree in Sociology and Music. Prior to Ross, she worked in product and marketing at Blue Engine Records, Jazz at the Lincoln Center's in-house record label in New York City. She looks to return to entertainment/tech after graduation.

Liana is a California native who is freezing in Michigan and is using her design thinking skills to make her way back to the warm weather. She loves traveling to new countries and hanging out with her dog, Finley. She is also an ex-consultant who somehow managed to not leave consulting and will be interning at frog in SF for the summer.

As a "red"-oriented professional, Kelly has been looking forward to being a part of a creative community at Ross, and is happy to have found it at D+B. Before Ross, Kelly has worked in various functions across the foodservice, non-profit, and CPG industries. Post-MBA, she hopes to work in a corporate finance role within the CPG industry.

Melina is a first year MBA student interested in marketing and product innovation. She's originally from São Paulo, Brazil. She studied Journalism and Public Relations and, prior to Ross, Melina worked at Bank Itau, the largest bank in South America, as a Marketing Manager for almost 10 years. Outside of school, Melina enjoys cooking vegetarian recipes, hosting events, hiking, and planning travels itineraries.

Sai is interested in developing digital products with impact and love using Design thinking as a tool in solving various problems. She previously worked in rural and semi-urban areas developing Agriculture and Solar technologies. Outside of school, she enjoys trekking and playing racquet sports.

When Alyson was first introduced to the design thinking process in her first role out of college it was a breakthrough for her to separate the concepts of “art” and “design” into two different worlds. She has since practiced incorporating design thinking methodologies into her work across industries such as healthcare, cloud, cyber, and AI. The Design + Business board community at Ross is exciting to her for many reasons. It represents a space to embrace the creative parts of herself and to create an environment where others can feel open to do this as well through facilitation of innovation sessions, education events, and exposure across Ross.

Patrick is a dual degree MBA/MS student at Ross and the Design Science program at UMich's College of Engineering. Passionate about social innovation, Patrick is interested in combining business strategy and human-centered design to develop and invest in social sector solutions that help address social inequities and empower underserved communities. Prior to Ross, Patrick worked at Deloitte's innovation strategy arm, Doblin, working at the intersection of human-centered design, research and business strategy to help organizations imagine and build new parts of their business. When not in class, Patrick enjoys and jamming out with the rest of his band, Risky Business and experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen.

Prior to Ross, Cici spent 5 years working in the auto industry, where she became interested in design thinking and the intersection of technology and traditional manufacturing. Outside of work, she is also very passionate about public speaking, and encourages everyone to unlock the power of storytelling through Story Lab here at Ross!

Born and raised in Louisville, KY, Ashley started her career in Hong Kong after graduating from the University of Chicago with a degree in English Language and Literature. Her love of the creative arts, design, literature, and the humanities in general led her into the education world where she taught and designed programs for K-12 and graduate students. Through D+B, she hopes to shine a light on how design thinking can be used to create a more empathetic and vibrant world.