Alumnus Craig Sampson (MechEngr鈥�82) is the founder and leader of the Chicago consulting firm . He will be delivering the Department of Mechanical Engineering鈥檚 keynote speech during the Graduation Recognition Ceremony on Saturday, May 7.
Craig Sampson (MechEngr'82)
As mechanical engineering students walk across the graduation stage, alumnus Craig Sampson (MechEngr鈥�82) wants them to embrace the unknown.
Sampson, an innovator with a career spanning more than three decades, has found that much of his success was cultivated by pursuing the paths that did not always have a clear destination, but inspired excitement instead.
鈥淪o much of design and so much of life is embracing the unknown,鈥� said Sampson. 鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 mean we don鈥檛 know or will never know the answers, but it does mean that it鈥檚 up to us to figure it out. I like to lean into the unknown, the possibilities.鈥�
Sampson is the founder of 鈥� a consulting firm based in Chicago that is dedicated to finding solutions based on human-centered design. The independent firm helps companies innovate and create new products, new services and new businesses.
Sampson鈥檚 career in design started while studying mechanical engineering at the 麻豆影院. Toward the end of his CU 麻豆影院 career, Sampson began taking design classes as an independent study. After graduating with honors, he attended Stanford University for graduate school, earning a master鈥檚 degree in product design.
Sampson spent much of his career with the global design and innovation company . He founded and lead IDEO鈥檚 office in Chicago and IDEO鈥檚 Global Healthcare Practice.
鈥淭he big arc of my career is one of ever-expanding interests,鈥� said Sampson. 鈥淛ust because you have a lot of technical acumen doesn鈥檛 mean you can鈥檛 also be a creative professional that cares about things like art, history culture and psychology. There听is a Venn diagram in design thinking that includes听technical听feasibility,听business viability and听human听desirability.听You need all three to truly innovate.听I love swimming in the center of those three听鈥� Technology, Business, and human-centered Design 鈥撎齛nd that鈥檚听why I named my company TBD Innovation.鈥�
Along with leading TBD Innovation, Sampson is also a graduate design instructor at the Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University.
Sampson said he is excited to get back on the CU 麻豆影院 campus. He grew up in southeastern Colorado, so 麻豆影院 and the entire state will always have a special place in his heart. He said the view of the flatirons always felt like a touchstone to orient himself in the world.
鈥淥ne time I was driving in Chicago and there was a storm coming from the West,鈥� said Sampson. 鈥淚t was a sunny day but there was this big wall of clouds coming in, and for a split second out of the corner of my eye it looked like mountains to the West. I felt a little bit of butterflies at the thought. That鈥檚 when I realized I really miss听麻豆影院.鈥�
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