Art & Design 2019 Convocation Speaker Announced
Gretchen Gscheidle received her BFA in Industrial Design from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1991 and a Master of Product Design and Development from Northwestern University.
Gretchen has been a part of Herman Miller since 1991 and became Design Director in 2018. She directs the design development of key creative studio partners’ strategic projects, representing and guiding this work among internal functions helping to synthesize and shape the design solutions. Prior to assuming her new position, she had served as Director of Insight and Exploration, Innovation Kitchen Leadership since 2010. Gretchen is a member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and represents Herman Miller on the Office Ergonomics Research Committee. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals.
She is a champion of design innovation and collaboration utilizing qualitative and quantitative research methods. She is a world traveler who interacts regularly with senior executives, corporate boards, decision makers, and end users. She has worked hand in hand with renowned seating design luminaries and fellow Illinois alumni Bill Stumpf and Jerome Caruso.
Gretchen is an alumna who has stayed connected and involved with the School of Art & Design since graduation. She is a tireless supporter of education and a regular visitor serving on design juries and lecturing on relevant and timely topics of design research, furniture design, and design history. She has supported the Industrial Design program by hosting the annual Career Fair for students and potential employers at the Herman Miller Show Room in the Chicago Merchandise Mart, elevating it to a productive and professional endeavor for all participants.
In honor and remembrance, Gretchen became the lead donor to endow the newly established William Stumpf Student Research Fund, which will provide research funding to students in the Industrial Design program at the School of Art & Design and undergraduate interdisciplinary research projects/teams in conjunction with the opening of the new Siebel Center for Design. She is also heading a grassroots fundraising effort to add to the endowment.
The 2019 School of Art & Design Convocation will be held on Sunday, May 12, 2019, at 1:00 PM at Foellinger Auditorium.