Strategic Designer
Systems Thinker
Partnership Builder
I help organizations and teams create ventures, products, and systems that deliver measurable impact by aligning human innovation with the wisdom of living systems. With over 20 years of experience across industries, I specialize in building strategic partnerships, fostering collaboration across diverse perspectives, and navigating complexity to deliver solutions that are practical, scalable, and regenerative.
Let’s work together to create solutions that honor both human needs and ecological integrity.
Let’s work together to create solutions that honor both human needs and ecological integrity.
What I Offer:
︎ Living Systems Strategy
Guiding teams to create interventions that reconnect people with nature and foster resilience.
︎ Partnership Development
Cultivating relationships that drive responsible innovation and shared purpose.
︎ Collaborative Design Facilitation
Creating spaces where diverse perspectives converge to unlock transformative insights.
︎ Living Systems Strategy
Guiding teams to create interventions that reconnect people with nature and foster resilience.
︎ Partnership Development
Cultivating relationships that drive responsible innovation and shared purpose.
︎ Collaborative Design Facilitation
Creating spaces where diverse perspectives converge to unlock transformative insights.
Ask me about...
Prototyping an LLM-enabled value chain mapping tool for material decomposition and circularity
with Biomimicry Institute
with Biomimicry Institute
Incubating a corporate medtech venture to help people breathe with dignity
with ADG
with ADG
Co-designing support services for mental health patients embarking on new treatment pathways
with J&J
with J&J
Incubating a digital service that automates and streamlines laborious workflows for commercial interior designers
with Ancy
with Ancy
Building collaborative partnerships around inclusive, ecologically conscious, and personally-tuned product, service, and retail innovation
with lululemon
with lululemon
Building tools for transdisciplinary innovation teams engaging with living systems as a model, mentor, and measure
with Biomimicry Institute
with Biomimicry Institute
Distilling brand strategy and overhauling digital presence for a game-changing film studio
with Reel Water Productions
with Reel Water Productions
Empowering stormwater management leaders to learn from locally attuned living systems
with Biomimicry Oregon
with Biomimicry Oregon
Inspiring data management participation through visualization, understanding, and connection
with XPLANE
with XPLANE
Building a media-rich sharing platform for conservation storytelling and expeditions
with International League of Conservation Photographers
with International League of Conservation Photographers
Orchestrating an international whitewater expedition and educational campaign focused on salmon health
with Kamchatka Project
with Kamchatka Project
Supporting community-led interventions for healthy forests and lungs in rural Nepal
with Foundation for Sustainable Technologies
with Foundation for Sustainable Technologies
Holistically designing apparel and accessories to balance performance, beauty, and sustainability
with Nau
with Nau
Kind words from great folks
“Ethan's role as a new ventures Design Director for a Japanese client in respiratory health showcased his exceptional skills as a researcher, designer, and leader. Beyond his remarkable ability to navigate the complexities of product development and cultural fluency, Ethan's true strength lies in his ability to foster unity and resilience within a team. His inclusive approach, emphasis on sustainability, and unwavering commitment to the shared mission transformed challenges into opportunities for growth and collaboration. Working alongside Ethan was not only professionally but also personally rewarding, as he became a trusted friend and leader I eagerly anticipate collaborating with on future initiatives.”
“[Ethan’s] style of leadership ... includes a wonderful combination of welcoming and respecting of new ideas without losing track of the big picture. I was extremely impressed by his wide ranging abilities from strategic planning, to design thinking and business model development, all the way to coding and UX/UI skills. I can wholeheartedly recommend Ethan as a dynamic, multi-talented leader with fantastic teamwork skills.”
“[Ethan] is the unique individual that has both the vision to plot the strategic growth of a program, and the technical skill to implement it. He is also a pleasure to work with. He is always responsive, flexible, willing to troubleshoot, and tackles problems with a calm sense of humor.”
- Andrew Walls, Founder and Managing Director at Boardroom Labs
“[Ethan’s] style of leadership ... includes a wonderful combination of welcoming and respecting of new ideas without losing track of the big picture. I was extremely impressed by his wide ranging abilities from strategic planning, to design thinking and business model development, all the way to coding and UX/UI skills. I can wholeheartedly recommend Ethan as a dynamic, multi-talented leader with fantastic teamwork skills.”
- Erin Rovalo, Ph.D., VP, Community Department at Living Future Institute
“I've had the pleasure of collaborating with Ethan on a very high visibility project that he led at Johnson & Johnson. Always thoughtful and thorough in his craft, I especially appreciated how attuned Ethan was to the needs of the team and our client partners: he has a keen ability to anticipate needs, push when necessary and with the right measure of force. The result? The team, under his leadership, consistently delivered excellence in research, insights and strategy.
Another key to success is Ethan's superior synthesis skills: distilling vast amounts of info in cohesive and impactful communications.”
- Jonathan Finer, Associate Managing Partner at Conran Design Group
“[Ethan] is the unique individual that has both the vision to plot the strategic growth of a program, and the technical skill to implement it. He is also a pleasure to work with. He is always responsive, flexible, willing to troubleshoot, and tackles problems with a calm sense of humor.”
relish
unknown
the
Oriented as an innovation leader, multimodal design strategist, systems thinker, technologist, and researcher, I am skilled at navigating the unknown to build teams and coalitions, weave perspectives, and facilitate conditions for productive collaboration amongst diverse groups.
Over nearly twenty years I’ve helped build change management strategies, venture concepts, digital and physical products, brand expressions, expeditions, events, and more with a variety of globally respected organizations.
For me, bringing meaning to projects comes down to developing a clear understanding of the people and systems I'm serving, an intimate relationship with the languages, tools, and raw materials I'm working with, and a fun and productive relationship with the people I'm creating with. Learn. Build. Measure. Repeat.
My journey has taken me across a range of industries and landscapes—including mission-driven startups in apparel and the built environment, globally recognized non-profits focused on innovation, education, and conservation, fast-paced management and design consultancies, and a handful of global corporations in apparel, healthcare, transportation, aerospace, and tech. In each, I've had the honor of working alongside brave teams of brilliant folks dedicated to challenging the status quo.
I am committed to bringing forth ways of being that bring people and nature back together, grapple with and push beyond colonial paradigms of extraction, exploitation, and externalization, and plant seeds for equitable and regenerative futures.
I'm fortunate to live amongst a breadth of accessible mountains, rivers, and coastlines surrounding the Salish Sea in the Pacific Northwest, and exploring these biodiverse environments with friends and family via foot, bike, kayak, and skis is where I feel most "me." I'd love to show you around!
I’ve had the pleasure of creating value with brilliant teams at:
ADG, Biomimicry Institute, CIT, Ford, Foundation for Sustainable Technologies, Hyperloop TT, IBM, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Keen, Lockheed Martin, Lululemon, Mountain Hardwear, Nau, National Geographic, Niterra, Outdoor Research, P&G, Pratt, PTC, Steelcase, XPLANE, and many more ...
Over nearly twenty years I’ve helped build change management strategies, venture concepts, digital and physical products, brand expressions, expeditions, events, and more with a variety of globally respected organizations.
For me, bringing meaning to projects comes down to developing a clear understanding of the people and systems I'm serving, an intimate relationship with the languages, tools, and raw materials I'm working with, and a fun and productive relationship with the people I'm creating with. Learn. Build. Measure. Repeat.
My journey has taken me across a range of industries and landscapes—including mission-driven startups in apparel and the built environment, globally recognized non-profits focused on innovation, education, and conservation, fast-paced management and design consultancies, and a handful of global corporations in apparel, healthcare, transportation, aerospace, and tech. In each, I've had the honor of working alongside brave teams of brilliant folks dedicated to challenging the status quo.
I am committed to bringing forth ways of being that bring people and nature back together, grapple with and push beyond colonial paradigms of extraction, exploitation, and externalization, and plant seeds for equitable and regenerative futures.
I'm fortunate to live amongst a breadth of accessible mountains, rivers, and coastlines surrounding the Salish Sea in the Pacific Northwest, and exploring these biodiverse environments with friends and family via foot, bike, kayak, and skis is where I feel most "me." I'd love to show you around!
ADG, Biomimicry Institute, CIT, Ford, Foundation for Sustainable Technologies, Hyperloop TT, IBM, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Keen, Lockheed Martin, Lululemon, Mountain Hardwear, Nau, National Geographic, Niterra, Outdoor Research, P&G, Pratt, PTC, Steelcase, XPLANE, and many more ...
© 2024 Ethan F Smith