Strategic Design, Program Leadership & Partnership Building for Regenerative Futures
I'm Ethan—a connector, designer, and strategist who's spent most of my career figuring out how we repair and reimagine our relationships: with each other, with the places we belong to, and with the systems we're tangled up in. I help organizations and communities move toward more regenerative ways of working through strategies, programs, and partnerships.
With over 15 years of experience—from stewarding AskNature to advancing health innovation at Johnson & Johnson—I bring diverse perspectives together for lasting change. If you’re exploring how to navigate change with care, I’d love to connect and explore what’s possible together.
What I bring:
︎ Strategy & Creative Direction: Opening doors to emergent pathways within the contexts of interdependent living systems
︎ Program Leadership: Guiding teams through complex transitions with clarity, empathy, and a focus on lasting impact
︎ Partnership Building: Weaving together unlikely collaborators to spark innovation and build trust across boundaries
Recent Highlights:
︎ Stewarded AskNature, connecting millions with nature-inspired design
︎ Advanced patient-centered health initiatives at Johnson & Johnson, improving care for tens of thousands
︎ Led a medical technology venture from concept to $8M+ internal exit
︎ Developed frameworks integrating earth systems thinking into government policy
︎ Orchestrated community-driven workshops and collaborative innovation for local and global partners
With over 15 years of experience—from stewarding AskNature to advancing health innovation at Johnson & Johnson—I bring diverse perspectives together for lasting change. If you’re exploring how to navigate change with care, I’d love to connect and explore what’s possible together.
What I bring:
︎ Strategy & Creative Direction: Opening doors to emergent pathways within the contexts of interdependent living systems
︎ Program Leadership: Guiding teams through complex transitions with clarity, empathy, and a focus on lasting impact
︎ Partnership Building: Weaving together unlikely collaborators to spark innovation and build trust across boundaries
Recent Highlights:
︎ Stewarded AskNature, connecting millions with nature-inspired design
︎ Advanced patient-centered health initiatives at Johnson & Johnson, improving care for tens of thousands
︎ Led a medical technology venture from concept to $8M+ internal exit
︎ Developed frameworks integrating earth systems thinking into government policy
︎ Orchestrated community-driven workshops and collaborative innovation for local and global partners
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 ...
© 2025 Ethan F Smith