MCN2015

A designer, urbanist, and social innovator, Liz Ogbu is an expert on social and spatial innovation in challenged urban environments globally. From designing shelters for immigrant day laborers in the U.S. to a water and health social enterprise for low-income Kenyans, Liz has a long history of working with communities in need to leverage the power of design to deliver social impact. She is founder and principal of Studio O, a multidisciplinary design and innovation firm, as well as adjunct faculty at UC Berkeley and Stanford’s d.school. Previous roles include first-ever Scholar-in-Residence at the Center for Art & Public Life at California College of the Arts, Innovator-in-Residence through the inaugural IDEO.org Fellowship, and Design Director at the nonprofit Public Architecture. Her projects have been featured in museum exhibitions and received numerous design awards globally. She has also written for and been profiled in publications such as the Boston Globe, Metropolis, Core 77, and the Journal of Urban Design.  Her honors include Aspen Ideas Scholar, Next City Vanguard, Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council, and one of Public Interest Design’s Top 100. She earned architecture degrees from Wellesley College and Harvard University.