Perry Klebahn, Director

When it comes to startups, corporations and executive leadership, Perry’s seen just about everything. He's a seasoned entrepreneur, product designer, chief executive and co-founding member of the d.school faculty with over 20 years of experience. He also loves math, motorcycles and making things. Perry brought two out of three of those interests to bear when he created a new category of sportswear by way of a high-performance shoe — a snowshoe — for his product design master’s thesis. He went on to found the Atlas Snowshoe Company, which remains the leader in snowshoe design and technology. Perry sold Atlas and became the head of Sales and Marketing for the clothing brand, Patagonia in 2000. He then went on to be named the CEO of the iconic bag company, Timbuk2 in 2007. Both opportunities gave him extensive experience in brand turn-around, design and innovation. Despite his years running startups and corporations, Perry’s true calling is teaching. He leverages the breadth and depth of his experience as he pushes his students to bring rigor and precision to their fast-paced design work. His students often tell him that, while they were intimidated by him during the course, they're grateful for the pressure he placed on them to exceed their own expectations. Perry is a founding teaching team member for the d.school’s startup gauntlet class, Launchpad, the innovation leadership course, d.leadership and the week-long executive education intensive, Bootcamp. He is also on the teaching teams for the personal development course, Designer in Society and the organizational change course, d.org. In every class, Perry guides his students to look back in order to discover what to do next and works from the unshakeable belief that it’s always possible to see a problem differently.

Perry is an Adjunct Professor and Director of Executive Education at the d.school. He holds a B.A. in Physics from Wesleyan University (1988) and a Master’s degree in Product Design from Stanford University (1991).

Jeremy Utley, Director

Jeremy never expected to be a designer. On his 10th birthday, his father asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. Jeremy replied,”I want to be one of the people who carry boxes with handles.” A little over a decade later, Jeremy became a briefcase-carrying management consultant focusing on economic development. Then, in 2008, d.school derailed him completely. His time as a student and a fellow at the d.school showed him that “how” he worked was more important than “what” he did. Today, Jeremy is dedicated to helping others along the same path to becoming a designer. He helps people change their deeply-engrained behaviors and discover, as he did, that it is possible for them to make a difference. He does this through teaching as well as through growing alongside his students to become better in his own life and work every day.

Jeremy is the Director of Executive Education at the d.school. He is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin’s Red McComb’s School of Business (2005) and the Stanford University Graduate School of Business (2009).

Kathryn Segovia, Head of Learning Experience Design

Growing up on a Nebraska farm gave Kathryn a number of valuable skills, but two stand out: a strong work ethic and a love of getting to know new people. These skills and others served her well both in academia and industry. Kathryn discovered the d.school towards the end of her Ph.D. research as she sought out a change of scene and pace. She signed up for d.leadership, the d.school’s advanced innovation leadership course, the first year the class was offered. The experience was transformative — so much so, she asked to take the class again. She was allowed back under the condition she serve as a TA. She has been on the teaching team ever since, bringing her expertise in process, methods and tools to bear on each new project. She also brings a wealth of industry experience, having worked on fast-paced internal, external, strategic and retail design challenges. Kathryn brings a keen awareness and understanding of the unique challenges faced by internal design teams as well as those faced by intact teams working to apply design thinking. Kathryn enjoys helping people whittle down the layers of their work lives to reveal who they really are while supporting them through moments of doubt and fear as they embark on their life-long process of leadership development. Witnessing that moment in her students when they see their work and life challenges differently, through a new lens with refreshed energy, is one of her true joys.

Kathryn is a lecturer and Head of Learning Experience Design at the d.school in addition to her work as an independent consultant. Her past clients include Steelcase and VF Corporation. She holds a Ph.D. (2012), Master’s degree (2010) and B.A. (2007) in Communication as well as a Master’s degree in Psychology (2007) — all from Stanford University.