Design Your Creative Career
Design Your Creative Career
Empowering professionals to use their skills for good and find greater fulfillment.
Fulfilling work is impactful work.
If you agree with these points, you belong here
AI is automating almost everything
The world is in chaos
A lot more people want to do something about it – including ME!
The big question is what can we do collectively to transform the society and prioritize humanity?
Our solution is TEEAA + CREATIVITY.
We're experimenting a society where technologists, educators, entrepreneurs, activists and artists come together to explore how creativity can drive fulfillment and purpose in an uncertain world.
If you identify with one or more of these five groups, and are asking deeper questions about the future, this space was made for you. Register to rethink, reimagine and redefine what meaningful work looks like, and what’s possible when perspectives collide.
With the advancements in AI, our innate ability to be deeply introspective and creative is one that we believe will remain uniquely human.
Meet the Speakers
Jonathan Martell
Jonathan is a design leader with a background in Computer Engineering and a Master’s in Service Design from the Royal College of Art in London. As Chief Design Officer at a leading innovation consultancy in Latin America, he brings Human-Centered Design into the heart of business strategy—aligning teams, reframing complex challenges, and creating solutions that truly resonate with people. With over eight years of experience in the financial services industry, seven years in innovation consulting, and more than six years teaching Service Design at the university level, Jonathan bridges systems thinking, business acumen, and human insight. He believes design is both a tool and a mindset to create positive impact in society.
Laura McBain
Laura is currently the Managing Director of the Stanford University School of Design. She is visionary educational leader and designer with over 25 years of experience transforming schools, adult learning programs, and educational systems. Laura holds a Bachelor’s degree from Miami University, and a Master’s degree in Policy and Management from Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is the co-author of My Favorite Failure: How Setbacks Can Lead to Learning and Growth, a collection of stories about resilience, exploring a more human approach to risk-taking and failure. She is shaping the future of learning by blending research and leadership with empathetic, justice-centered design; and contributing to global conversations on the future of learning, futures thinking, and emerging technologies through her writing, podcasts, and keynotes.
Khaulat Abdulhakeem
Khaulat is an educator, futurist, and career strategist dedicated to empowering people to harness creativity to build resilient, fulfilling careers in the age of AI and beyond. She holds a Master’s in Education Data Science from Stanford University, where her research explored the future of work, the evolving role of AI, and what individuals must learn to stay relevant in a rapidly changing world. Her work sits at the intersection of education, workforce development, and human-centered AI, advocating for technologies and systems that advance economic mobility, career fulfillment, and opportunity for all. She has taught machine learning and AI to over 45,000 students globally for the past five years. From launching learning platforms during the pandemic to founding global communities, her journey has been driven by a deep curiosity and a belief in creative thinking as a catalyst for both innovation and personal development.
Ben Davis
Ben is the visionary force behind Illuminate, San Francisco’s non-profit that rallies communities to create monumental art that, through awe, free humanity’s better nature. He attended the University of California, Berkeley, obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. With a rich background spanning design, media, arts, communications, and civic infrastructure, Ben has led Words Pictures Ideas, a creative agency committed to doing good, having fun, and learning. From working on major civic initiatives in Boston to transforming San Francisco’s public realm with projects like the Bay Lights, the Summer of Love lighting on the Conservatory of Flower, the Golden Mile activation of JFK Promenade, and the revival of the Golden Gate Bandshell, Ben combines creativity, strategy, and generosity to redefine how public art can activate cities and humanize systems.
Isabelle Hau
Isabelle is a Harvard Business School alum recognized as one of the “100 Most Inspiring Women”. Isabelle’s journey has been powered by one belief: education is the most powerful engine for opportunity, no matter one’s zip code, race, or gender. She leads the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, the University’s initiative to bridge research, policy, and practice in pursuit of equitable, scalable solutions for learners of all ages. She is the author of “Love to Learn: The Transformative Power of Care and Connection in Early Education”, she also writes the weekly newsletter Small Talks and collaborates with Forbes and EdSurge, exploring themes such as relational intelligence and early learning innovation.
Brian Johnsrud
Brian is a former K-12 teacher and college lecturer, with a PhD in education, digital media, and humanities, and master’s degrees in literature, media studies, and cultural anthropology; he brings over 15 years of expertise at the intersection of education, technology, and creativity. He is the Global Director of Education Learning & Advocacy at Adobe, and stands for the integration of AI and creative problem solving into learning and career development. Brian understands deeply the need to train, empower, and inspire educators to set them and their students up for success.
Erik Brown
A former filmmaker from Kingston University, London that integrates cinematic storytelling with strategic pedagogy to create digital experiences that educate and inspire transformation. He is an award-winning creative leader at Stanford University, and has produced and launched hundreds of online courses for institutions such as Stanford, MIT, Harvard, Boston University, Wellesley College, and edX. His mission of expanding access and equity in STEM education led to the redesign of open courses like BioE 80: Introduction to Bioengineering, to center student agency and creativity, language accessibility, and real-world relevance, reaching over 158 high schoolers from California, Colorado, New York, New Jersey, and Florida.
Schedule
9:00 - 9:15 Introduction: Learn more about this initiative
Jonathan Martell, Chief Design Officer at Peppermint, a Human-Centered Design and Innovation Lab based in Latin America.
9:15 - 9:30 Keynote Talk
Laura McBain, Managing Director at Stanford Design School
9:30 - 10:30 Design Your Creative Career Workshop
Khaulat Abdulhakeem, Founder and Creative Director at Khaulat's Abode
10:30 - 11:30 Panel session
Ben Davis, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer at Illuminate
Isabelle Hau, Executive Director at Stanford Accelerator for Learning
Brian Johnsrud, Director of Education Learning & Advocacy at Adobe
Erik Brown, Associate Creative Director at Stanford University
11:30 - 12:00 Mingle
Connect with professionals from diverse disciplines around the world.
About this Initiative
Having worked extensively with individuals dedicated to these paths, and identifying with these roles herself to various degrees, Khaulat observed how most people keep their creativity tucked away. She has watched brilliant entrepreneurs, educators, technologists, artists, and activists ignore their creative instincts, and has wondered how much more fulfilling and impactful their work could be if they unleashed that authentic part of themselves.
Our collective genius isn't just what's required for economic transformation, it's what will define our humanity as we navigate this AI-driven world. You no longer have to choose between being practical and being creative because in reality, creativity is the most practical skill you can ever develop.
A few things to ponder over...
For Technologists
For Educators
For Artists
For Activists
For Entrepreneurs
Meet the Team
Khaulat Abdulhakeem - Founder and Creative Director
Jonathan Martell - Experience Design Lead
Ania Diez Duany - Experience Designer
Laura Salcedo - Experience Designer
Rodrigo Cáceres - Communications Strategy Lead
Learn more about our approach to creativity by reading this letter.