November 12th & 13th, San Diego, California
Set against the backdrop of the dynamic San Diego Tijuana border region, the conference serves as a nexus for cross-cultural collaboration and innovative policymaking. Through panels, workshops, and a signal speaker series, participants explore innovative approaches to policy design, all aimed at shaping the future prosperity and well-being of urban inhabitants.
Join us as we move beyond boundaries to design a better future, exploring how policy design can reshape our world, powered by UC San Diego Design Lab & City of San Diego.
Research Professor, USC
Beyond Health Co-Chair
Dr. Jadad, a physician, innovator, and philosopher, has co-designed resilient healthcare systems globally with heads of state, corporate leaders, and nonprofits. His work utilizes trust networks, human-machine collaboration, digital health, and evidence-based strategies. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy from Oxford, honorary doctorates in Arts and Laws, and founded the Centre for Digital Therapeutics. He created the Jadad Scale, the leading tool for assessing clinical trial quality, and has authored 12 books and numerous scientific publications.
Professor of Medicine and Design
Director, Center 4 Health Design
Beyond Health Chair
Dr. Spencer is an Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health at UCSD and Directs the Design Lab Center for Health. He is a physician scientist with the School of Medicine and the Qualcomm Institute at UC San Diego. His work ranges from strengthening healthcare systems in resource limited settings to next generation biometrics and diagnostics, to participatory design for cancer in Appalachia.
Executive Director for the Arts & Culture, City of San Diego
Beyond Creative Chair
Jonathon Glus is the City of San Diego’s executive director for arts and culture, where he leads the city’s investment in the arts, culture and creative industries, internally across department sectors and externally, working with partners in philanthropy, tourism, community activation and binational and international cultural initiatives. Glus has two decades of experience in the public sector in senior cultural leadership roles, in Houston, TX, Los Angeles/Pasadena, CA, Chicago / Evanston, IL, and Sacramento, CA.
Partner, Vivenxia Consulting
Beyond Health Co-Chair
Tamen has worked in commercial strategy, business development, and management consulting, focusing on healthcare and technology. She collaborates with healthcare leaders to address industry challenges and create scalable services. Her work emphasizes data-driven innovation for a robust healthcare ecosystem. Author of the best-seller “Healthy No Matter What,” she has written for TIME and been featured by McKinsey and Fortune. In 2024, she published “Computational Management,” an evidence-based methodology for integrating AI into workflows.
Director, The Design Lab
Beyond Innovation Co-Chair
Mai Thi Nguyen is a Professor of Urban Studies and Planning and Director of the Design Lab at UC San Diego since 2021. Previously, she taught at UNC Chapel Hill and San Francisco State University. She earned her PhD in Urban Planning from UC Irvine in 2004 and her Master’s in Sociology from Penn State in 1998, supported by a prestigious fellowship from the Public Policy Institute of California. An award-winning public scholar, her research focuses on social equity, housing, immigration, and climate change policy. She is dedicated to creating equitable, resilient cities and has held significant leadership roles in professional associations.
Head of Policy, Policy Lab UK
A dynamic policymaker and strategic designer leading innovation in the UK government. Co-leading the UK Policy Lab, she spearheaded the integration of design into policymaking. With a rich background spanning the UK Design Council, European Commission, and more, their expertise bridges academia and practical advocacy. A Visiting Scholar at Parsons’ School of Design and Fellow of The Public Policy Lab, their passion for ‘making’ and navigating complex systems drives impactful change.
Author, Design of Everyday Things
Donald Norman, a psychologist and design expert, is renowned for his human-centered approach to product development. His books, including “The Design of Everyday Things,” have reshaped design thinking globally. Formerly Vice President at Apple, Norman’s insights on usability and innovation make him a sought-after speaker worldwide. He inspires designers to create intuitive and enjoyable user experiences.
Former VP Design, Credo.Ai
VP of Design at Credo AI, a startup pioneering responsible AI. With 20+ years in UX design and leadership roles at Teradata, eBay, MicroStrategy, and Sears Holdings, Kyle champions user needs and ethical software development. Passionate about human-centered AI, they lead the design team in crafting impactful solutions for today’s challenges.
Chair, National Endowment for the Arts
In January 2022, Dr. María Rosario Jackson became the 13th chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, the first African American and Mexican American woman in this role. She is a tenured professor at Arizona State University, currently on leave, where she led the Studio for Creativity, Place, and Equitable Communities. Dr. Jackson has a long career in strategic planning, policy research, and evaluation with various organizations. She served as a senior advisor at the Kresge Foundation and worked at the Urban Institute. Dr. Jackson holds a doctorate in urban planning from UCLA and a master’s in public administration from USC.
Founder, Jitterbug
Martin (Marty) Cooper is a wireless industry pioneer, renowned for inventing the portable cellular phone at Motorola in 1973. He’s founded and led successful ventures like Cellular Business Systems and GreatCall, Inc. Cooper’s Law, describing spectral capacity growth, underlines his impact. Honored with multiple honorary doctorates, he teaches at the Illinois Institute of Technology and advises the U.S. Government on technology matters. Cooper’s dedication to innovation and spectrum efficiency continues to shape the telecommunications landscape.
FIDSA President
Patricia Moore, a renowned gerontologist and designer, conducted a groundbreaking experiment in the late ’70s, living as women over eighty to understand their challenges. Recognized as a “Design Mind” by the National Design Award and honored with the 2020 CHANGEMAKER Award, Moore’s work extends globally. Her commitment to inclusivity and excellence has earned her prestigious accolades from institutions like Syracuse University and Hasselt University. Her visionary leadership continues to inspire innovation and compassion in design and gerontology.
Tim Brown is Chair of global design and innovation firm IDEO and Vice Chair of the kyu Collective. His best selling book Change By Design has introduced design thinking to business leaders worldwide. Tim has written for Harvard Business Review, Fast Company and Rotman Magazine and his TED talks Serious Play and Designers Think Big have reached millions. His work focuses on creative leadership and the strategic application of design across sectors such as health, education, technology, mobility and global development.