Ric Grefé, until recently the Design Thinker in Residence at Williams College, works at the intersection of business, society and creativity, applying the craft and optimism of human-centered design to the intractable challenges we face today.
Ric is director emeritus of AIGA, the professional association for design, which he led for 20 years. Prior to AIGA he served in naval intelligence in Asia: was a journalist with AP and Time; had his own consulting firm in urban design and public policy; and led legislative strategy and strategic planning for public television and radio in Washington, DC. He has an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth and an MBA from Stanford.
Currently, he serves as board chair of Britain’s Royal Society of Arts in the US. Ric is just down-right curious, so it’s hard to list a finite set of interests.
Ric is married to Karen Vogel, who is an artist and landscape designer (and formerly very active in the DCA Greenhouse). Their two grown children both graduated from Darien High School. They have lived in Darien for 25 years.