This talk shares a grounded view of design leadership shaped by years of real work in agencies, global companies, and fast-moving startups. It comes from leading teams, launching products, and navigating ambiguity when the stakes were high. Design leadership shows up when decisions matter and people look to you for direction. It lives in how you set a point of view, build trust, and connect design to outcomes that matter. You will hear lessons earned through successes, failures, and long-term responsibility for brands, teams, and products in the market.

The session then turns the focus to you and your path forward. You will step back to understand your current situation and what kind of leader you want to become. You will reflect on who to learn from, where to invest your energy, and which experiences will stretch you next. The emphasis stays practical and personal. You leave with a clear direction across near, mid, and longer horizons. The goal is focus, confidence, and forward motion as you grow into leadership through action, not title.

March 30 | 12:00-2:00pm
Center for Architecture & Design

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About the Presenter

Tim McKeown
Professor of Practice & Program Director, Industrial Design
Department of Interior Architecture, Industrial Design and Interior Design
College of Architecture, Planning & Design, Kansas State University

Prof. McKeown is an accomplished industrial designer and design leader with more than 30 years of experience driving growth and delivering breakthrough value across global markets. His work has shaped user-centered products and experiences in healthcare, telecommunications, consumer goods, sporting goods, and retail environments. McKeown has held senior leadership roles inside global corporations and consultancies.

At McDonald’s Corporation, he worked within the Concept and Design team in Restaurant Solutions, where he led research, strategy and user-centered design focused on improving family experiences across restaurants worldwide. He led the development of the Wilson Clash™ tennis racket, recognized as Tennis Magazine’s Editor’s Choice and the most successful product in the brand’s history. He also played a key role in bringing Motorola’s early 3G and Android smartphones to market, including the award-winning V3xx handset.

He is known for leading teams toward meaningful business impact and his approach balances user needs, brand intent, commercial viability, and enabling technology. His work has earned major industry recognition, including IDSA IDEA awards and the Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt National Design Award for contributions to corporate design and innovation at Whirlpool.

In his current role at Kansas State University, he draws on deep industry experience to mentor emerging designers and future leaders. His teaching emphasizes responsible innovation grounded in human-centered values. Outside of academia, he also leads a nonprofit land trust dedicated to preserving and revitalizing a historic natural landscape in Southwest Michigan.