Celebrating Kathy Davies: A Decade of Transformative Leadership at the Life Design Lab

“After ten years of extraordinary service, we are sad to say farewell to Kathy Davies as she moves on to pursue new opportunities at Stanford University. While we will deeply miss her leadership, her impact on the Life Design Lab at Stanford—and on the global life design community—will continue to shape our community for years to come.

Kathy’s journey at Stanford has been nothing short of remarkable. As one of the lead instructors for the Product Design Senior Capstone classes, she has mentored and guided countless students, helping them push the boundaries of innovation and creative problem-solving.

She brought that same energy and commitment to her role as the very first Managing Director of the Life Design Lab, shaping it into the thriving, influential entity it is today. Kathy built and nurtured an amazing cohort of Life Design Fellows, ensuring that life design thinking extended beyond Stanford’s walls to reach educators and practitioners all of the globe. She also spearheaded the creation of the first-ever Life Design Transfer Studios, playing a leading role in developing a teaching and learning network that now spans over 500 universities around the world, making life design principles accessible to thousands of students and educators globally.

What has always set Kathy apart is her dedication, passion, and deep understanding of human-centered design. She doesn’t just teach life design—she embodies it. She has been a guiding force, a champion of innovation, and an unwavering believer in the power of design to transform lives and communities.

On a personal note, it has been my absolute pleasure to collaborate with Kathy—as a partner, a colleague, and as someone who truly admires her work. Her vision, generosity, and leadership have left an indelible mark on our team and on me personally.

While we are sad to see her go, we know that Kathy will continue to do incredible things in her next chapter as Senior Strategic Facilitator in Stanford’s Improvement, Analytics and Innovation Services group. Please join us in celebrating her immeasurable contributions to the Life Design Lab and the Design Group and wishing her nothing but success in the exciting journey ahead!”

With gratitude,

Bill Burnett, Executive Director,

The Life Design Lab, Stanford University