Renowned visionary and global design leader, Jennifer Kolstad, from the Ford Motor Company, will be giving the first Hyde Lecture of the season, “One of One” at 4 p.m. Oct. 14 in Architecture Hall, Room 127.
For this lecture, Kolstad will explore the opportunities, projects and people that have shaped her 30-year career, highlighting the risks and unconventional paths she has taken. As the design profession has evolved, it now includes a broader range of participants working together to tackle complex problems. This shift has expanded the traditional framework of design, creating new pathways and areas of expertise for practitioners. Kolstad, as the first female design executive at Ford Motor Company and the first architect/interior designer to lead at a Fortune 50 OEM, exemplifies this evolution in the field.
Kolstad is the global design and brand director at Ford Motor Company, the first design leader to establish a vision for environmental design. Since joining Ford in 2019, she has created a global strategy for brand experience, unifying a portfolio exceeding 200 million square feet with the global retail network of 10,000 plus dealers.
Introducing the legacy brand to research-led design, Kolstad has built an award-winning, internal design team and agency roster, while collaborating with external luminaries in product design, user experience, technology, marketing and global branding. As an executive design leader, she is uniquely positioned to solve business challenges with innovative design solutions.
Kolstad is an invited NASA Luminary, teaching her “Brain to Building Framework” as a design tool for off-planet habitation. She has appeared on PBS Newshour, NBC News, Fortune’s 2022 Brainstorm and Microsoft Envision, speaking on human-centered design.
She is also the recipient of the 2023 ASID Luminary of Distinction award honoring the advancement of the design industry through innovative contributions and is the 2023 recipient of the Beyond Automotive Design Award for Car Design News.
Prior to Ford she designed at SOM, Gensler, HKS and ALDAR in the United Arab Emirates.
The Hyde Lecture Series is an endowed, public program hosted by the College of Architecture at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Each year, the series invites leading experts from architecture, interior design, landscape architecture and planning to present on topics that inspire thought-provoking discussions. The 2024-2025 Hyde Lecture Series is centered on the theme “TRAJECTORIES,” focusing on the varied and complex career paths within and adjacent to the design and planning fields. These lectures provide a unique opportunity for students, professionals and the public to engage with top industry leaders and explore diverse career possibilities in the design disciplines.
