Alumnus J.R. Campbell (B.S., environmental design, ‘94; M.F.A, textile arts and costume design, ‘96) is the executive director of the Design Innovation Initiative at Kent State University in Ohio. In his role, Campbell will oversee the online launch of the university’s new Design Innovation Hub on Nov. 12 at 11 a.m. (EST). 

Kent State’s DI Initiative and the DI Hub bring together students, faculty, staff, community members and leading experts from diverse disciplines who are thoughtfully addressing technology and society through design to become creative, intersectional problem solvers and fearless collaborators in the face of complex, messy problems.

Campbell taught textiles, computer-aided fashion design and color theory in San Francisco before being appointed assistant professor in the Department of Textiles and Clothing at Iowa State University, eventually becoming an associate professor there in 2004. In 2005, he moved to Scotland to become “Research Fellow” at the Centre for Advanced Textiles at the Glasgow School of Art, where he directed research for the Centre, located in the School of Design. While in Glasgow, Campbell completed a postgraduate certificate (PGCert) course in supervising postgraduate (doctoral) research degrees for professionals in art, design and communication from the Centre for Learning and Teaching in Art and Design at University of the Arts London. He has been a visiting scholar and conducted workshops at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology in China and the Auckland University of Technology’s Textile Design Laboratory in New Zealand. Campbell came to Kent State University to start his position as professor and director of The Fashion School in July 2009. He stepped away from this role in July 2018 to take on the role of executive director for the Design Innovation Initiative.

For more information about this event and the hub, visit Kent State’s Design Innovation website.