Dr. Allison Druin is currently the Associate Provost for Research & Strategic Partnerships at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, renowned for its leadership in art, architecture, design, and information studies. Prior to her work at Pratt, Dr. Druin was a Professor, Lab Director, Associate Dean, and Chief Futurist at the University of Maryland for more than 20 years. Allison earned a BFA (1985) in Graphic Design from Rhode Island School of Design, an MS (1987) in Media Arts and Sciences from the MIT Media Lab, and a Ph.D. (1997) from the University of New Mexico College of Education.
With a lifelong passion for bringing people together to promote discussion, research, and change, Dr. Druin established co-founded The Future of Information Alliance, co-chaired the CHI 2016 conference, the largest CHI gathering to date with almost 4,000 attendees, and was named in 2018, ACM SIGCHI Chair for Inclusion. She has received numerous awards and recognitions for her research: named ACM Fellow in 2017, inducted into the CHI Academy in 2016, named ACM Distinguished Scientist in 2014, and received the SIGCHI Social Impact Award in 2010.
“There is nothing more important than supporting the crafts community to sustain and thrive, especially during times of crisis. As the daughter of a long-time enamelist, I have seen first-hand how critical CERF+ is. Decades ago, my father, Melvin Druin, was a CERF+ leader on the Board of Directors, and I am honored now to carry on his love of CERF+ by serving on today’s board.”