Collaborative Design / Design Systems

Skye Moret is a data-driven designer and marine scientist. Her diverse background on the ocean—having sailed 100,000 miles around the globe—fuels her belief in the power of art and design to critically engage citizens with the ecological complexities and dependencies of our planet. Skye’s work uses data-driven design and visual storytelling to investigate the relationship between nature and technology-mediated human expectations and experiences, specifically in the contexts of political ecology and climate justice. Skye has consulted for clients ranging from the United Nations Environment Programme and Planet Tracker to The Nature Conservancy and Nike, and was previously the Design Director at data visualization studio Periscopic and Senior Researcher on TBA21–Academy’s Ocean Archive project. She has authored multidisciplinary publications in Science, Slate, Migrant Journal, Compound Butter, Popular Science, Roads & Kingdoms, and Public Radio International, among others. Her installations have been exhibited at Science Gallery Dublin, the European Parliament in Brussels, the shores of Bali, and at Palmer Station, Antarctica. Skye holds an MFA in Information Design and Visualization from Northeastern University and a BS in Biology from Oregon State University.

PhD 1992 Harvard University (Organismic & Evolutionary Biology)
BA 1981 Colorado College (Biology)

Peter Schoonmaker is Founding Chair of the MFA in Collaborative Design at PNCA, the first program in the United States to apply collaborative design thinking to real-world wicked problems. He comes to PNCA with a background in non-profit entrepreneurship, working with conservation organizations, community groups, government agencies, and natural resource businesses to design mutually beneficial forest, fisheries and watershed partnerships in the Pacific Northwest.

Peter is founding president of Illahee, a non-profit organization that provides a forum for environmental innovators to exchange ideas and increase the rigor of public discourse around environmental, social, and economic systems. He was also board president of Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center, facilitating a process that permanently protected 35,000 acres of ancient forest.

Peter has held positions at University of Massachusetts, Oregon State University, Willamette University, Portland State University and Linfield College.