The Savannah College of Art and Design is proud to announce Kate Aronowitz (B.A., graphic design, 1997), GV (Google Ventures) Lead Operations Partner, has been named Executive in Residence at the university. 

In her new role, Aronowitz will travel to all three SCAD locations — including Savannah, Ga., Atlanta, Ga., and Lacoste, France — to visit classes, review portfolios, and offer mentorship to talented SCAD students. She will provide her unique vision and expertise in collaborations with academic leaders to review portfolios and develop new curriculum design processes for the SCAD De Sole School of Business Innovation, School of Design, and School of Foundation Studies, furthering the university’s recognition as the global leader for art, design, and innovation in higher education. Aronowitz’ s presence emphasizes SCAD’s commitment to being a preeminent source of knowledge in the disciplines of graphic design, industrial design, advertising, social strategy, design management, creative business leadership, and service design, among others. 

"We are thrilled to welcome Kate Aronowitz as Executive in Residence for our Schools of Design, Business Innovation, and Foundation Studies,” said SCAD Chief Academic Officer Jason Fox. “Kate's longstanding commitment to serving her alma mater as a professional and alumni mentor is amplified by this new role. Her wealth of experience at companies like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Wealthfront, as well as her current role as GV’s Lead Operations Partner will provide invaluable insights to our talented SCAD students, faculty, and staff, furthering the SCAD mission to prepare talented students for creative professions. We are proud of Kate, and this appointment as Executive in Residence which underscores SCAD's commitment to nurturing the next generation of dreamers, makers, and industry leaders."

Aronowitz is a seasoned design executive who has built and led world-class design teams at several iconic Silicon Valley companies. She began her career at eBay, where she joined the first user experience team and became a Senior Manager of User Experience and Design. She joined LinkedIn as Director of Design and started their user research team, and at Facebook (now Meta), she was the company’s first design executive. In her current role at GV, she leverages her extensive experience to empower portfolio companies, advocating for incorporating design thinking into high-level business strategies. 

“SCAD gave me the foundation I needed many years ago to launch my design career, and ever since, the university has remained committed to doing the same for generations of designers,” said Aronowitz. “I’m thrilled to return as an Executive in Residence, eager to spend time in the classroom offering industry perspective and mentorship to students, while collaborating with faculty on the future of design education—spanning from graphic design and user experience to the evolving impact of artificial intelligence. With more opportunities than ever for design to shape the world, I believe SCAD is truly at the heart of it all!”

Aronowitz has been an influential leader at SCAD, participating in the inaugural SCAD AI Summit earlier this year, sharing her insights on the AI literacy expected from emerging designers and the exploration of AI’s impact on the design world. She served as co-chair of the Fortune Brainstorm Design conference and has been recognized as one of the most influential designers by notable publications Fast Company and Ad Age.

For more information about SCAD, please visit SCAD.edu.