CoDesign Collaborative

Professional Development: Dignified Futures 2026 (Chicago)
2026-03-18 - 2026-03-19
Professional Development: Dignified Futures 2026 (Chicago)
A two-day convening of health and human services leaders, social innovators, futures thinkers, and designers committed to centering dignity in complex systems.

Dignified Futures is a two-day convening of health and human services leaders, social innovators, futures thinkers, and designers committed to centering dignity in complex systems. The conference will take place March 18–19, 2026, at the Institute of Design at Illinois Tech, Chicago.
We face an escalating tension between speed, efficiency, resource constraints, and our capacity to partner meaningfully. In that tension, design often abandons dignity. Dignified Futures invites participants to intercept that downward spiral—to create updrafts of possibility that pull us forward together.
What Happens There Over two days, the conference will include:

Workshops, keynotes, and ignite talks
Open Space sessions, allowing attendees to help co-create the agenda in real time and lead emergent conversations.
Networking, surprises, and community building that empowers all to meet new people and knit new relationships.

Themes & Focus AreasThe conference spans multiple design practices (e.g. futures thinking, systems thinking, experience design and innovation, inclusivity and belonging, participatory practice) and sectors including health & human services, public health, social innovation, and equity in systems.
Why It Matters

To recenter dignity in design, reclaiming it as a fundamental point of focus rather than an afterthought.
To elevate emerging practice in designing systems that sustain health, equity, and social justice.
To forge cross-disciplinary partnerships and co-design actionable strategies rooted in lived experience.

March 18-19, 2026
Institute of Design at Illinois Tech3137 S Federal StChicago, IL 60616

Early-bird registration ends January 9, 2026.
CoDesign Collaborate Members register at a discounted rate! Email membership@codesigncollaborative.org for the promo code.

Register Now

Members and Partners register at a discounted rate; email the Membership team for the promotional code.

Conference Organizers

Amy HeymansFounder & Chief Strategy Officer, BeneficentCo-Host & Co-MC

Chris McCarthyFounder, ILN Coaching & ConsultingCo-Host & Co-MC

Workshop: Inspirational Leadership Masterclass with Teresa Brazen
2026-03-25 10:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Inspirational Leadership Masterclass
Join us for a workshop with Executive Coach Teresa Brazen, founder of Brazen Leadership Development, that will deepen your leadership capabilities and transform the way you navigate challenges and inspire change.

Images copyright © Adam Bookman Creative

Are you on the path to not just manage but to truly lead with intention and impact? Join CoDesign Collaborative and Teresa Brazen on March 25, from 10am-2pm ET, for an Inspirational Leadership Masterclass. This grounded, engaging workshop will deepen your leadership capabilities and transform the way you navigate challenges and inspire change.
In this session, we’ll explore the Inspirational Leadership Compass, a practical framework that blends neuroscience with actionable leadership strategies. This workshop is designed to help you sharpen your leadership style, boost your influence, and encourage your team to adopt innovative practices and technologies.
9:45-10am Doors Open, Registration & Light Networking10-11:30am Masterclass Begins11:30am-12pm Lunch & Networking12-2pm Masterclass Continues

Who It’s For

Creative leaders navigating change
High performers moving into more senior leadership roles
Managers who want to coach and empower their teams
Executives or founders growing strong leadership pipelines

Goals

Explore the Inspirational Leadership Compass: Learn about a distinctive framework that will elevate your leadership from every angle.
Refine Your Leadership Style: Pinpoint crucial areas in your personal leadership approach to develop using an expert-led assessment.
Enhance Influence: Learn and practice a technique to strengthen your ability to effectively influence and align with cross-functional partners and stakeholders.
Expand Your Network: Connect with fellow leaders committed to making a meaningful impact within their organizations.

You’ll Leave With

An understanding of how to leverage the Inspirational Leadership Compass for your ongoing personal and professional development.
Actionable Intelligence: Receive a personalized leadership assessment to pinpoint your leadership strengths and areas for improvement.
Practical Tools: Learn a simple, but powerful method for increasing your influence
Personalized Coaching: The opportunity to win a free, 1-hour 1:1 personal strategy call with Teresa Brazen
Valuable Connections: Form lasting relationships with peers from a variety of creative leadership roles, opening doors to future collaboration and shared growth.

About Teresa Brazen

Teresa Brazen, founder of Brazen Leadership Development, blends over 15 years of experience in human-centered design with her certifications as a Leadership & Executive Coach (CPCC, ACC, Applied Neuroscience). Her journey includes roles as a business leader, educator, and design thinking consultant for companies including NASA, Cisco, and Clorox. As the driving force behind the global expansion of Cooper Professional Education, Teresa’s impact spanned ten countries, positioning it as a leader in design and creative leadership. Today, she uses a powerful blend of coaching, neuroscience, and design thinking to enhance the leadership capabilities of leaders at Cisco, T-Mobile, Capital One, and more. Her mission? To help leaders become the inspirational forces their teams need to succeed.

Wednesday, March 25, 2026
10am-2pm ET
Post Office SquareBoston, MA

Workshop is limited to 40 participants

Register Now

Members and Partners will receive a promo code for registration. Email membership@codesigncollaborative.org with questions.

Workshop Faciliator

Teresa BrazenExecutive Coach

Great session. I’m pretty critical of these things—so many are rigid, overly step-by-step, or feel inauthentic. Others are too high-level with no practical takeaways. This one hit the sweet spot.
Blake Goodwin
Founder & President, Proportion Design

The “influence sphere” exercise was a standout—a sharp reminder to stay deliberate about where (and with whom) I invest my energy. I keep it in front of me as a daily reminder.
José dos Santos
Head of Design & User Experience, Americas, Signify US

To be honest, the Inspirational Leader Scorecard alone is worth the price of admission, but that is only the starting point.
Using the scorecard as a diagnostic tool, the class identified critical areas for improvement, so that one can focus on addressing those areas that will make the greatest impact on one’s leadership. For example, to prevent burnout, I always try to keep the team’s physical and mental well-being mind. I was surprised to learn from the Scorecard that there was more I could do to energize my team, and the class provided strategies to make that happen.
That’s just one example among many. The Masterclass was great, and I highly recommend it to any leader interested in enabling their team to achieve peak performance!
Alfred Kahn
VP of Product Design

The Inspirational Leadership Masterclass was a powerful reminder that leadership isn’t just about strategy—it’s about how you show up. I left with practical tools I could use immediately, like simple resets to bring more intention and inspiration into every meeting.
Eliza van Gerbig
Product & UX Manager, Myriad Genetics

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