Announcing New Episodes:
The Current

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CoDesign Collaborative Announces A Second Series Of “The Current”: Student-Led Lightning Talks Exploring the Future of Strategic Design

March 18, 2026 — CoDesign Collaborative is proud to announce the Spring 2026 season of The Current. This virtual, student-led lightning talk series serves as a platform for emerging voices to explore vital, high-impact topics shaping the design industry today and is led by Jennifer Rittner, Assistant Professor of Strategic Design and Management and Assistant Dean of Curriculum + Learning for Parsons School of Design at Parsons School of Design.

Launching in April 2026, this season’s programming is curated by a select group of students from the Strategic Design and Management (SDM) program at Parsons School of Design. Under the guidance of Faculty Advisor Jennifer Rittner, these student curators will lead critical inquiries into the evolving role of design in society, focusing on the overarching themes of “Changing Landscapes” and “Shifting Values.”

“The Current provides an essential bridge between the classroom and the professional world,” says Liana Mestas, Interim Executive Director of CoDesign Collaborative. “By empowering students to develop and lead these conversations, we are not just discussing the future of design—we are watching the next generation of leaders define it.”

The Spring 2026 student cohort includes:

  • Estef Chavez Ruiz, MS Strategic Design and Management (1st year)
  • Bella Corbin, BBA Strategic Design and Management (Senior)
  • Pallavi Dixit, MS Strategic Design and Management (2nd year)
  • Enika Gautam, BBA Strategic Design and Management (Junior)
  • Kanushi Rathore, MS Strategic Design and Management (2nd year)
  • Jarmila Skare, BBA Strategic Design and Management (Senior)

New episodes will explore the evolving responsibilities of designers and leaders through a sophisticated lens of systemic change and ethical stewardship. This season’s topics examine how avoiding jargon can restore clarity to leadership and how museums can be reimagined as social infrastructures of care to prioritize emotional well-being and belonging. The programming investigates the critical responsibility of design within technology, the strategic shift required to scale innovation for global development impact, and the profound ways a client roster shapes an agency’s internal ethos and social identity.

Once again, The Current will convene forward-thinking student practitioners and civic-minded professionals dedicated to designing systems with equity, accountability, and effectiveness at their core. Each 30-minute episode features a student-led and moderated discussion on a topic with a guest speaker, followed by a live Q&A with the audience. In a unique collaboration to extend the impact of these dialogues, each conversation will be recorded and published on the CoDesign Collaborative website. To provide deeper context and reflection, every lightning talk will be accompanied by an original editorial piece authored by the respective student curator, to be published in the weeks following the live event.

Promotional support for The Current is provided by Media Partner Print Magazine. CoDesign Collaborative is actively seeking sponsor support for the program, which provides a stipend to the student as compensation for their time and contribution to the organization’s programming.

For more information on upcoming sessions and to view past talks, visit codesigncollaborative.org.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Learn More

CoDesign Collaborative
Liana Mestas (she/her/hers)
Interim Executive Director
liana@codesigncollaborative.org
(888) 287-0167 x 705