Civilla
Adam Selzer is a design innovator and leader with extensive experience in both academia and industry. As the Co-founder and Senior Director at Civilla since September 2015, Adam has focused on human-centered design approaches to drive impactful social change. Adam served as a Design Fellow and Lecturer at the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford from August 2013 to September 2024, where instruction in design innovation and creative leadership was provided to graduate students and global executives. Previous roles include Design Director at United Way for Southeastern Michigan, leading a creative studio for social challenges, and Lead Design Consultant at The Design Collective, guiding teams in ethnographic research. Adam's early career included positions at Stanford's d.school, Hyatt Regency Hotels, IDEO, and an internship at Ashoka. Educational achievements include a Master of Arts from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Science from Vanderbilt University.
Civilla
Civilla is a non-profit design studio dedicated to changing the way our public-serving institutions work. We believe that the best and fastest way to scale change in society is through our public-serving institutions. Our process is deeply rooted in human-centered design, an approach to service delivery that focuses on creating enduring solutions that fit peoples’ lives. By putting humans first, we help our partners deliver significant change and lasting impact in the institutions they lead. We’re researchers, designers, and strategists working shoulder-to-shoulder to foster change at scale. We wake up every day with the goal of positively impacting one billion people through institutions that are more compassionate, more effective, and less expensive to operate. Our work was recognized by Harvard Kennedy School as one of the Top Innovations in American Government. We were listed as one of the Top 25 Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers by GovTech Magazine. We received a global Core77 Design Award for Service Design and were honored by the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) as one of the Top Organizations Moving Society Forward.