Community of Practice

Board of Directors

Designer Members

Recognition and Certification Committee

Jason "TOGA" Trew

I came to design via Stanford d.school and IDEO, which I now understand to be akin to learning poetry through fill-in-blanks Mad Libs. Still, their commodified ‘Design Thinking’ was inspirational and insightful enough that I continued to explore the broader, more fundamental field of ‘design thinking.’ In various positions around Air University, I’ve found design to be useful as both a set of techniques for innovation (‘bending minds’ more so than ‘bending metal’) and as a professional identity.

My specific academic background is in strategic studies (MPhil from School of Advanced Air and Space Studies) and the history of technology (PhD from Auburn University). More practically, I facilitate workshops and create educational experiences for groups across the federal government, academia, and industry using a combination of design thinking, creative problem solving, and other techniques (including LEGO Serious Play and exercises learned from JSOU). My specific certifications include performance coaching, personal fitness trainer, Ironman triathlon coaching, IDEO U’s Foundations in Design Thinking, and running with scissors. I’m currently steeped in a research project and Air War College elective on the intersection of strategy, design, and play.