Tara O’Neil

Tara has been working in the field of innovation for more than 25 years. Currently, she is completing a PhD In Inclusive Design and Creative Technology Innovation. Her thesis endeavors to understand how future studies combined with virtual reality might help alter mental models and develop radical creativity to solve wicked problems.  The focus of her thesis is the reinvention of the rural town.

Before this work, Tara was the Chief Creative Officer at Perennial Inc, a strategic design studio in Toronto. By combining business strategy with design strategy, the customer experience was reimagined. As part of this role, Tara helped develop a new studio in Bangalore India allowing her to experience and participate in the rise of modern retail.

Tara believes that combining creativity with math and science provides new pathways to powerful ideas. This is critical as the problems we are facing today are complex and require new ways of thinking. This course is often bumpy and messy but ends with possibilities that could not otherwise have been found.

Tara also holds a Master of Design in Strategic Foresight and Innovation from OCAD University and a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Interior Design from Ryerson.