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Design Wisconsin

It's back! We are #StoutProud to announce the 5th Annual Design Wisconsin going to be held at Oshkosh Corporation!
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Join Us for Design Wisconsin 2026!
"Innovation by Design"

May 29-30, 2026
Oshkosh Corporation
1917 Four Wheel Drive
Oshkosh, WI, 54902

A doodle of a clip board and pen

Register for the 5th Annual Design Wisconsin

Join us at Oshkosh Corporation for a showcase of Wisconsin and Minnesota-based industrial and fashion design leaders.
Registration Open!

Celebrate Wisconsin's Legacy of Industrial Design and Fashion Design Innovation & the Impact of Stout Alumni Designers

UW-Stout's School of Art & Design presents the 5th Annual Design Wisconsin event showcasing the impacts of industrial design and fashion design on Wisconsin's culture, commerce, community, and brand—past, present, and future!

It is a little-known secret that Wisconsin is a hub for product innovation, and it's our mission to showcase and celebrate prominent Wisconsin-based industrial design and fashion design teams and their work. We hope this format will inspire participants and strengthen connections within these industry communities, as well as cultivate new ones!

The event includes an open house of major Wisconsin and Minnesota Design/Manufacturer groups, which in the past have included TREK, Milwaukee Tool, Kohler, Mercury Marine, Polaris, Fiskars, Oshkosh, and many more.

This is a FREE event on May 29-30, 2026 at Oshkosh Corporation in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

2026 Design Wisconsin Event Schedule

Friday, May 29
Oshkosh Corporation

  • Noon - 6:00 p.m. | Vendor Set-Up
  • 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. | Kick-Off Party for Vendors, Design Professionals & Recent Graduates
    • RSVP Required: RSVP through Design Wisconsin registration
    • Location: Back Patio of Oshkosh Corporation (light food and drinks will be provided)

Saturday, May 30
Oshkosh Corporation

  • 8:30 a.m. | Breakfast, Design & Product Showcase, and Networking
  • 9:00 a.m. | Welcome & Opening Remarks
  • 9:15 a.m. | Keynote I
    • Chad Smith, Senior Director, Engineering, Oshkosh Corporation
    • Mark Charniak, Director, Engineering, Oshkosh Corporation
    • Jesse Gander, Industrial Design Tech Fellow, Oshkosh Corporation
  • 10:00 a.m. - Noon | Vendor/Networking/Truck Experience/VR
  • Noon | Lunch
  • 1:00 p.m. | Keynote II: "Beyond Better: If It's Not Beautiful, Don't Do It"
    • Charles Austen Angell, CEO, Modern Edge; CEO, EPIRA.AI
  • 1:45 p.m. | Student Merit Award Presentations
  • 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. | Ice Cream Truck/ Workshops/Breakout Sessions (30 minutes each)
  • 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. | Student Portfolio Reviews
  • 4:45 p.m. | Closing Remarks

2026 Design Wisconsin Featured Speakers

Austen Angell Profile Photo

Austen Angell
CEO, Modern Edge
CEO, EPIRA.AI

Charles Austen Angell, FIDSA, is Founder and CEO of Modern Edge Inc., a design and development firm at the leading edge of health technology and user research, and CEO of Epira.AI, harnessing artificial intelligence to modernize how governments and citizens interact. Named one of the 50 most influential industrial designers of the past 50 years, Austen served as Chair of the Industrial Designers Society of America and was inducted as a Fellow, and previously led design research and digital health initiatives at Intel Corporation. He has collaborated with NASA, the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and major technology and medical device companies, and has served as a keynote speaker at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the Smart Cities America Conference, and other forums throughout the world.

Mark Charniak Profile Photo

Mark Charniak
Director, Engineering
Oshkosh Corporation

Mark Charniak is a Director of Engineering at Oshkosh Corporation, leading efforts that bring early-stage innovation to life through cross-functional collaboration. He’ll highlight how internal programs empower teams to move fast, explore possibilities, and shape ideas that have real impact.

Jesse Gander Profile Photo

Jesse Gander
Industrial Design Tech Fellow
Oshkosh Corporation

Jesse Gander is an Industrial Design Tech Fellow at Oshkosh Corporation, specializing in user experience across high-performance, mission-driven vehicles. His work focuses on how industrial design can create intuitive, human-centered systems that serve both professional operators and the public.

Jason Sadler Profile Photo

Jason Sadler ('94)
Visual Development Artist

Jason Sadler is a Visual Development Artist with more than 30 years of experience in the animation industry. He has designed characters, environments and style guides for animated features. His clients include Apple, Netflix, Disney, Blue Sky Studios and Locksmith Animation. Jason studied Industrial Design at the University of Wisconsin-Stout and Animation at Sheridan College in Ontario. His work has been exhibited in New York and Paris and he has been nominated for Annie and Visual Effects Society Awards.

Chad Smith Profile Photo

Chad Smith
Senior Director, Engineering
Oshkosh Corporation

Chad Smith is a Senior Director of Engineering at Oshkosh Corporation, leading advanced technology development across autonomy, active safety, electrification, and innovation. He helps drive the company's future-focused strategy by combining deep engineering expertise with emerging technology leadership. Chad will highlight how Oshkosh continues to build trusted, high-performance vehicles while evolving to meet the demands of tomorrow.

Rob Wurm Profile Photo

Rob Wurm
Senior Industrial Designer
KI Furniture

Rob Wurm is a Senior Industrial Designer with KI. An industrial designer since 2006, Wurm has worked on design projects for Fortune 100 companies developing new products and design strategies for 1 to 10 years out. In addition to spending the past decade designing commercial contract furniture for KI Furniture in Green Bay, he has worked the Oshkosh Truck team and designed power yachts for Cruisers Yachts and Palmer Johnson yachts; consumer packaged goods (CPGs) for Michelin, Hershey, and Kimberly Clark; and bathroom fixtures/generators at Kohler. He has also lead user research study groups, as well as marketing ethnographic study groups. 

Supporting Organizations

The real stars of the show will be the Wisconsin-based Industrial Design teams in attendance to display their works and talk shop! Design Wisconsin is current confirming participating organizations. Don't get left out of the show. Join the list of brands who have supported and exhibited at Design Wisconsin over the years, and contact us to be a featured vendor at this year's event!

  • Ashley Furniture Industries
  • Brooks Stevens
  • Colony Brands
  • Delve
  • DSG Outerwear
  • Emerson
  • Fiskars
  • Generac
  • Gulf Stream
  • Harley Davidson
  • Integrated Design Solutions
  • Jolly Good
  • KI
  • Kohler
  • Loft Design
  • Mercury Marine
  • Milwaukee Tool
  • Oshkosh Corporation
  • P-Soup
  • Polaris Industries
  • Presto
  • Sherwin-Williams
  • Spectrum Industries
  • Trek
  • Vitatek

Student Portfolio Reviews
Student attendees are encouraged to share their professional portfolio with industry professionals as part of Design Wisconsin to get constructive feedback on what’s working well and what could be improved to strengthen your portfolio. These one-on-one portfolio reviews will last roughly 20 minutes.

Exhibitor Booth Information

  • 8' x 10' Exhibitor Booth: $200
  • 8' x 20' Exhibitor Booth: $350
    For more information, reach out to Scott Revoir from UW-Stout at revoirs@uwstout.edu.

To register as an exhibitor, follow this link. 

Are you interested in sponsoring this event? Click here to learn more!

 

Additional Information for Attendees

Travel & Transportation
Air Travel

Oshkosh Corporation is located in Eastern Wisconsin. The nearest airport is Appleton International Airport (ATW), located about 20 miles north.

Transportation 

Oshkosh Corporation Global Headquarters can be found at:
1917 Four Wheel Dr, Oshkosh, WI 54902

 
 

 
Hotel Accommodations

Design Wisconsin Room Block Information

 

Past Design Wisconsin Events

4TH ANNUAL DESIGN WISCONSIN @ UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT

Featured Speakers

Noah Anderson Speaker Photo

Noah Anderson ('13)
Senior Footwear Designer
Red Wing Shoe Company

Noah Anderson is a Senior Footwear Designer working across the full portfolio of brands owned by Red Wing Shoe Company. An alumnus of UW-Stout’s Industrial Design program, Noah has spent more than 10 years in the footwear industry with Red Wing, expanding his role to include a focus on trend and color research, material development, and design for multiple consumers in the Workwear, Lifestyle, and Accessories space. Noah enjoys the creative challenge of stewarding the legacy of a brand rich with history while seeking to inspire a continuously innovative approach.

Sherry Elkholm Speaker Portrait

Sherry Eckholm (’95)
Director of Strategy
Loft Design

Sherry Eckholm is the Director of Strategy at Loft Design, bringing over 30 years of experience in user-centered research, product strategy, and innovation leadership. She has assisted Fortune 500 companies and disruptive startups in delivering market-defining products, services, and ecosystems across various sectors, including life sciences, medical instrumentation, pet care, wellness, consumer electronics, and premium appliances. Respected for her cross-functional expertise and forward-thinking approach, Sherry translates complex business systems, technical requirements, and institutional knowledge into compelling product strategies while unlocking new value propositions through design.

Jacquelyn Koyen Speaker Portrait

Jacquelyn Koyen ('12)
Senior CMF Designer
Spectrum Brands

Jacque Koyen is a Senior Color, Material, and Finish (CMF) Designer at Spectrum Brands, specializing in haircare, breakfast, and food prep categories for Remington, Black + Decker, PowerXL, George Foreman, and Russell Hobbs. With over 10 years of experience in CMF and industrial design, she translates macro trends and consumer insights into innovative, marketable product designs. Jacque collaborates closely with cross-functional teams and vendors to ensure seamless execution, bringing products to life through thoughtful color, material, and finish selections. With a background in industrial design and a passion for storytelling through aesthetics, Jacque excels at balancing brand identity with forward-thinking design solutions.

Angelena Kraemer Speaker Photo

Angelena Kraemer ('11)
Director of Design and Merchandising
Ashley Furniture Industries

Angel Kraemer is the Director of Design for Domestic Casegoods at Ashley Furniture, leading a team that develops innovative, trend-forward bedroom and entertainment furniture. Starting as the department’s first intern in 2006, she grew through the company, gaining global experience in China and Southeast Asia. Angel has led some of Ashley’s most successful product launches, including the ground-breaking Urbanology collection and the highest-selling bedroom group in company history. Her work has earned her Ashley’s Silver Award and the prestigious STEP Ahead Emerging Leader Award. Angel also contributes to marketing, vendor training, and industry education, including serving on the University of Wisconsin Stout’s Program Advisory Committee.

Michael Leighton Speaker Portrait

Michael Leighton ('02)
Director of Industrial Design, CMF & Sculpting
Polaris Industries

After graduating from University of Wisconsin-Stout in 2002 with a degree in Industrial Design and a minor in Business Management, Michael has focused his career on developing brand-centric product experiences, holding both business and design leadership roles at organizations ranging from the music and bicycle industries to material science and innovation Fortune 500 companies. Michael is currently the Director of Industrial Design and Colors, Materials, Finishes and Graphics at Polaris Industries in Medina, Minnesota.

Gregor Mittersinker Speaker Portrait

Gregor Mittersinker
Founder & Creative Director
Loft Design

Gregor Mittersinker is the Founder and Creative Director of Loft Design, with over 30 years of experience leading design and innovation efforts across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. He fuses user experience, engineering, and data science to create comprehensive product ecosystems, successfully launching over 500 products worldwide. Gregor’s work spans regulated industries and consumer markets and has earned over 100 patents and accolades from Fast Company, IDEA, Red Dot Design, Core77, and Good Design. A champion of design that bridges insight and execution, Gregor helps brands transform complex challenges into scalable innovation.

Kiki Redhead Speaker Portrait

Kiki Redhead ('02), CMG 
Global CMF & Trend Manager
Sherwin-Williams

Kiki Redhead leads all CMF & Trend initiatives for Sherwin-Williams Industrial & Performance Coatings, including the DesignHouse in Minneapolis, MN. She collaborates with OEM Industrial, Product Design, and Architectural customers on coatings development and trends including ideation of aesthetics, performance, and sustainable solutions for manufacturing. In addition to her 20+ years of visionary CMF expertise, which includes owning global color and trend agency Colour Couture from 2008-2018, Kiki is known as an International powerhouse desired for her tri-level trend forecasting methodology, implementation, and distillation of mega, macro, and micro trends.

Brynn Wildenauer Speaker Portrait

Brynn Wildenauer ('18)
Senior Architectural Color Designer
Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings

Brynn Wildenauer is a Senior Architectural Color Designer for Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings. Specializing in color, material and finish development for architectural building products. Brynn brings a discerning eye and a solution-driven approach to every project. Her passion for innovation and dedication to the dynamic world of color and design drive her work. Brynn works collaboratively with cross-functional teams to ensure smooth execution, transforming products through intentional development.

3rd Annual Design Wisconsin @ Milwaukee Tool

Featured Speakers

Tim Albrecht Speaker Portrait

Tim Albrecht
Group President - Hand Tools, Storage, PPE & Channel Marketing
Milwaukee® Tool 

Tim began his career at Milwaukee@ in 2007, when he accepted a Western Regional Sales position for the newly acquired Stiletto Tools business based in Winton, California. Later that year, Tim moved to Wisconsin to begin his first marketing role, where he managed Channel, Brand, and Product Marketing for Stiletto Tools. As the country moved into a recessionary period in 2008, the market for premium titanium hammers became extremely challenging. It was at that time that Tim further researched hand tools and involved a small project team to rally around disrupting a stagnant market and delivering solutions to our core users. This project led to launching the first eight (8) Milwaukee@ branded hand tools in 2010. Over the years, this small start-up category within Milwaukee@ has become larger and more complex. It now includes Hand Tools, Storage, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), with thousands of innovative products. Hundreds of dedicated employees support this business unit globally, including manufacturing sites in the USA, PRC, and Vietnam.  

Wendy Gavinski Speaker Portrait

Wendy Gavinski
Founder & CEO
DSG Outerwear

Wendy Gavinski is the visionary founder and CEO of DSG Outerwear, a company she launched in 2010 out of a personal need for women-specific outerwear in snowmobiling and skiing. Her frustration with the limited and non-feminine options available led to the creation of DSG Outerwear, which quickly resonated with the female audience upon its debut. Wendy's entrepreneurial spirit drove the company's expansion into a comprehensive outerwear line by 2011, featuring unique designs with feminine fits and quality materials. Under her leadership, DSG secured significant distribution deals, including with Yamaha Motor Corp. and Western Power Sports. The brand diversified into hunting apparel, influenced by the successful advocacy for the Blaze Pink Bill, and later ventured into fishing and heated apparel lines. Wendy's commitment to functional, fashionable, and inclusive women's outerwear has solidified DSG Outerwear's position in the market, making it a pioneering force in women's outdoor apparel.  

2nd Annual Design Wisconsin @ Trek USA

Featured Speakers

 

Hans Eckholm ('94)
Global Design Director
Trek

Hans Eckholm is the Global Design Director for Trek Bicycles. After graduating in 1994 from University of Wisconsin-Stout with a BFA in Industrial Design, Hans went on to work as a designer in various industries including: medical, consulting, consumer electronics, mobile devices, teaching at North Carolina State University, and eventually returned to his Wisconsin roots 19 years ago, landing at Trek. His time at Trek allowed him to design many different products from high performance racing bikes used at the Tour de France and on mountain bike trails to a trailer for a kid’s tricycle and several adaptive bikes for riders with unique needs. He now leads an awesome team spanning 4 brands and all the disciplines of design. In his personal life, he enjoys time with his wife, another design grad from Stout, Sherry (Popowski) Eckholm, and his 2 children.

 

Joel Nilsestuen
Assistant Deputy Secretary
Wisconsin Department of Transportation

Joel Nilsestuen serves as the Assistant Deputy Secretary at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT). In this role, he leads government relations, communication, and stakeholder engagement for the department. WisDOT is one of the largest state agencies, wi​th more than 3,200 employees and a biennial budget of more than $6 billion. The department supports all modes of transportation, including state highways, local roads, railroads, public transit systems, airports, and harbors. In addition, the department includes the Division of Motor Vehicles, which serves approximately 50,000 customers each week, and the Division of State Patrol that enforces laws and assists motorist throughout the state. Before joining WisDOT, Joel led government relations and co​mmunity outreach for the University Wisconsin-Whitewater. He previously served as the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Workforce Development Association and worked in the legislature as a legislative and policy director. Joel graduated from St. Olaf College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. He and his wife live in Madison and have two young children.

1st Annual Design Wisconsin @ Delve

Design Wisconsin

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