Announcing Chief Design Officer School
This is a re-post. See the original post here.
Expanding our commitment to leaders on the management path
Today, I’m excited to announce that our renowned Second Wave Dive courses have been completely revamped for 2023 and will be delivered under a new brand, Chief Design Officer School. This has been in the works for over a year and I’m so excited to finally share this news with you.
Over three years ago, I started Second Wave Dive to invest in the next generation of design leaders. Our intensive learning programs have helped leaders like you get alignment, better decisions, and increase value–all without losing their soul. As a result, it’s not just products and pixels that they are pushing, but better policies, business decisions, and well-being.
As of today, our courses have been delivered to 600+ leaders from 32 countries. We’re so proud to have alumni like:
Brandy Porter, Head of Design, WW
Lucas Coehlo, Chief Experience Officer, Roam
Carolina Tod, Co-founder, Productos para Humanos
Ally Margain, Design Manager, Uber
Steph Lawrence, Sr. Product Designer, dbt Labs
Owen Hodda, Design Lead, ANZ Bank
Raquel Breternitz, Staff Designer, Shopify
Ariba Jahan, VP, Experience Strategy & Innovation, Ad Council
Antonia Horvath, Delivery Lead & Design Manager, VMWare Tanzu Labs
Scot Przybylski, Senior Manager, Product Design, Dish Network
Maureen Macharia, Founder, Spindle Design
We've noticed that as graduates grow their impact, we’ve recognized that our desire to expand this work has grown as well. Chief Design Officer School gives us the opportunity to expand our commitment to designers and operators on the management path.
Applications for our January 2023 cohort are now open.
Fill out the application form
Schedule a brief call
Confirm your seat
With this announcement, what happens to Second Wave Dive?
Inviting you to join Second Wave Dive as a member
I believe in community. I believe in communal learning. Doing both effectively is no easy task. I’ve always known that community would be at the heart of our courses, but to be in community with peers who don’t share that experience meant we needed to approach it with care and curiosity.
We’ve seen a massive increase in the number of communities that have been established since March 2020. I imagine you’ve joined many of these communities to feel more connection, more support, and to learn. I have too. In reflecting how SWD might be different, I’ve pondered some things:
How can we support a group of people while ensuring individuals don’t feel alone?
How can we invite a sense of belonging without actively stealing your attention with a constant need to be involved?
How can we learn without lurking?
How can we share and make available valuable resources without them getting lost in threads?
I’ve been testing what a different type of community might feel like. I’ve been experimenting with those who have committed to learn with us through coursework. And I’ve been open with them that these experiments might be a little messy and have continuously asked for their feedback.
In the end, it’s the people who have chosen to learn with use who have created the thriving and active community we have today. After 3+ years of refining our approach, you can become a member of Second Wave Dive today.
A huge sense of appreciation
Simply said, none of this would have been possible without others.
Jaida Regan has been with us for over two years. Her commitment to community, inclusive practices, and keeping things on track have enabled us to grow in healthy, sustainable ways.
The updated design work for both CDO School and SWD have been spearheaded by the immensely talented Carolina Tod.
A year ago, our content needed a kick in the ass. We got it by partnering with the dynamic duo of Alyse Topel and Daniel Agee.
What a gift to the world these people are. I’m so proud to call them collaborators.
There’s also quiet group of people who have supported us behind the scenes over the years as well. Lucas Coehlo, Ariba Jahan, Brandy Porter, Jason Mesut, Amy Sheppard, Tim Yeo, Greg Storey, Lisa deBettencourt, Maria Pereda, Sarah Mills, Chris Wilksberger, Samantha Soma, Andy Morales, Nguyet Vuong, and so many, many more.
I can not understate my appreciation for all of these people. They have supported me and so many others through their thoughtful humor, knowledge, and feedback. I am forever grateful.
We’re still at the beginning
Looking forward, we've just begun to scratch the surface. Making our materials more accessible and collaborative is a huge opportunity. Our core beliefs of “developing the leadership abilities of the many, deliberately practicing hard-to-learn skills in safe spaces and nurturing confidence via continuous, small, and well-focused changes” are still the core of what we do. We can live up to these beliefs more effectively with these announcements.
We can’t wait to learn with you!
