We are excited to announce that Chris Grams has joined New Kind as President and Partner. Chris has over 15 years of experience in the communications field, including 10 years at Red Hat, the world’s leading open source software company. The open source way—including themes like openness, collaboration, transparency, community, and meritocracy—are key influences in his work, a perfect fit with New Kind.

At Red Hat, Chris played a key role in building the brand and culture, most recently in the role of Senior Director, Brand Communications + Design. During his time there, the company grew from about 150 employees in one office in North Carolina to an S&P 500 business with almost 4,000 employees and over 55 offices around the world.

Look for Chris to blog on brand, community, and culture, here at New Kind and on Dark Matter Matters.

New Kind Parter and Chief Design Officer, Matthew Muñoz, has been selected as one of 30 participants in this year’s U.S. National Design Policy Summit on December 1 in Washington, DC. At the Summit, Matt will be collaborating with leaders from professional design, design education, and government organizations to develop and set strategic priorities for the U.S. National Design Policy Initiative.

The U.S. National Design Policy Initiative represents the governmental plan of action to support design as a means of increasing U.S. economic competitiveness and improving democratic governance. The philosophy that design is imperative in the process of governmental innovation isn’t a new one. President Jimmy Carter wrote in 1978, “Good design can help us meet our commitment to improve the efficiency of government…and reaffirm our concern for the human side of government.” And how do we ensure good design? Design policy. The National Design Policy Initiative seeks to make this happen.

Muñoz and his fellow 2009 Summit participants are tasked with: 1) developing the strategic priorities for the U.S. National Design Policy Initiative; 2) finalizing the membership of an American Design Council; 3) gaining a sense of the priorities for design from the U.S. Department of Commerce; 4) engaging the wider design community in national design policy; and 5) developing a set of case studies that demonstrate the value of design.

Muñoz participated in the 2008 Summit as a researcher and facilitator.

If you’re interested in following along, the Summit will be broadcasted live via UStream.tv. You can also keep abreast on Youtube, Facebook and Twitter.

Congratulations to our friend and Change Papers partner, Leslie Boney, on his appointment to the first ever North Carolina Innovation Council. Governor Beverly Purdue announced the establishment of the Council yesterday, which will take on the task of fostering strategic investments and forming policies to stimulate the growing knowledge and innovation economy.

We wholeheartedly agree with the Governor, who said in her announcement, “To continue growing jobs in North Carolina we must make sure this state is poised to compete globally in the 21st century. Innovation is North Carolina’s launch pad to success in the global economy, and it’s a primary way for us to maintain and sharpen our competitive edge.”

Look back to the Wright Brothers, the formation of the first ever State University and the men and women who assembled the Research Triangle Park, and it’s clear that North Carolina has a long and rich history of innovation. Our task for the 21st century is to build on this strength, grow our economy, and keep North Carolina competitive.

Leslie, our hats are off to you.

Georgia Institute of Technology recently launched the Center for Innovation in Local Government, a research center focused on improving the methods and processes of governing and better meeting the needs of citizens. New Kind is proud to collaborate with the Center through Art Seavey, contributing as a Research Associate.

Through the perspective of community governance, communications technology, and the public policy environment, the Center will explore effective ways for local governments to communicate and engage with citizens, revitalize community and develop innovative and effective ways to provide municipal services. CILG pursues the vision of effective governance that encourages a sense of cooperation, trust and understanding among citizens, administrators and elected officials.

Recent work includes studies on virtual community collaboration, municipal Wi-Fi, and the implications of outsourcing municipal services. The Center for Innovation in Local Government is led by James D. White, Ph.D. and Paul M.A. Baker, Ph.D.

Twenty-five years ago, Governor Jim Hunt initiated the annual Emerging Issues Forum focusing on the topic of innovation. This February, the Forum will come full circle as his think-and-do tank, the Institute for Emerging Issues (IEI), prepares for the 25th Annual Forum: Creativity, Inc.

As the IEI began to dive into the topics of innovation and creativity, they quickly found a collaborative partner right in their own backyard. The IEI called on New Kind to bring expertise in collaboration, innovation and design throughout the IEI’s public policy process and especially during the Forum itself.

As always, the Forum will be full of thought-provoking discussions, including presentations from Daniel Pink, best-selling author and expert on innovation and competition, and Bill Strickland, President and CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corporation.

However, in keeping with the spirit of innovation, this year the Forum experience will extend beyond the two days at the Raleigh Convention Center. New Kind and the IEI have developed an online community to promote a statewide exchange of ideas, and are working to establish a Forum alumni network so the conversations begun in Raleigh can continue long after.

New Kind is honored and invigorated by its partnership with the Institute. Together, we will take our discussions and research into action, finding ways to nurture creativity in North Carolina.

New Kind partner Matthew Muñoz participated in the AIGA tradition of 20/20 at this year’s Make/Think Design Conference in Memphis. The 20/20 program, curated and moderated by AIGA President Debbie Millman, challenged 20 AIGA chapter leaders from around the country to address the theme of making and thinking as it relates to his or her own local chapter and design experience – each in just 60 seconds. (more…)

We hate to brag, but…

New Kind partner David Burney was recently recognized as a 2009 Fellow by AIGA, the professional association for design. The celebration took place at the Design Legends Gala held last month at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. Burney is only the second designer from the local Raleigh chapter to have been given this award (Meredith Davis, from the NC State University College of Design was appointed as a Fellow in 2002).

Through the Fellow award, AIGA Raleigh lauds Burney on a national level for the creative brilliance that he has brought forth during the past 30 years of his career. The Fellow award program is a means of recognizing designers who have made a significant contribution to raising the standards of excellence in practice and conduct within their local or regional design community as well as in their local AIGA chapter. Education, writing, leadership and reputation, as well as the practice of design are given equal consideration in measuring each designer’s contribution.

David sits among names such as design and management guru Shel Perkins, 23-year Pentagram partner Kit Hinrichs and Moira Cullen, senior director of global design at The Hershey Company. And no, we’re not surprised, but we are immensely proud.

To celebrate, the AIGA Raleigh chapter will roast the big winner on Friday, November 6, 2009 at the Burning Coal Theatre.

Image Source: AIGA Flicker Group Left to right: Matthew Muñoz (New Kind), Mick Hodgson (PhD), David Burney (New Kind)