Karen Blincoe

Director of Schumacher College

Karen became the Director of the Schumacher College in September 2006. As Director she is primarily engaged with leading and supporting the staff team and attending to her role as part of the management team of the Dartington Hall Trust. Since September Karen has been working on building a solid college platform including developing a new team of staff as well as new infrastructure, so that the campus will be able to function at all times. She is developing future plans for the college including new initiatives and educational programmes in collaboration with the college staff. This involves fostering new partnerships, researching different target groups as well as developing fundraising opportunities. Karen is also actively involved in college community activities including leading meditation, assemblies and discussion groups.

Karen is also the Founder of ICIS, The International Centre for Creativity, Innovation and Sustainability, established in Denmark in 2001, which focussed on Continuing Professional Development for designers and architects in sustainability and innovation. Karen was educated in the UK in graphic design, established KB Design, a graphic design consultancy, in London in 1984 and set up O2 UK (environmental design) as part of an international network in 1989. She moved to Denmark in 1992 to become Head of Institute of Visual Communication at Denmark’s Design School, Copenhagen.

Karen served on the Icograda Board as Vicepresident and Treasurer from 2001 to 2005. She is a visiting Professor at the Faculty of Design and Architecture at the University in Brighton, External Examiner at The Faculty of Design (Eco-design) at the Goldsmith University, London and a member of a Post Graduate Research Team at Goldsmith University. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers, London, a Member of the Association of Danish Designers, Copenhagen and a Fellow of the RSA, UK.

For her work as a graphic designer, Karen has won a number of awards and was in 2002 presented with the Danish Design Vision Award for her work with ICIS. She lectures around the world on subjects relating to design education, sustainability, and visual communication, creates master classes and workshops on sustainability and leadership issues. She developed a Masters Programme in Sustainable Design (MADS) as a joint venture between ICIS and the University of Lund, Sweden in 2005/6 and is currently the director of DEEDS, an EU research project related to developing educational modules in sustainable design for mainstream design education as well as for the design profession.

Privately, Karen is married, has 2 children, 2 grandchildren and has for many years been interested in emotional and spiritual intelligence, conflict solving and personal development issues.

Email: karen.blincoe@schumachercollege.org.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1803 860058

Schumacher College is part of the Dartington Hall Trust, a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and as a charity (company no. 1485560, charity no. 279756). Registered office: The Elmhirst Centre, Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon TQ9 6EL, UK.