College for Creative Studies Announces Keynote Speakers,

Detroit, Michigan, Oct. 11, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The College for Creative Studies (CCS) is excited to host the international Cumulus Conference 2022 – Design for Adaptation  in collaboration with the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD), in Detroit, MI from November 2-4, 2022. This is only the second time in its 30-year history that the Cumulus Conference will take place in North America, a testament to the expanding global reputation of both CCS and Detroit as leaders in changemaking.

This year’s keynote speakers include Mikko Ollikainen, head of the Adaptation Fund, which finances projects and programs that help vulnerable communities in developing countries adapt to the effects of climate change. Ollikainen’s talk will focus on the profound effects of climate change in these communities and share strategies for a more resilient and adaptive future. Neil Hawkins, president of Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, will engage Ollikainen in a dialogue following his keynote.  

“Climate Change is deeply intertwined with global patterns of inequity, and adaptation plays a key role in reducing exposure and vulnerability,” said Maria Luisa Rossi, CCS Chair of Systems Design Thinking and Design for Adaptation conference chair.  “It is time to involve systems thinking, and behavioral change in climate resilient development urgently and at scale. This conference will help guide our design approach and thinking on how to accelerate adaptation over the next decade.”

Anika Goss, CEO of Detroit Future City, will focus on the local and hyper-local environmental impacts of climate change and the opportunities for Detroit to develop climate resilient neighborhoods. Goss is the Chief Executive Officer of Detroit Future City (DFC), a think-and-do tank focused on land use and sustainability, community and economic development, and economic equity in Detroit. Goss is a leading force and visionary in Detroit’s…