Deborah Bird

Deborah knows from personal experience how making develops the adaptive skills necessary for survival in the rapidly changing world of work. As a kid in New Zealand, Deborah began making textiles, building tree houses and hacking toys for soapbox derbies. She still enjoys cooking, knitting and building today. After teaching high school business studies in Australia during the emergence of the personal computer, Deborah worked as an independent animation producer just as the digital revolution began to transform mass media. After a decade in Los Angeles film production, Deborah earned a Masters of Architecture at a time when rapid prototyping was redefining design and fabrication methodologies.

Having experienced the impact of accelerating technological change across every phase of her career, Deborah recognized the challenges outlined in the work of Brynjolfsson and McAfee and became a passionate advocate for making as a way to ‘future-proof’ our students.

As co-founder of the Pasadena City College FabLab, Deborah piloted an innovative pathway synthesizing interdisciplinary curriculum, integrated academics, career exploration and 21st century skills development resulting in improved student success. Now, as a Technical Assistance Provider in the CCC Maker Initiative, Deborah is dedicated to bringing this transformative vision to scale across the California Community Colleges to empower all our students to meet the challenges and opportunities of an unknown future.