Work —
Lifestyle of Learning.
“I am trying to make a building, which is like a smile.” — Christopher Alexander
Overview —
Design-driven entrepreneur & product-maker with a background in philosophy & education striving to make social impact.
History of strategy and vision, building, cultivating and challenging exceptional teams, partnering with world class organizations, and creating beautiful products that make lasting social impact.
Academics
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I completed a PhD at the University of London on the architecture of Arakawa and Gins.
Baan Dek
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Co-founded the first and only accredited Montessori in the state of South Dakota
Montessorium
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Montessorium creates delightful, engaging activities and apps for children, and helpful, inspiring resources for parents. *Acquired by Higher Ground Education.
Microsoft Flip
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Helped to grow the team, platform and community, through a reimagining of social learning.
Read the whole kit and caboodle below or jump to my resume.
Testimonial—
“Bobby’s ability to deep dive problem spaces and develop a strategy and vision that is thoughtful, inclusive, and well articulated are a testament to his holistic understanding of product strategy, development, and delivery. Succinctly said, I put him on a very short list of visionaries that I truly admire and look to for guidance.”
— Nate Edwards, Microsoft
Case Studies —
Education: BA, MA, PhD in Philosophy.
Sometimes you just have to go for it.
Circa 2006 —
Completed a PhD in Philosophy at the University of London on the work of Arakawa & Gins, which inspired a curiosity and passion for design.
Over the course of nearly a decade, I went back and forth with Madeline Gins on a set of original blueprints for a new type of learning community. While never fully realized, we affectionately referred to the project as Yuma, named after an eight year old boy in the Reversible Destiny Lofts. These co-discoveries with Arakawa and Gins were ultimately incorporated into what was to come next.
Blueprints constructed with Arakawa & Gins.
2007-2020 —
Co-founded Baan Dek Montessori, the first and only accredited Montessori in the state of South Dakota.
Baan Dek provides an incredible foundation for children and an inspirational resource for teachers and parents. Baan Dek is more than just a school. It’s a community of learners. It offers a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment, one that is dedicated to exploration, experimentation, and self-discovery. It recognizes that the power of mistakes are just as important as the joy of success.
2010-Today —
Authored a series of award-winning children’s books and edited a collection of essays on the philosopher Alphonso Lingis.
Books for children. Inspired by Montessori. Introductory concepts, such as letters, numbers, shapes, maps, planets and there’s more to come.
Select Press —
Featured in the MOMA.
“Sharply designed and very useful intro to shapes and patterns.”
— Starred Review
“The combination of phonetics and simple illustration makes for an excellent entree.”
— The Wall Street Journal
“Accessible, uncluttered, and refreshingly direct.”
— Kirkus Reviews
2010-2020 —
Co-founded Montessorium, which created delightful, engaging activities and apps for children, and helpful, inspiring resources for parents.
Served as CEO of Montessorium, from incubation to acquistion, working to democratize Montessori education by making it more accessible for everyone.
Select Press —
“ABC’s and 123’s your children will actually enjoy.”
- Wired Magazine
“Very well designed and smartly implemented.”
- Macworld
“Intro to Letters is a gorgeous app that teaches children to read and write letters in a simple, beautiful setting.”
- NBC
“Don’t be discouraged by the traditionalists.”
— Steve Jobs
2020-X —
Co-founded Tooder: Smart flashcards for curious kids.
From 0—1, completely re-imagined the flashcard experience, using high quality materials, a tried-and-test educational philosophy, and even figured out a better way to present educational content: by focusing on one subject matter at a time. These smart flashcards were brought into the future with image-recognition, personalized learning experiences, machine learning and augmented reality.
“The app will add layers to learning so that kids can take charge of what they’re doing.”
- Forbes
2020-X —
Joined Microsoft Flip to make learning simple, fun, and empowering for everyone on earth.
As a design, product, and partnership leader, helped to redefine social learning through async video discussion. Utilized by over 100M educators, students and families, with more than 8 Billion videos shared in 160 countries.
Testimonial—
“Bobby creates space for folks and has an incredible focus on community outside the org as well with community members and partners. As many former founders tend to be, he's also a jack of all trades with expertise and strong skillsets in design, product thinking and partnerships. He's a big picture thinker, always approaching solving problems in new and interesting ways..”
-Deena Minwall, Microsoft
