WHY:2025 SPEAKER
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ABOUT
ENRIQUE MARTINEZ GONZÁLEZ is a globally recognized expert in design, innovation, strategy, and leadership development.
With over 30 years of experience across architecture, industrial design, and civic leadership, he has pioneered a humancentered approach to innovation that transforms not only products and systems, but also the very mindsets of those who lead them. As the founder and director of Muchiest LLC, Martinez has led programs that empower government executives to navigate complexity through creative problem-solving, strategic foresight, and insight-driven leadership. Rooted in both practice and pedagogy, his work is deeply informed by over 18 years of teaching at RISD and by academic appointments at Brown University, Harvard Law School, and the American University of Sharjah. Across all contexts, Martinez remains committed to designing systems that are both socially impactful and creatively empowering. He reminds us that meaningful change doesn’t begin with answers — but with better questions, and with leaders bold enough to design the future rather than wait for it. His lifelong dedication to reframing challenges through empathy, collaboration, and iterative inquiry demonstrates the potential of a design mindset to foster human-centered innovation across diverse disciplines and systems.
Leadership in design and innovation, FRSA
Senior Advisor, U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
Drives human-centered policy and civic-service innovation.
Design lecturer in Executive Education programs at Harvard Law School.
Full-time faculty member with OPM’s Federal Executive Institute (FEI)
EXPERIENCE
Muchieast - Founder & Director (2010 - Present)
• Founded a cross-sector design consultancy driving innovation for public and mission-driven organizations.
Federal Executive Institute, U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) – Faculty (2023 – 2025)
• Delivered leadership education through design thinking and strategic foresight for federal executives.
Humana - Senior Customer Experience Advisor (2021 – 2022)
• Advised on experience strategy to align health services with human-centered design principles.
Prime Minister’s Office in UAE - Senior Public Sector Innovation advisor (2021)
• Supported large-scale innovation programs in governance and public service delivery.
Center for Leadership Development, U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) = Strategy & Innovation Lead (2018 – 2020)
• Led innovation strategy to build future-ready leadership capacity across federal agencies.
The Lab, U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) - Design Education Director (2016 – 2018)
• Designed and facilitated immersive learning experiences for public sector transformation.
Institute for Design and Public Policy, U.S. Department of State (RISD) – Lead (2015 – 2016)
• Bridged design and diplomacy to address complex global policy challenges through co-creation.
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) - Senior Critic and Researcher (1998 – 2016)
• Taught and researched sustainable design practices at the intersection of materials and systems.
QUOTE
“To me, design is making sense of things to make sense of new things.”
“Some things take longer, and speed is not always the answer.”
“I rely on the past more and more: I look back to look forward.”
PHILOSOPHY
Leadership in design and innovation, FRSA
Senior Advisor, U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
Drives human-centered policy and civic-service innovation.
Design lecturer in Executive Education programs at Harvard Law School.
Full-time faculty member with OPM’s Federal Executive Institute (FEI)
ENRIQUE MARTINEZ GONZÁLEZ is a globally recognized expert in design, innovation, strategy, and leadership development.
With over 30 years of experience across architecture, industrial design, and civic leadership, he has pioneered a humancentered approach to innovation that transforms not only products and systems, but also the very mindsets of those who lead them. As the founder and director of Muchiest LLC, Martinez has led programs that empower government executives to navigate complexity through creative problem-solving, strategic foresight, and insight-driven leadership. Rooted in both practice and pedagogy, his work is deeply informed by over 18 years of teaching at RISD and by academic appointments at Brown University, Harvard Law School, and the American University of Sharjah. Across all contexts, Martinez remains committed to designing systems that are both socially impactful and creatively empowering. He reminds us that meaningful change doesn’t begin with answers — but with better questions, and with leaders bold enough to design the future rather than wait for it. His lifelong dedication to reframing challenges through empathy, collaboration, and iterative inquiry demonstrates the potential of a design mindset to foster human-centered innovation across diverse disciplines and systems.
Muchieast - Founder & Director (2010 - Present)
• Founded a cross-sector design consultancy driving innovation for public and mission-driven organizations.
Federal Executive Institute, U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) – Faculty (2023 – 2025)
• Delivered leadership education through design thinking and strategic foresight for federal executives.
Humana - Senior Customer Experience Advisor (2021 – 2022)
• Advised on experience strategy to align health services with human-centered design principles.
Prime Minister’s Office in UAE - Senior Public Sector Innovation advisor (2021)
• Supported large-scale innovation programs in governance and public service delivery.
Center for Leadership Development, U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) = Strategy & Innovation Lead (2018 – 2020)
• Led innovation strategy to build future-ready leadership capacity across federal agencies.
The Lab, U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) - Design Education Director (2016 – 2018)
• Designed and facilitated immersive learning experiences for public sector transformation.
Institute for Design and Public Policy, U.S. Department of State (RISD) – Lead (2015 – 2016)
• Bridged design and diplomacy to address complex global policy challenges through co-creation.
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) - Senior Critic and Researcher (1998 – 2016)
• Taught and researched sustainable design practices at the intersection of materials and systems.
“To me, design is making sense of things to make sense of new things.”
“Some things take longer, and speed is not always the answer.”
“I rely on the past more and more: I look back to look forward.”
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