Melanie Kahl is a design researcher for Perkins+Will's global K12 education practice. She works at the intersection of design and learning, connecting architects and planners to classroom and policy trends. She arrived in the world of design strategy after working with education entrepreneurs in the Chicago Public Schools. Her academic background is in social policy and organizational studies at Northwestern University. She is a StartingBloc Fellow for social innovation. She is delighted by tactical urbanism, communication design, dinner parties, and improvisation.