Director, Innovation Studio · University of Richmond

Helping people and institutions find the creative path to “yes.”

I’m Andrew Ilnicki — a design thinker, educator, and builder of programs. For nearly twenty years I’ve worked across higher education to break down silos, grow partnerships, and give students and faculty the tools and confidence to make things that matter.

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20

years (nearly) in higher education

600%

growth in Design Thinking enrollment at UR

20+

corporate & community partners

01 — About

A collaborative strategist who builds capacity for change.

I’m an energetic, collaborative strategic thinker with extensive experience building capacity for — and leading — organizational change. Trained in IDEO’s design thinking methodology, I care deeply about improving the experience for everyone a program touches: students, faculty, partners, and community.

My work sits where curriculum, technology, and industry meet. I’ve led digital literacy strategy through the Adobe Creative Campus program, launched new curricular and co-curricular programs, and built cross-functional product teams spanning multiple colleges and dozens of sponsors.

I’m happiest navigating complicated systems to find creative solutions to complex problems — and helping an organization become a leader in the process.

DiversityEquityAccessInclusionDigital literacyCreative innovation

02 — Experience

Where I’ve done the work.

  1. 2023 – Present

    University of Richmond · Office of the Provost

    Director, Innovation Studio

    Formerly Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (CIE)

    Launching new curricular and co-curricular programs that prepare UR students and faculty to contribute to and succeed in a complex world. Programming includes guest lecturing, design sprints, innovation challenges, startup competitions, hackathons, IDEO Design Thinking certifications, faculty development on creative tools and generative AI, and the inaugural UR Demo Day showcase.

    Highlights
    • $100K in new funding for the Richmond Innovation Fellows program
    • CIE teams won Accelerate DC, RVAtech Product Fest, RiOT, and TomTom competitions
    • 600% increase in Design Thinking enrollment
    • 100% increase in European Innovation Academy participation; 3 teams placed in the top 10 worldwide
    • Adobe Creative Campus pilot launched within 3 months of onboarding
    • Canva Pro Campus partnership — centralized licensing, saving UR over 60%
    • Panelist, Adobe Digital Literacy Café — Gen AI and the future of creative practice
    • Speaker, Adobe Executive Roundtable — CIE, creativity, and Gen AI
    • RVAtech Product Fest Academic Planning Committee

    Programs: Bench Top Innovations · Innovation Fellows · European Innovation Academy · Design Thinking · UR Guest Lecturer

  2. 2022 – 2023

    VCU da Vinci Center

    Director, Digital Innovation

    Led thought leadership and implementation strategy with VCU stakeholders and leadership for all things digital literacy — supporting decisions on strategic technology investments and raising VCU’s visibility as a leader. Taught the industry-facing Product Innovation capstone and master’s-level design principles.

    Highlights
    • Taught the Product Innovation capstone and Arts Principles for Product Innovation
    • Adobe Creative Campus — initiated, championed, and served as campus lead
    • All Adobe tools free for all students — a first in VCU’s history
    • Led 2022 Adobe Creative Jam Week — the first held on a US academic campus
    • Launched Adobe digital literacy courses in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, XD, Figma, Rush, and Express
    • Featured speaker, Adobe EduMAX — “Prototyping the Future of Higher Education”
  3. 2008 – 2023

    VCU da Vinci Center

    Founding Faculty & Project Mentor

    Founding faculty member from the School of the Arts, teaching and mentoring in the Undergraduate Certificate in Product Innovation, the Human-Centered Design Certificate, and the Master of Product Innovation.

    Highlights
    • Experiential learning mentor for Master of Product Innovation, Startup Spring Break, Pre-X, and Clinton Global Initiative University teams
    • Corporate sponsors included Apple, Alfa Laval, Altria, Atlantic Union Bank, Bank of America, Boehringer Ingelheim, Brinks, Capital One, Dominion Energy, Pfizer, McKesson, VCU Health, and many others
    • Mentored PeerSpective — the first VCU undergraduate team accepted to the Lighthouse Labs summer cohort ($20K non-dilutive funding)
  4. 2018 – 2022

    VCU School of the Arts

    Director, Strategic Technology

    Senior advisor to the Dean and leadership team on digital literacy, design thinking, academic technology, industry affiliation, strategic partnerships, and curricular innovation. Oversaw IT staff and the strategy, deployment, and management of IT infrastructure for the School’s 16 departments and central resources.

    Highlights
    • Adobe Creative Campus — first designated in Virginia; secured $50K in new scholarships
    • Apple Connected Campus — catalyst for an initiative on student and patient experience across VCU; catalyzed Epic Systems change management
    • Bank of America Innovation Lab — $1.1M plus in-kind support; seed funding and ongoing internships with Engineering
    • Capital One Innovation Lab — $30K plus in-kind support; seed funding and internships with Engineering
    • Dominion Innovation Challenges — $30K for experiential learning with the da Vinci Center
    • VCU Children’s Hospital planning task force; Arts + Health collaboration
    • Center for Arts + Health research conceptualization — VR/AR pilots and medical trials on embodied empathy
    • Canon Imaging case statement to extend the Canon Campus partnership
    • Co-founder of the first OpenIDEO chapter in central Virginia
  5. 2005 – 2023

    VCU School of the Arts · Center for the Creative Economy

    Adjunct Professor

    Taught courses in design thinking, problem identification, visual branding, communication design, business modeling, web development, content strategy, and social media campaigns.

    Highlights
    • Courses: Creative Coding, Interdisciplinary Web Design, DesignOps
    • Corporate sponsorships with RTS Labs, Capital One, Snag Labs (HUSL), VCU Engineering, VCU Police, VCU Health Anesthesiology, and VCU Simulation Lab
    • Service-learning projects with Middle of Broad and Storefront for Community Design for the Richmond Black History Museum, Special Olympics Virginia, Monument Ave GDGD (NEA grant), Emporia Rosenwald School, Blackwell Voices, the Mighty Pen Project, the James River Park System, and more
  6. 2013 – 2018

    VCU School of the Arts

    Director, Academic Programming & Innovation Outreach

    Fostered collaborative, interdisciplinary, online, and entrepreneurial learning for arts students. Launched research-driven courses with students, faculty, and administration, and managed The Depot as a maker space for cross-disciplinary teaching and learning.

    Highlights
    • 12 online course pilots launched
    • $125K in new funding
  7. 2007 – 2013

    VCU School of the Arts

    Director, Web Development

    Led design, development, information architecture, database integration, CMS administration, and analytics for the VCUarts Dean’s office site and its departmental sites, managing staff, assistants, and interns. Technical coordinator for the internationally recognized Islamic Art Symposium, and web strategy and ICA fundraising specialist for a $42M campaign.

  8. 2006 – 2007

    CommuniQué Marketing

    Art Director

    Print and web concepts, branding, marketing materials, and award-winning interactive communications for clients including Walmart, Arm & Hammer, Dr. Zein Obagi, and Eagle Bay Hardscape Products.

  9. 2005 – Present

    Ilnicki Studios, LLC

    Design & Development Consulting

    Clients include The Underground Kitchen, DuPont Teijin Films, Special Olympics of Virginia, Classic Kitchens of Virginia, Olek, Calvetti Meats, National Council of Arts Administrators, Black Hand Coffee Company, Richmond Symphony Orchestra League, Visual Arts Center of Richmond, and many more.

03 — Expertise

How I can help.

Strategy & leadership

Shaping direction and helping organizations change well.

  • Strategic planning
  • Change management
  • Shared governance
  • Budget & fiscal planning
  • Business operations
  • IT oversight

Design & making

Turning ideas into products, experiences, and systems.

  • Design thinking
  • UX/UI processes
  • Digital product design
  • Web development
  • Visual design
  • Content strategy

Learning & people

Creating spaces where students and teams do their best work.

  • Facilitation
  • LEGO Serious Play
  • Creative problem solving
  • Team-based learning
  • Professional development
  • Student empowerment

Partnerships & funding

Connecting campus with industry and community — so everyone wins.

  • Corporate-sponsored projects
  • Industry affiliation
  • Grant writing
  • Fundraising
  • Nonprofits & service learning
  • Community outreach

Partnered with

  • Apple
  • Adobe
  • Alfa Laval
  • Altria
  • Atlantic Union Bank
  • Bank of America
  • Boehringer Ingelheim
  • Brinks
  • Canva
  • Capital One
  • Dominion Energy
  • ExperiencePoint
  • Go Happy Labs
  • Hamilton Beach
  • Hourigan Construction
  • McKesson
  • Pfizer
  • Snag
  • Startup VA
  • Veterans Affairs Hospital
  • VCU Health

Toolkit

Creative
Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, XD, Premiere, Rush, Audition, Firefly, Express), Figma, Canva
Web & code
HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, MySQL, Git, Netlify, WordPress, Webflow, Squarespace, Cursor
Data & productivity
Tableau, Airtable, Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, Slack, Discord
Emerging
Generative AI (ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, Grok, AnswerThis), AR/VR/XR, Web3

04 — Education & recognition

Foundations.

Education

  • MFA, Design / Visual CommunicationsVirginia Commonwealth University, 2006
  • BFA, Graphic DesignRochester Institute of Technology, 2003 · Minor in Philosophy; concentrations in Photography and Design History

Certifications

  • LEGO Serious Play2023
  • ExperiencePoint Design Thinking2023
  • ExperiencePoint Change Management2023
  • Adobe Education Leader2020
  • Scrum Master Training2018
  • Creative Problem Solving, Level 2

Awards & grants

  • Adobe Education Lead, Master Teacher2020
  • Adobe Creative Campus scholarship award — $50K2020
  • Presidential Quest Grant — $50K, Co-PI2012 · Center for Creative Economy
  • MAXI Silver Medal, Excellence in Direct Mail2005
  • Emerging Technologies Grant2003 · MFA thesis research

05 — Research & service

Showing up for the work around the work.

Grants, research support, and committee service across two universities.

  • 2024–25Arts Management & Creative Industries Task Force; Gen AI Across the Curriculum faculty learning community; Advisor, Spider Ventures student club; Sustainability & Environmental Awareness Committee
  • 2023–24Richmond Innovation Fellows — $100K over two years for programming and travel support
  • 2022Bank of America / VCU steering committee — $1M over four years to expand tech-ed pathways and student success
  • 2022Faculty Technology Advisory Committee — IT governance redesign
  • 2021NSF Grant Co-PI — CC* Networking Infrastructure: VCU campus network upgrade
  • 2020NIH Principal Investigator — wearable technology grant; collaboration between VCU, ODU, and San Diego State
  • 2019VETAR Co-Investigator — pilot on enhanced discharge instructions to reduce readmissions
  • 2018–21Lead Technical Coordinator, Technical Advisory Committee; University Web Advisory Council, VCU
  • 2015–18Support for an NEH grant, Landmarks of American History and Culture ($179K awarded)
  • 2015–18Support for a Qatar Foundation National Priorities Research Program grant — Art History / Qatar Museum online learning platform
  • 2015–16Design and development for health research: Northern Virginia life expectancy map, MyCRCS colorectal cancer research, My Preventive Care patient dashboard, VQIC hospital QA training portal
  • 2015Chair, Teaching with Technology Working Group, VCU; led the “Building the Interwebs” faculty learning community
  • 2014–16Wrote and taught ARTS topics courses (CompThink, Interdisciplinary Web), leading toward a UX certificate
  • 2014–19Served on or chaired more than a dozen search committees across VCUarts, the da Vinci Center, ALT Lab, and VCU Libraries
  • 2012–13Online learning modules shared between VCU Richmond, VCU Qatar, and the University of Córdoba — Islamic Art of Spain, 711–1492 and Beyond

06 — Speaking & press

In the room, and in the news.

Selected talks & conferences

  • 2026Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers, Florida · Creative Problem Solving Institute
  • 2025Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers, Calgary · Creative Problem Solving Institute · BioDesign Challenge NYC
  • 2024Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers, Boston · European Innovation Academy, Porto
  • 2023Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers, Dallas · Adobe EduMAX, San José · Planet Forward, George Washington University
  • 2022Featured speaker, Adobe EduMAX · Adobe MAX, Los Angeles
  • 2020Hosted VCU Adobe Creative Jam · Career Services panel, “So You Want to Be an Entrepreneur” · Apple Town Hall, Virginia Higher Education Accessibility Partners
  • 2019Panel, Academic Impressions — “How to Design an Innovation Center” · Apple Park education summit, Cupertino
  • 2018Presented, APLU Conference — Design Thinking for the C-Suite workshop
  • 2015Presented, EdMedia, Montréal — “Interdisciplinary Curriculum Innovation and Google Glass: A Case Study”
  • 2007–19Technical coordinator, Hamad Bin Khalifa Symposium on Islamic Art — Doha, Palermo, Cordoba, Richmond

Selected press

07 — Contact

Have a problem worth solving together?

I’m always glad to talk about innovation programs, design thinking workshops, digital literacy, corporate partnerships, or speaking.

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