Host a Breakout SessionAbout
The Mission
Breakout! is a framework for situating mobile work in public spaces throughout the world's cities and towns. We are inspired by coworking, community wireless, and unconferences. The project seeks to provide a social network, design solutions for supporting infrastructure, and facilitation tools that help small workgroups inhabit and thrive in public spaces.
The Team
Anthony Townsend is Research Director in the Technology Horizons Program of the Institute for the Future, an independent research group based in Silicon Valley. He has authored over 20 journal articles and book chapters on the role of telecommunications in urban development and design.
Dana Spiegel is a Software and Product Development Consultant and the President of sociableDESIGN, a company that helps start-ups create and refine their online software and services. He is also Executive Director of NYCwireless, a non-profit that creates free, public Wi-Fi hotspots in New York City.
Laura Forlano received her Ph.D. in Communications from Columbia University, where she explored the intersection between organizations and technology and the role of place in communication, collaboration and innovation. She is an Adjunct Faculty member in Design and Management at Parsons and in the Graduate Programs in International Affairs and Media Studies at The New School.
Antonina Simeti is a consultant at DEGW, where she applies urban economic and planning principles to corporate workplaces and learning environments. She has a special interest in knowledge industries and the spaces in which innovation happens. She has experience in urban planning, public policy research, and environmental review.
Georgia Borden is a Director in the San Francisco office of DEGW, a strategic design consultancy. With a background in urban planning, she is particularly interested in helping DEGW's clients use their space more intensively. Her recent work has centered on helping technology clients develop workplace solutions that reflect the changes in work practices brought on by their products and services.
Amanda Kross is a consultant at DEGW, where she incorporates her background in interior design and spatial analysis to provide corporations with design solutions to improve productivity, reduce real estate, and enhance the work environment. She is interested in how design of the built environment affects the people, organizations, and communities that use it.
Sean Savage has ten years of experience in user research and experience design, with a focus on digital design for physical spaces. He co-founded PariSoMa, a co-working space in San Francisco. He also invented PlaceSite, a location-based digital service that enhances offline social interaction in cafes and other work spaces.
Tony Bacigalupo is founder and "mayor" of New Work City, a community coworking space in Manhattan. He is co-author of "I'm Outta Here: How coworking is making the office obsolete," and co-organizer of BarCampNYC and TEDxNWC.
Elysse Preposi is a senior at Sarah Lawrence College. Last semester, she studied abroad at NYU in London. She has taken a wide range of courses, including anthropology, psychology and computer science. She previously worked at NYCIP, a non-profit that encourages the growth of indie and small presses in the publishing community.
