Tom Gattis
Designer in Residence

Professor Gattis pioneered a collaborative learning model for design services, trend forecasting, enterprise support, and community engagement deployed at multiple universities that have supported dozens of Fortune 500 companies.

Professor Gattis is the current Dean of Undergraduate Studies at the Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD) and a former Professor and Chair of the Industrial Design group at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).

At both CCAD and SCAD, Professor Gattis was the principal architect for a transformational project-based learning model where students completed work for companies such as Dell Computers, Airstream, JCB, V-tech, Honda, Hobie Cat, General Motors, Kids2, Gulfstream Aerospace, Newell Rubbermaid, Aramark, and AmericanHort to name a few. 

He is co-author of a Master of Design in Integrated Design at CCAD and responsible for launching programs in Marine Design, Interaction Design, Design Management, Service Design, and Design for Sustainability at SCAD.

He established study abroad opportunities in Europe, Asia, and Central and South America. He also served as the Associate Vice President for Academic Services at SCAD Hong Kong, assisting with opening the Hong Kong campus, and was responsible for all academic operations. Professor Gattis spent ten years working as a designer and project manager in the nuclear industry, an account executive in the trade show and exhibition industry, and a professional model maker. Tom speaks internationally on design, design education, and the gap between education and the profession. He holds a Bachelor of Industrial Design from Auburn University and a Master of Science in Education Industrial Technology from Bemidji State University.

Tom spends his spare time as a wooden boat builder, a master woodturner, and rebuilding an Airstream travel trailer. He is a member of the Industrial Designers Society of America, the American Craft Council, and the American Association of Woodturners.