Fred Dust

Fred Dust is a prominent dialogue designer and consultant currently working with The Rockefeller Foundation. He is the founder of Dust&Co, where he focuses on the intersection of business, society, and creativity. Dust has extensive experience in human-centered design, which he applies to address complex global challenges through constructive dialogue and collaboration.

Professional Background

• Senior Dialogue Designer: At The Rockefeller Foundation, Dust utilizes methodologies from his book Making Conversation to facilitate discussions that aim to rebuild human connections amidst societal polarization and cynicism.123
• Founder of Dust&Co: He leads this consultancy firm, working with various organizations to enhance their engagement strategies and foster meaningful conversations.4
• Former Global Managing Partner at IDEO: Prior to his current roles, Dust was a global managing partner at IDEO, an influential design firm known for its innovative approaches to problem-solving across sectors like business, government, and education.23

Contributions and Initiatives

Dust has collaborated with several notable foundations and institutions to create frameworks for effective dialogue. His work includes engaging leaders from diverse fields to address pressing issues through structured conversations. He is also a faculty member at the Esalen Institute, where he contributes to educational programs focused on personal and social transformation.24

Publications

His book Making Conversation explores the concept of conversation as a creative act, encouraging individuals to see themselves as active participants in dialogue rather than passive recipients. This perspective aims to empower people to design their conversations intentionally.13

In summary, Fred Dust is recognized for his innovative approach to dialogue design, leveraging his expertise to foster collaboration and understanding in an increasingly complex world.