Maren Maier

Maren is a design strategist, trainer, and researcher who builds partnerships for CoCreative and leads our learning and human insight development areas.

Maren is the founder and principal of Creative States, a multidimensional platform producing creative research, events and media to catalyze thoughtful provocations that explore the landscapes of tomorrow and who we might become. She trains and works with clients to develop scenarios and experiences that stimulate new ways of thinking imaginatively, legibly and critically about the future we want to create and live in.

Maren is also a faculty member in the Graduate Program of Design Management at the Pratt Institute School of Art, where she teaches creative professionals the application of arts and design processes to complex challenges that are often considered outside the realm of traditional art and design disciplines. In this capacity, she serves as founding board member and executive editor of CATALYST Strategic Design Review, an online and print publication promoting creative leaders who activate system change by addressing real human needs.

Prior to her role at CoCreative, Maren served as director of green business standards and certification at Green America, where she introduced a human-centered design approach to refocus the services and programs for owners of triple bottom line businesses. She also served as the manager of Sustainability Initiatives at ABC Carpet & Home in Manhattan, a revolutionary sustainable retail platform and event space.