Sheryl has served as the Global Consumer Trends and Futuring Manager for Ford Motor Company for over eight years. Her job is to identify and track trends in social, technological, economic, environmental and political arenas in an attempt to understand and anticipate shifts in consumer values, attitudes or behaviors. Her work supports and informs design, product development, strategy, business and marketing functions. Prior to joining the trends team, Sheryl held a variety of field assignments interfacing with Ford's dealer network. Before working for Ford she practiced law for a small civil litigation. She holds a Bachelors degree in Finance, a Masters in Business Administration, and a Juris Doctorate. She has been a guest lecturer at Massachusetts Institute for Technology, University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI and Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. Her viewpoints and opinions have been published in the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, and CNN. She also works as an adjunct faculty professor at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, MI teaching a graduate level course on Contextual Design Research.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxTraverseCity, where x = independently organized TED event. At our TEDxTraverseCity event, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.
