Penina Acayo Laker is a designer, researcher, and Assistant Professor of Communication Design at Washington University in St. Louis. Her research is centered around topics that utilize a human-centered approach to solving social problems, locally and internationally. She is currently addressing racial disparities in complex public health related issues in St. Louis and broadening the scope and access of design education to young people in Uganda through DesignEd workshops. She is a co-editor of The Black Experience in Design and co-host of the My African Aesthetic. Penina earned an MFA in Visual Communication Design from Kent State University and a BA in Art (with a concentration in Pre-Architecture) from Goshen College.