OVERVIEW

The Center for Disease Control, or CDC for short, commands high importance in the health and wellbeing of our world community.  They fight to eradicate disease, research new viruses, and promote safety campaigns to keep us prepared. The CDC is also the only government agency headquartered outside of Washington DC, and it’s based in Atlanta, Georgia.  In the Atlanta community, the CDC’s impact cannot be understated.  It is measured by prestige, progress and even in terms of economic development, bringing new business to the city and to the region.  Today, the CDC is also fostering an environment of collaboration: through design, through education, and even by way of Zombies…yes, Zombies.

Dan Watch grew up on a horse farm in rural New Jersey.  The work ethic and drive he cultivated during his childhood has not disappeared, in fact it has only strengthened.  As an architect and Science + Technology Market Leader at Perkins+Will, Dan spends a great deal of his time focusing on developing and delivering forward thinking design for the CDC.  It was during a presentation there on September 11, 2001, that all of our lives and his designs changed forever.  Dan joins Gene in the studio to share his experience, both personal and professional.

The CDC does more than just fight disease, they inspire and support others to do so.  As President and CEO of the NAMES Project Foundation, Julie Rhoad is both a beneficiary of the collaboration and a leader in the mutual fight of eradicating AIDS through research and awareness.  The NAMES Project Foundation is popularly known for the AIDS Memorial Quilt, and Julie brings an executive’s approach with the sensitivity of a dear friend to her work.  Julie shares the progress, pain, and reward of stewarding the world’s largest and most collaborative memorial.

As creator of the Zombie Apocalypse campaign, agency spokesperson for the CDC, David Daigle is a very prepared person.  But, it’s the preparedness of others that keeps him up at night, and got him thinking of ways to connect to a younger audience.  David tells his story about the emergence of this extremely popular emergency preparedness campaign that temporarily took down a CDC server moments after the first Tweet, and has perpetually drawn attention to the cause, saving lives.