Lauren Celenza

Lauren Celenza headshot

Lauren is an international designer, researcher, and advocate–born and raised from a hard-working family in the Midwest of the US. Through her roots and travels, she is driven by the intention of co-creating with communities, not for them.

She currently serves as a Senior Designer at Google Maps, working with a global team and community to make maps more accessible and relevant for emerging cities around the world. She recently led the redesign of Google Maps navigation for motorbikes, now launched across India, Southeast Asia, and Kenya.

Her work has taken her across 6 continents, where she listens, documents, and co-designs with local communities. In 2017, she was given the ‘Unsung Hero’ award by the Google UX team.

Prior to Google, she studied design at SCAD, co-published a book that documented a neighborhood in Hong Kong, and designed experiences for The Gates Foundation, P&G, Citizen Schools, and more.

She also serves as a volunteer at Neighborhood House, building community with immigrants and refugees in Seattle, as they navigate the complexities of the US citizenship process. In the last 3 months, she has helped over 25 people from all the world become US citizens.

She currently lives in Seattle, but often travels, listens, and teaches; offering methods and practices for designing a more accessible world.

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