Our Team

FOUNDER

Tom Weis is an Associate Professor of Industrial Design at the Rhode Island School of Design and is the Founder of the Altimeter Design Group. His work and research interests focus on the intersection of design practices and global security issues. Since 2015, Tom has worked with partners in the nuclear threat reduction space and has designed and facilitated workshops, discussions and activities for organizations such as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, The International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations, the Naval Postgraduate School, the US Air Force and others. He has a MID in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Chad Hagen is a creative director and graphic designer who has made contributions to the visual identities of renowned brands like Walmart, Target, Harley-Davidson, Toys “R” Us, GAP, and many others. Chad delivers compelling brand experiences that effectively engage audiences, earning him a reputation as a notable creative influence in the industry. His work has been recognized and published in publications such as Communication Arts, Graphis, and Print Magazine, and he has received a variety of industry awards.

DESIGNER

Emily Rothschild is a designer and an adjunct faculty member of Industrial Design at Pratt Institute. Her background is in industrial design, fine arts, and curatorial studies. Working with diverse teams on cross-sector initiatives to access, analyze, and create material information, Emily builds things and tells stories. Past projects range from product to medical design to threat reduction and global security. Emily has a MID in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design.

PRODUCER

Scott Sell is a multimedia producer, editor, and writer. Informed by the oral history traditions of documentarians like Studs Terkel and Pam Wood, he has produced projects for the New York Times, Atlas Obscura, and Land Rover, among others.

DESIGNER

Irina Wang is a designer and writer practicing the creative work of cross-sector translation, the strategic work of systems transition, and the ethical work of forging allyship. At the intersection of existential risk and structural inequity, projects involve equitable carbon sequestration, indigenous language sovereignty, circular energy/food systems, stakeholder policymaking, and global security architecture. She has recently fabricated objects for peacemaking workshops with the United Nations, researched the limits of biomimicry for urban air mobility with Hyundai, and developed a portfolio of interventions for nuclear threat reduction with the Center for Complexity. Irina has a MID in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and recently conducted Fulbright research in Finland.

DESIGNER

Rives Matson is a designer. Her areas of focus include national security issues, sustainable products, and human centered design. Rives designs with a collaborative approach utilizing systems thinking and user research to find the most impactful, appropriate solution for each project and challenge. Since joining Altimeter, Rives has worked on projects for clients such as Sandia National Laboratories, The Council on Strategic Risks, N Square, Highly Nriched and the United Nations. Rives has a BFA in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and is currently an MFA candidate in Graphic Design.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Megan Valanidas is a Creative Director, designer and studio artist with a focus in biomaterials, national security and existential threat. She specializes in biomaterial application and interactivity, and analyzes nature, convenience, the role of chance and the inevitability of accidents to suggest methods, materials and strategies. She has collaborated and exhibited with groups including the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency, among others. Megan has a MID in Industrial Designer from the Rhode Island School of Design.

PRODUCER

Adam Geremia is a photographer, filmmaker, designer, and strategist. He has produced work for Microsoft, Ford Motor Company, ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), The Foundation For a Smoke-Free World, and the National Institutes of Health, among many others. His projects explore the nature of consciousness, the senses, and creating experiences that connect us to our bodies and our environment.

DESIGNER

Kate Dannessa is a designer, studio artist and educator. Kate is currently an Assistant Professor in Industrial Design at RISD. Her work collectively explores nonlinear methods and their importance to the creative process. Her current research is in embodied cognition and objects as a form of language, provocation, and mechanism of understanding. Kate has a BFA in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and an MA in Interdisciplinary Studies at New York University, department of Experimental Humanities & Social Engagement.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Charlie Cannon is a Professor of Industrial Design at the Rhode Island School of Design. His professional life as a designer has been quite varied. For the last ten years he worked with non-profit organizations and for-profit enterprises to drive social innovation. Previously, he co-founded two award-winning architecture practices and worked as a web strategies and software interface designer; as well as a carpenter and studio furniture maker. Charlie has an MARC from Harvard University.

DESIGNER

Vrinda Mathur is a designer and creative practitioner driven by purpose, innovation, and impact. She works on research-based design projects that open the dialogue to larger humanitarian and ecological concerns of today. A storyteller at heart with a strategic mind, she communicates effectively and organizes complex problems into actionable interventions set to provoke, empower, and shift mindsets. Vrinda's work spans from creating objects, installations, and exhibits to design strategy, storytelling, and participatory design initiatives. Vrinda has a MID in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and a BA in Design from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, India.

DESIGNER

Mimi Shyngyssova is a designer. She combines graphic design with illustration and user research. Mimi is a native of Kazakhstan, dedicated to promoting cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural collaboration and communication. Mimi has created infographics, illustrations and brand assets for clients such as the Council on Strategic Risks, Horizon 2045, PATH collective and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Mimi has a BFA in Graphic Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and a BA in Art History at the Courtauld Institute of Art.

SOFTWARE ENGINEER

Nathan Davis is a software engineer, artist and music composer. Nate works on the technological side of Altimeter's projects, including software development across a variety of technologies.He is co-founder of the Steel House along with Tom Weis and Julie O’Rourke — a co-worker and maker facility in Rockland, Maine. Where he serves on the City Council. Nate has an M.A. in Mathematics from Brandeis University and a Ph.D. in Music Composition and Theory from the University of California, Davis.

Max Fertik is a designer and artist whose work flows between the various languages of function and the material ecologies of the postindustrial age. He has exhibited domestically and abroad, and his work with invasive species was shown most recently in the 2023 Venice Design Biennial. Max has an MID in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and a BA in Sculpture and Art History from Trinity College.

Gaby Weis is a writer. She combines words and images to share stories of longing, femininity and the vulnerable fragments of everyday life. She also experiments with the written word in visual forms. Gaby has an MA in Communication from Fairfield University and a BA in Communication from Assumption University.