Interview with Danielle DeKalb, MA Sustainable Design candidate

In a recent interview with Danielle DeKalb, a masters candidate in Sustainable Design, she discusses the relationship between her full-time career at Target Corporation and her education at MCAD. 

DeKalb is a Senior Sourcing Manager of Circularity at Target in Minneapolis, where she has worked for nearly 18 years. DeKalb says, "We have a newly created area that's really focusing on ‘near-shoring', which is a common term in the industry focused on doing production closer to where we're doing business. For our longer-term, aspirational circularity product goals, all of those functions would need to be in the western hemisphere.” At Target, this type of position hadn't existed previously. "There's a lot of people here doing different things for sustainability, but from all different angles. This position didn't exist [before]. I was working alongside this team, and then pulled together what I thought this job could look like, made a pitch, and they went for it,” she states proudly. 

She notes how important this program has been for her career. While DeKalb has always had an interest in sustainability, she feels that the Master of Arts in Sustainable Design program has given her the credibility needed in order to turn a passion into a career. She isn't alone; she notes that "a lot of people here at Target are passionate and interested in sustainability" and that "roles that exist around sustainability are growing.” 

Target Corporate and MCAD have continued a strong relationship through a tuition reimbursement program.

Ultimately, DeKalb chose this program at MCAD because of a recommendation from a peer at Target who had just graduated from the program. Although she is a creative person by nature, she thought that a design program at an art and design school seemed quite intimidating. However, DeKalb explains that when “most people think of the word ‘design', their thoughts instantly go to designing a physical thing. The word is used more in the broader sense of how you're solving a problem.”

When asked about attending a completely online program, DeKalb states, “Completing the degree on your own time definitely helps make it manageable to work full time. There's a decent amount of classes that have group work, group projects–where you do have to figure out how to meet on a regular basis.” She would advise anyone considering the program to understand that complex subjects are being taught and discussed. In addition, the format of this online degree forces students to really hone in on their written communication skills. Overall, DeKalb notes that she’s “been pleasantly surprised by how broad all the classes are, and most people are not focused on actual product design.” Many students are studying overarching topics, such as social infrastructure and systems.