Tara McCrackin was named President of Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University (KCAD) in the spring of 2021. She concurrently holds the office of Vice President of Ferris State University. Her design career began in 1997, working in corporate office interiors. She designed spaces for Steelcase, Inc., and was the lead designer on the initial WorkSpring in Chicago, Ill., a co-working space incorporating state-of-the-art technologies and focusing on hospitality in the corporate environment. Pursuing her passion for sustainability, President McCrackin had the pleasure of working on the Rackspace Headquarters (**see image to the right**) in San Antonio, Texas. Most recently, she worked on the interior for the Kids’ Food Basket building in Grand Rapids.

Nothing is impossible if you have dreams, ideas, and a willingness to work towards them. And my guest, Tara McCrackin (president of Kendall College of Art & Design (KCAD) AND vice president of Ferris State University), has an inspiring creative journey which showcases that.

She shares a bit about what her school has coming up, then we dive into her professional background, how she became a teacher, and how she then became president of a college just before the pandemic. Some cool and wild stuff.

Check out Tara and KCAD:

Tara’s school profile

KCAD homepage

Thanks for checking it out!

-CT