Futurist Lisa Kay Solomon encourages AU community to imagine and design better tomorrows

Aurora University launched the 2025–2026 Celebrating Arts and Ideas series with a forward-looking conversation led by Lisa Kay Solomon, a noted futurist, author, and educator. Solomon set the tone for the year by inviting the AU community to imagine, design, and share visions of the future — an exploration that reflects the university’s commitment to discovery and innovation.

She began with a question: Do you think the future is happening to you, or are you happening to the future? Solomon argued that, while no one can predict what lies ahead, we can build the skills to navigate our lives with intention.

Drawing from her teaching at Stanford University (she is the futurist in residence and a lecturer at the d.school) and her work with leaders across industries, Solomon noted that in a world defined by volatility and uncertainty, the most important leadership skill is to think more like a designer than a mechanic. Mechanics rely on blueprints and fixed plans, she said. Designers, by contrast, embrace experimentation and iteration. “There are no blueprints for the future,” she said. “We have to discover our way forward.”

That discovery begins with imagination, a skill often overlooked in schools and workplaces. “We cannot build a future we haven’t first imagined,” she reminded the audience.

By asking open-ended questions, testing ideas, and welcoming diverse perspectives — and anchoring decisions in values such as inclusion, collaboration, and accessibility — individuals and organizations can navigate uncertainty with greater confidence. Solomon praised AU as a community where these values are lived out through cross-disciplinary learning and exploration.

Ultimately, Solomon’s talk was both practical and inspiring. She reminded the audience that shaping the future is not someone else’s responsibility. “There is no they that’s going to shape it,” she said. “You are the they. We are the they. We’ve got to do it. We’ve got to unleash. We’ve got to try. We’ve got to push. We’ve got to share.”

It was a fitting conclusion for an evening that encouraged the AU community to step boldly into uncertainty. By seeing possibilities, shaping outcomes, and sharing meaningful stories, we can all learn to lead like futurists — and in doing so, help design better tomorrows.