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Manako Tamura

Lecturer, M.S. in Technology Management

Manako Tamura is a service designer and Senior CX Strategist at MetLife, where she applies human-centered design methods to complex organizational and customer experience challenges, with a current focus on agentic workflows. At Columbia University's School of Professional Studies, she teaches User-Centric Design and Innovation in the M.S. in Technology Management program, helping students build practical fluency in design-led innovation. 

Her background spans supply chain analysis at Toray and service design work at Ponce Bank, along with research partnerships with IDEO and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. She is currently contributing a chapter to a forthcoming Routledge anthology. 


Recognition 

  • Webflow Customer Hero 2023 | Featured in Global Marketing Campaign  
  • Future Branches Innovators Award 2019 | Best Revamped Staffing Model  
  • Core77 Design Award 2019 | Student Runner Up, Consumer Technology  
  • IDA International Design Award 2018 | Gold, Design for Society; Gold, Media and Home Electronics  

Prior Experience 

  • AVP, CX Manager | Ponce Bank  
  • Customer Experience Designer | CallisonRTKL, an Arcadis Company  
  • Senior Supply Chain Analyst | Toray Industries

Education

  • MFA, Products of Design | School of Visual Arts  
  • BA, Anthropology | Reed College