Design Researcher and Strategist

I help mission-driven organizations and funders identify and transform complex community insights into clear strategy, actionable frameworks, and co-designed futures.

Building something meant to shift power to communities? Let’s talk.

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Haleemah Sadiah is a design researcher and strategist focused on design for sustainability and social impact. She designs participatory research and synthesis processes that translate community knowledge into actionable decisions for product, service, and policy innovation. She has worked across India, sub-Saharan Africa, and the U.S. with place-based design and technology partners to center community voices in global health, education, and economic development.

As Design Lead at Catapult Design—a non-profit social impact consultancy—she collaborates with partners and funders like the Gates Foundation, Cone Health, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Haleemah holds an MFA in Design for Sustainability from Savannah College of Art and Design and a Bachelor’s in Accessory Design from National Institute of Fashion Technology, Bangalore. Her master’s thesis research, conducted in partnership with Jaipur Rugs in India, focused on building agency and strengthening cultural competence between women carpet weavers and organizational leadership.

Focus:

Community-Led & Participatory Research
Systems Transformation & Strategic Foresight
Design for Sustainability & Equity
Product & Service Design

Recognition

Awards and Honors

Core77 Design Awards, Social Impact, Pro-Notable, 2025

Core77 Design Awards, Social Impact, Winner, 2024

National Endowment for the Arts Grant, 2024

Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards, 2024

Best Design North America, Finalist
Impact, Honoree
Social Justice, Honoree

GreenBiz 30-Under-30, Honoree, 2023

National Endowment for the Arts Grant, 2022

Inaugural SCAD Catapult Fellow, Catapult Design, 2021

Conferences

Poster Presentation (with Melody Lewis)
“Who Builds the List? A Facilitation Methodology for Community-Defined Evaluation Criteria“
AEA (American Evaluation Association) Conference, 2026 (Upcoming)

Speaker (with Brian Skeet)
“Indigenizing Design Framework”
AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) Phoenix Design Week, 2023

Video Presentation
“Creating Self Organization through Cultural Competence in the Craft Industry of India”
HDCA (Human Development and Capability Association) Conference, 2020

Mentorship

Design for Sustainability Alumni Mentor
Savannah College of Art and Design, 2025-26

Design Competition Judge
Codefy.org, 2024

Nest Fellow (Mentor Program)
Nest, 2021

Interviews and Profiles

Designer Profile
Design Makes Sense, 2025

Podcast Guest,
S4, Ep 5: Planting the Seeds of Change
Climify Podcast, 2024

Haleemah Sadiah on Indigenizing Design
SCAD Works, 2023