Aki Carpenter is Vice President and Chief Creative Officer at RAA. She is a lead voice in planning and design, creating spaces at the intersection of ideas and public life.

Highlight projects include the Obama Presidential Center Museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the American LGBTQ+ Museum, the Japanese American National Museum, and the Museum of the Moving Image.

About

As a creative leader, Aki brings strategic vision and cultural sensitivity to the development of national and international cultural institutions, with a focus on issues- and mission-based projects. Her past and current work tells important stories of history and leadership, often addressing social impact and community. Her commitment to public learning extends beyond her design practice through leadership, mentorship, and community-building across the design and cultural sectors. 

Community and Affiliations

Aki currently serves as SEGD National Board President and has advised professional design organizations across the design and cultural sectors, including as an Editorial Advisor for AAM Exhibition journal and as a juror for the Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards and Communication Arts Design Competition. She co-founded the BIPOC Directors Collective, a community dedicated to empowering current and future Directors of Color, and is a founding member and Creative Director of Ripple Effect, a New Orleans-based start-up focused on educating K-12 students about climate change and socio-ecological issues.

Current and Past Projects

With over 20 years of experience at Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA), the world’s largest multidisciplinary design studio for museums and narrative environments, Aki guides the development of content- and artifact-rich museum environments, as well as branded experiences for organizations of varying scales. Collaborating with designers, artists, community, curators, scholars, directors, and executives, she shapes compelling narratives that engage the public through environmental and interactive design. Select projects include:

American LGBTQ+ Museum / New York, NY

Armenian American Museum and Cultural Center / Los Angeles, CA

Biden Presidential Library / Delaware

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Visitor Center / Seattle, WA

Clinton Presidential Center / Little Rock, AR

Founders Memorial / Singapore

Freedom Rides Museum / Montgomery, AL

Bernice Paul Bishop Museum / Honolulu, HI

International African American Museum / Charleston, SC

International Slavery Museum / Liverpool, UK

Japanese American National Museum / Los Angeles, CA

Liberty Memorial National WWI Museum / Kansas City, MO

Museum of Civil Rights / New York, NY

Museum of the Moving Image / Queens, NY

National Museum of African American History and Culture / Washington, DC

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center / Cincinnati, Ohio National Women's History Museum / Washington, DC

Nationwide Children's Hospital / Columbus, OH

Nelson Mandela Day / Grand Central Terminal, New York, NY

Obama Presidential Center Museum / Chicago, IL

RxArt Installations / Nationwide U.S.

Samsung World Headquarters / Seoul, Korea

Songdo City / Seoul, Korea

Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Center for History and Democracy / Lancaster, PA

The Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center / Monrovia, Liberia

The Hip Hop Museum / New York, NY

Press and Speaking Engagements

FutureSpaces, “Designing the Civic Life We Inherit,” 2026

International Design Day (ICoD), Theme Committee Chair, and Guest Speaker “Designing at Historic Scale with Aki Carpenter,” 2026

Building Museums, “Space + Story + Stewardship,” 2026

REMIX Summit London, Speaker, 2026

Blooloop 50 Museum Influencer, 2025

The New York Times Creative Department, “Telling the Unvarnished Truth,” Guest Speaker, 2025

The Art Pod, Episode 32: Aki Carpenter, 2025

Blooloop Museum Influencer List, Power 10, 2022

“Designing History: The National Museum of African American History and Culture,” Discussion with Davis Brody Bond and HGA, Washington, DC, 2022

SEGD, “Designers Elevating Untold Narratives,” 2021

Spotify Outside Voices, Season 2, Featured Creative, 2021

Obama Foundation Summit, Speaker, Chicago, Illinois, 2019

Fast Company, “How the exhibit designer behind the Obama Presidential Center captures the attention of children and adults alike” November 2019 issue

Awards and Recognition

Thea Award

SEGD Global Design Award

Fast Company Innovation by Design Award

GOOD DESIGN Award

IDSA IDEA Award

Red Dot Design Award

Dezeen Award

Graphis Design Annual

Communication Arts Design Annual

Blooloop Innovation Award