Toby Vaughn Kidd is the Studio Director in Next Lab, a unit within ASU Enterprise Technology that collaborates with students, faculty, staff, and industry partners to build tools and skills of the future. Toby oversees the creation of proof of concepts and prototypes, as well as the research and investigation of new tech, skills, and learning models through a workforce of 50+ student developers. Within the Studio, students are placed into guilds based on skills/roles, then assigned to transdisciplinary project teams to complete the work, providing upskilling opportunities and applied learning to further their career growth. As the Studio Director, Toby practices values-based leadership, authenticity, and accessing creativity as key to the development of these future tools.
Prior to joining Learning Futures, Toby has worked for over 15 years in higher education, with over 10 years in online learning within the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at ASU. During that time, Toby emphasized sustainable development, technology innovation, and consideration for the aesthetic and experiential elements inherent in the creative disciplines. Within that framework he worked to operationalize and pursue strategic development with instructors and academic partners.
Toby is formally educated in music with a M. Mus. in Vocal Performance from Northern Arizona University. Alongside his career in academia, he is also an active performer, Grammy-winning recording artist, and works regularly in administrative and leadership roles for arts non-profits in the Phoenix area. Toby’s current involvement is as a member of the Phoenix Chorale and is a founding member and vocalist of Helios: a modern renaissance.