Meet Kevan Gilbert

Kevan Gilbert (that's me) is (am?) a coach, facilitator, and founder of Co.school, a human-centred design studio. I was Lead Facilitator of Deloitte's Greenhouse Experience program for a season, and also product marketer at Posthog. For 12 years helped lead and grow things at Canadian digital agency Domain7 (it was acquired), where I worked with groups like the World Bank, Imperial College London, City of Vancouver and more. Prior to that, I led in-house digital communications at Vancouver's Union Gospel Mission, and also worked with my brother's design studio, Elbowroom Design.

With Co.school, I've has led processes of human-centred change with groups like Shopify, Ubisoft, Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, BC Disability Collaborative, Canadian Cancer Society and more. I also do some public speaking.

I am also a deeply involved parent of four kids, spanning elementary, middle and high school ages, all with varying degrees of neurodiversity (autism and ADHD) –  with an adult ADHD diagnosis myself (don't tell anyone).  I live and work on an intergenerational, solar-powered chicken farm with my partner Kendra on the outskirts of Kelowna, BC, where I also make music and tell stories.

Click here to access a current CV.

Selected work bits

Co.school: A human-centred design firm

Founder, CEO, Principal Facilitator & Coach

May 2022 - Present | Kelowna, BC | Remote

Deloitte: A global consultancy

Lead Facilitator, Greenhouse Experience Program

Sept. 2025 - March 2026 | Vancouver, BC

Co-designed and led impactful offsites, sessions and innovation labs with major organizations.

Domain7: Digital agency (acquired by Collaboration Betters the World Company / Versett )

Facilitation Practice Lead

April 2018  - May 2022| Kelowna, BC | Remote

• Work: I led the organization’s shift into human-centred design and facilitation, by leading client-facing engagements, mentoring the internal team, and providing public-facing thought leadership.
• Clients: University of the Fraser Valley, City of Vancouver, Child Development Institute, Trinity Western University, MCC, SAP, Seattle Public Library, Civil Space, Translink, First West Credit Union
• Skills: Leadership, people & culture, facilitation, strategy, human-centred design, stakeholder & community engagement, public speaking, branding, writing, strategy, positioning, podcasting.
• Sample portfolio items:

Director of Engagement Strategy

June 2014  - April 2018 | Kelowna, BC | Remote

• Work: Co-developed the company’s vision, core values, 5-year plan, internal retreats and rebranding. Led collaborative design practices for digital strategy work. Served as brand spokesperson.
• Clients: Imperial College London, World Bank, University of British Columbia, Central 1 Credit Union, Redlands University, District of North Vancouver, Point Loma Nazarene University
• Skills: Team leadership, digital strategy, user experience design, brand strategy, facilitation, creative direction, community engagement, writing, co-creation, marketing, podcasting, speaking.
• Sample portfolio items:

Content Strategist

January 2012  - June 2014 Kelowna, BC | Remote

• Work: Developed award-winning creative concepts to help clients better tell their stories and display their information online, from initial discovery, to user research, to final launch.
• Clients: Claremont McKenna College, A&W Canada, Earls Kitchen + Bar, TELUS, VarietyBC
• Skills: Content strategy, creative direction, user research, discovery meetings, stakeholder engagement, user experience design, project management, client leadership 
• Sample portfolio items:

Project Manager

Nov 2010  - January 2012 Vancouver, BC 

• Work: Oversaw complex creative and technical web projects — from initial sales and discovery, to completion and launch — across a broad range of clients and industries.
• Clients: HSBC, Baby Gourmet, Oakridge Centre, Go2HR, ISS of BC
• Skills: Project management, client leadership, cross-team collaboration, UX redesign workflows
• Sample portfolio items:

Every project I’ve worked on, filterable by role →

Union Gospel Mission: A not-for-profit addressing poverty, homelessness & addiction

Project Manager, Creative Technologies

Aug 2007 - Nov 2010 Vancouver, BC 

• Work: I led the work of digital transformation, as web 2.0 technology emerged. I led projects to rebuild our intranet, public-facing website and donor database, introduced the org to social media, developed highly visible influencer partnerships, and grew online donations to $1M annually.
• Skills: Digital communications, social media, influencer relationships, community partnerships, website redesign, project management, writing, internal communication, fundraising, donor relations.
• Sample portfolio items:

Elbowroom Design: A digital & design studio

Communications Director

Sept 2006 - Aug 2007 | Calgary, AB

• Work: I led content development, client communications, community outreach and general content management for this small design agency, while also providing on-project creative support.
• Skills: Content marketing, content strategy, writing, client communication, community outreach, sales, graphic design, web design, multi-media coordination, video editing, audio editing.
• Sample portfolio items:

Writing & Publication

Guide to Facilitation
Stories and methods for an authentic practice, Book, 2023

Pocket Guide to Design Thinking
Community-centred innovation, Book, 2023

The Co-Design Workshop: The Facilitator’s Pocket Guide
Highly cited article, referenced in: 

• The Co-Create Handbook, co-funded by the European Union’s ERASMUS+ Programme
• The Government of Victoria, Australia’s Human-Centred Design Playbook 
• Human-Centred Systems Design program, at the University of Wollongong, Australia 
• User Experience Engineering curriculum in the Technical University of Denmark
• User Research: A Practical Guide to Designing Better Products & Services, Steph Marsh