OPen

I'm a Tech Strategist, Design Leader, and Tech & Design Educator. From digital screens to digital infrastructure, my perspective is rooted in the intersection of technology and the liberal arts.

SPECIALIZATIONS

Tech & Design Strategy

Team & Design Leadership

Team Management

Emerging Technology

Artificial Intelligence

Educational Technology

Design Operations

Design Systems

Inclusive Design & Accessibility

Education & Curriculum Design

Public Speaking

PASSIONS

Mission-Driven Work

Gov Tech

Civic Design

Future Tech

Future Careers

EDUCATION

Human Computer Interaction

Natural Language Processing

Bachelor of Science

CUNY BA

VOLUNTEER

Rita Lab

Rita Lab is a tech and design community I founded which stems from Rita Creative and Inclusion Design Lab.

2021 – Current

Co.Lab

Mentor, 2021

ADPList

Mentor, 2020

UX Come Up

Founder, 2019 – 2020

Contact

michaelaco@proton.me

linkedin.com/in/mikeaco/

Featured Experiences and Roles

Capital Rx

UX/UI Manager, 2025

America on Tech

Artificial Intelligence & Web Development Instructor, 2025 (Part-Time, Contract)

Part of inaugural group of instructors selected to teach AoT’s first-ever AI curriculum during summer 2025 to NYC High School students. Currently teaching a fall Web Development course to NYC High School students.

HuCapital

Head of Tech & Design, 2024 - Current (Part-Time, Freelance)

Created, hired, and now managing a cross-functional team of developers, data scientists, designers, and PMs building an AI-powered social media platform.

Kingsborough Community College

Artificial Intelligence Educator, 2024 - Current (Part-Time, Contract)

"Intro to Artificial Intelligence & the Future of Work" is a 10 week course taught to High School students in partnership with Good Shepherd Services covering the history of AI, the different types of AI and AI tools, and AI's impact on the workforce.

• Created “Intro to Artificial Intelligence & the Future of Work” curriculum, syllabus,assignments, projects, and teaching materials
• Taught “Intro to Artificial Intelligence & the Future of Work” course weekly to ~20 highschool students
• Provided feedback to students through digital, office hours, and classwork

Mayer Brown

Design Strategist, 2024 - 2025 (Part-Time, Contract)

Worked cross-functionally on various firm-wide tech and design projects including a robust design system to improve product development efficiency for internal tech team and multiple AI solutions to increase internal firm productivity.

Heady

Director of Product Design, 2022 – 2024

Founded inaugural Design department, defining department strategy, operations, and long-term growth plan. This mainly included scaling the team from 1 to 15 multidisciplinary designers. I also led end-to-end Design Strategy and delivery across client projects.

Kingsborough Community College (w/ Meta & Jobs for the Future)

Augmented Reality Design Instructor, 2023 - 2024 (Part Time)

"Augmented Reality for UX Designers" program in partnership with Meta and Jobs for the Future teaching UX Design beginners the fundamentals of Augmented Reality based on Meta's Spark platform.

CUNY Kingsborough Community College

UX Design Instructor, 2022-2023 (Part Time)

Between 2022 and 2023, I taught “UX Design Entrepreneurship” and “UX Design Capstone” through CUNY DesignWorks and “Intro to Designing Tech” through CUNY New Paths.

NYC Tourism (f.k.a. NYC & Company)

Director of Product Design & Strategy, 2020 – 2021

From 2020 to 2021, my main focus at NYC Tourism was to support the City's recovery efforts. I led Product and UX strategy for all of NYC Tourism campaigns designed to support small businesses during the pandemic.

• Supported international marketing campaigns & city initiatives via product strategy
• Outlined product roadmap, oversaw Design processes, and provided design direction for all digital NYC Tourism projects
• Managed UX team and UX team hiring, as well as co-led Product Development team
• Worked with NYC leadership & other stakeholders to organize and prioritize strategy

Full Resume Available Upon Request