Best Business Ideas Come From Designers, Says New RISD President Rosanne Somerson

The prestigious Rhode Island School of Design didn't have a furniture department when Rosanne Somerson arrived in 1972 as an undergraduate from Philadelphia. But that wouldn't stop her from becoming renowned for her intricately designed tables and chairs over the last four decades. Now an eminent furniture designer and maker, Somerson was chosen in February to lead the school, where she has been a formidable academic presence for three decades, including cofounding the school's furniture design department in 1995.