Dear Claremont Colleges Community,
I write to share news about a transition at the Rick and Susan Sontag Center for Collaborative Creativity (fondly known as “the Hive”) this summer.
Fred Leichter, the Hive’s founding director, has decided to step back from leading the Center, effective June 30. But this isn’t goodbye—he’ll continue teaching the human-centered design classes he introduced and that have helped define the Hive’s mission.
As founding director, Fred gave shape and structure to a nascent creativity program at The Claremont Colleges, supported by a generous gift from Rick (HMC '64, PO P ’95, CMC GP ‘29) and Susan (POM '64, PO P’95, CMC GP ‘29) Sontag. Under his leadership, over the past decade the Hive has become a multifaceted and unique center, pairing a hands-on maker space with courses in human-centered design, faculty course grants and entrepreneurial impact programs.
Fred has worked to ensure that everyone feels welcome—those with design backgrounds and those trying something creative for the first time. Students stepping into the Hive’s space in the Seely Mudd Library building are immediately greeted by signs that declare “Yes, you can!” They are encouraged to experiment without fear of failure, whether it’s screen printing, podcasting or learning to conduct an empathetic interview. Others come simply to study, drawn to the Hive’s welcoming and engaging environment.
More than a creative laboratory, the Hive is anchored by a thoughtfully developed curricular foundation. Fred has been instrumental in developing human-centered design courses in Claremont, and I’m thrilled that students will continue to benefit from his combination of expertise and generosity as an educator this coming year.
Fred will be the first to tell you that the most joyful part of his job is working with the amazing students here. And Fred’s students have found their experiences at the Hive to be similarly joyful, mind-expanding and even life-changing. Here are just a few examples:
“When I’d go to the Hive, I’d run into people from all over. It’s an intersection. It’s where the overlap happens.”
“It takes a lot of effort to create what you’ve created at the Hive, and I really appreciated the way you led our class with such kindness and curiosity for what your students could imagine.”
“Human-centered design gave me the tools to become who I’m meant to be.”
We at Pomona and across The Claremont Colleges are deeply grateful for what Fred has built and look forward to the next chapter as he continues to build the human-centered design curriculum and mentor students. He also plans to continue helping other colleges and universities develop their own creativity programs. We wish him every success in these future endeavors.
Starting July 1, Abbe Don PO ’83 will serve as interim director while a search is carried out for a new leader. A Pomona alumna, Abbe designed her own interdisciplinary major as an undergraduate, combining photography and writing in a maker-centered program that foreshadowed much of the Hive’s ethos today. She went on to build an extraordinary career at the intersection of storytelling, technology and human-centered design. Following her early work at Apple, she moved from independent creative work and entrepreneurship into strategic design leadership roles at The Walt Disney Company, Hewlett-Packard, IDEO and Athenahealth.
Abbe’s connection to the Hive began several years ago, when Fred invited her to guest lecture. She has remained closely engaged ever since as a collaborator in the classroom, a mentor to students and a conduit to industry partners. With a deep appreciation for what Fred has built and a strong commitment to preserving and strengthening the Hive’s curricular foundation, Abbe will work closely with faculty, students and leaders across The Claremont Colleges to ensure a smooth transition and to help steward the Hive into its next chapter.
Thanks to the strong foundation Fred has established, the Hive is well positioned to flourish in the years ahead. Its programs will continue to benefit our students and, through them, the communities and organizations they engage as they carry this work into their lives and careers beyond Pomona.
I hope to see you at The Hive’s 10-year anniversary celebration on Saturday, April 25. We’ll set aside another day in May to celebrate and acknowledge Fred’s many contributions—look out for more details to come soon.
With best wishes,
Gabi