Enterprise SaaS
10 design systems experts
These ten professionals have led design systems inside the companies they worked for, as heads, directors and leads of design system teams. A reader can learn how companies build and run design systems from the inside.
Professionals to explore
01—10Bethany Schwanke
LinkedInExperience: Director of Product Design, Design Systems · Realtor.com
Former Director of Product Design, Design Systems at Realtor.com (2022–2024), former Design Director, Design Systems at Gusto (2024–2026) and former Design Director, Design Systems at USAA (2017–2019). Design Manager, Builder Enablement at Gusto since March 2026. The profile describes building scalable systems, leading cross-functional teams and driving adoption.
Casey Hunt
LinkedInExperience: Design Lead, Design Systems · Apple
Design Lead, Design Systems at Apple since February 2025, where the profile says this person is responsible for the development and design of an internal design system meeting the needs of several products, and introduced design tokens. Former Design Systems Architect at Johnson & Johnson (2024–2025) and Principal Designer - Design Systems at Hudl (2023–2024).
Greg Pepin
LinkedInExperience: SVP, Platform Design Systems · Bank of America
SVP, Platform Design Systems at Bank of America since January 2022. Former Product Owner Squad Lead, Providence Design System (2018–2021), Creative Director, User Experience Design (2013–2018) and Director, User Experience Design (2011–2013) at Fidelity Investments.
John Sullivan Hamilton
LinkedInExperience: Head of Design Systems · Cash App
Former Head of Design Systems at Cash App (2021–2024), where the profile says this person established the design systems function, team and vision and drove a company-wide migration to the new system. Former Design Systems Lead at Netflix (2020–2021), and Design Lead, Open Source & AI at Block since January 2025.
Joseph Baggett
LinkedInExperience: Head of Design Systems & Accessibility · Cloudflare
Former Head of Design Systems & Accessibility at Cloudflare (2022–2025), and former Lead Product Designer - Design Systems (2021–2022) and Senior Product Designer - Design Systems (2019–2021) at Docusign. The profile describes building the foundations that make product teams faster, products more consistent and experiences accessible to everyone.
Joseph Krilanovich
LinkedInExperience: Head of Design Systems · eBay
Former Head of Design Systems at eBay (2017–2024), where the profile says this person led a team of designers and developers to create eBay's first cross-platform, mobile-first, unified design system. Former Senior Staff Design Systems at Credit Karma (2025–2026), and Principal Design Lead, Visual Systems at Rippling since August 2026.
Kenny Hopper
LinkedInExperience: Director of Design Systems · Slack
Director of Design Systems at Slack since November 2025. Former Head of Design Systems at Nextdoor (2023–2025), former Senior Manager of Design Systems at Coinbase (2021–2023) and former Director of Product Design, Design Systems at Upwork (2019–2021).
Robin Cannon
LinkedInExperience: Executive Director, Head of Design System · J.P. Morgan
Former Executive Director, Head of Design System at J.P. Morgan (2022–2024), where the profile says this person defined the strategy and led delivery of J.P. Morgan's open-source Salt Design System, taking its v1 release from concept to production in less than 12 months. Former Program Director, IBM Carbon Design System at IBM (2019–2021).
Sonali Zaveri
LinkedInExperience: Lead Design Technologist, Head of Design Systems · Flatiron Health
Former Lead Design Technologist, Head of Design Systems (2023–2025) and Head of Design Infrastructure (Brand, Design Systems, & Design Technology) (2025–2026) at Flatiron Health; the profile describes leading the Design Infrastructure team covering the design system, design technology and brand. Former Design Manager, Design System Lead at OpenGov Inc. (2018–2021).
Steven Brennan
LinkedInExperience: Design System Leader and Product Owner · A.P. Moller - Maersk
Design System Leader and Product Owner at A.P. Moller - Maersk since April 2017; the profile says this person currently leads both technical and design aspects of the Maersk Design System. Former Executive Product Manager & Engineering Lead, Mobile Apps, BBC iPlayer Radio at BBC (2012–2017).
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's role to your question: a hands-on design systems lead suits questions about components, tokens and day-to-day work with engineers, while a head or director of the function suits questions about funding, staffing, governance and getting product teams to adopt the system. Also ask about the number of products and platforms the system served, since a single web app and a multi-brand, multi-platform company need very different setups.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01How did you decide what belonged in the design system and what product teams could build on their own?
- 02How did you get product teams to adopt the system and migrate off older components?
- 03How did you staff the design systems team and split work between designers and engineers?
Reaching design systems experts
How can I contact one of these design systems experts?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 10 companies, including Realtor.com, Apple and Bank of America, based on profile data retrieved on October 4, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach design systems experts?
You choose the offer, starting at $5 per person. It includes Instant Expert's 20% fee, so an offer that pays the person $100 costs you $125. You're charged only when the person books the call or sends the answer.
What if they don't reply?
You pay nothing. Instant Expert sends follow-up reminders, and if the person hasn't booked or answered within 7 days, the request expires and any hold on your card is released. You can invite several of the 10 people on this list at once and cap your total spend, so you pay only for the ones who accept.
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot and may describe past or present roles. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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