Christopher Kennedy-Nuñez

About Christopher Kennedy-Nuñez

Chef Turned Designer, and International School Kid. My family moved around a lot when I was a kid. We lived in the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, and finally, we settled in the US. Growing up traveling and going to international school sparked a love of experiences for me, and for the longest time I thought cooking was the way to combine the love of food and the love of creating togetherness. I didn’t even know about UX design until I was in my mid-twenties. I was very committed to the chef life. I had worked my way up from a dishwasher at the beginning, and then a station cook at a 2 Michelin Star restaurant in San Francisco by the end. Unfortunately, like many cooks, I had to choose a new career after a back injury in the kitchen. That’s when my partner suggested that I translate my love of creating to a career in design. I’ve loved every moment since. My “otherness” has been the bedrock of my creativity. I am queer, non-binary, HIV+, immigrant, and brown. Empathy comes easier to me, because empathy is work, and it’s work I’ve had no choice but to do. From this new position of privilege, I continue to advocate for diversity & inclusion, healthcare access, and creating safe spaces through design work and speaking engagements. I’m settling into domestic life, and I will flood any pet/cute slack channel with pictures of my cats.

Experience

1. Sr Product Designer

   Hewlett Packard Enterprise

   Nov 2023 — Present · NY, US