SADAH Alumnus awarded for career excellence and achievement

Daniel is a product designer with a specialization in inventing new materials and manufacturing processes. He sees Craft as the foundation for all his work in innovation and is forever in pursuit of new experiences and knowledge around making. 

Daniel started his creative career at JMU in 2006, graduating 2010 with a BFA concentration in Sculpture. He credits much of his thought process and passion for materials from his major advisor Greg Stewart who’s nomadic creations captivated and inspired him through these formative years. He was first introduced to the field of industrial design by Bill Tate, who became another great source of inspiration to push the boundaries of what designers can offer society. Other faculty and staff that contributed greatly to his education and experience at JMU were Mark Rooker, Rich Hilliard, Allyson Mellberg Taylor, Ronn Daniels, Eric Morris, and many others. 

After graduating from JMU Daniel worked a variety of jobs around the world, from an engineering company in Uganda, to a guitar-making apprenticeship in Japan. He did graduate studies at the Rhode Island School of Design, receiving a Masters of Industrial Design in 2015, before starting a career in Innovation with Nike. Within Nike’s Advanced Apparel Innovation Group Daniel has designed products and developed new technology for top athletes like Tiger Woods, Lebron James, Eliud Kipchoge, and Kai Lenny. His passion for making things is rivaled only by his joy of the ocean; when he isn’t designing sport products he spends as much time as possible at the coast, freediving for dungeness crabs, sailing a 19’ fixer-upper, and surfing quirky home-made longboards.

You can read about some of his recent work at Nike here:

“As a designer, you see a lot [of different concepts] over the years,” he says. “But Daniel pushed and pushed for this thing. There were times I wanted to cut a sleeve off. But he kept it to pure function.” Dan Farron, NIKE’s VP of Apparel Innovation Product Design. Check out the full T3 article here.

After connecting on LinkedIn when Professor Smith arrived at JMU, Morgan and Smith bonded over their non-traditional pathways into Industrial Design and their shared success in the Athletic and Outdoor industry. Smith has been dedicated to bringing industry expertise into the classroom, and Morgan has become a standout member of this professional network, contributing as a guest critic, lecturer, and mentor.

Morgan returned to JMU in November, 2025 as the Keynote Speaker at the IDSA (Industrial Design Society of America) Annual Regional Portfolio Review. This event was attended by 110 students and 15 professional reviewers from across the Southeastern Region. Additionally, Morgan led two workshops in Computational Design, as well as sharing tips and tricks for designers to play, learn, exploratory sketching techniques, and other non-expensive modalities. Student attendees joined us from Appalachian State University and NC State University, and Virginia Tech.

Here’s a portfolio link to Daniel’s work between grad school and Nike. Dmorgan.co