Under his watch, RISD graduates will be schooled in finance and have the tools to build their own businesses or sell their art as a differentiating factor for businesses and earn a worthy return on their services.

FORBES: Names You Need to Know in 2011: John Maeda

Maeda also points to RISD graduates who have started companies including AirBnB, a website connecting travelers to room or housing space, and Spirare Surfboards, a company that makes eco-friendly surfboards as models to emulate and is bringing these graduates back to campus to consult with students.

FORBES: Names You Need to Know in 2011: John Maeda

Two years into his tenure at RISD, 43-year-old Maeda is using his perch as a college president to sell innovation and design as a critical component of business in the 21st century and to somewhat stealthily create a new generation of RISD graduates who will be artrepreneurs.

FORBES: Names You Need to Know in 2011: John Maeda