
Niki Selken (she/her) is a new media artist, curator and technologist. She manages the tech culture programs at Intuit. Niki spent over a decade working across game design, physical computing, experimental theater, interaction design and education. As a designer and technologist, Niki worked with nonprofits that focus on inclusion, social impact, and art. These organizations include Gray Area, Goethe Institute, Buckminster Fuller Institute, and Leonardo. She's currently the board chairperson at Gray Area. She is a pioneer in the blockchain and NFT space, helping artists learn how to engage with the latest technologies and monetize their art. She has designed immersive experiences for tech industry leaders such as Apple, Google, and Intuit. A graduate of Parsons School of Design, Niki has taught at her alma mater, at St. Joseph's College in Brooklyn, at the University of San Francisco, at the Bay Area Video Collective and others. Niki is considered one of the foremost Emoji experts in the world and has earned global recognition for her emoji work as well as her gaming and wearables projects. She founded the Emoji Foundation, created the Emoji Dictionary, and VR game EmojiFlower VR. Niki is the co-founder of the Emoji Foundation, an organization that promotes, explores, and translates the written word into the pictorial alphabet of Emoji. Niki's work has been featured by Yahoo Tech, CBS, Make Magazine, Wired, San Francisco Examiner, and Adafruit, among others. Niki identifies as Latina and hails from a long line of Mexican artists and craftsmen.
newschool.edu
girlswritenow.org
usfca.edu
killscreen.com
forwomen.org
grayarea.org
intuit.com
San Francisco, California, United States
Domain Lead: Tech Culture & Strategy
Intuit
• www.linkedin.com/company/intuit
Nov 2022 - Present
Chairperson of the Board
Gray Area
• www.linkedin.com/company/gray-area-foundation-for-the-arts
Nov 2023 - Present
San Francisco, California, United States
Creative Code Instructor
Gray Area Foundation For The Arts
• www.linkedin.com/company/gray-area-foundation-for-the-arts
Oct 2016 - Present
San Francisco Bay Area
Creative Development Director
Gray Area Foundation For The Arts
• www.linkedin.com/company/gray-area-foundation-for-the-arts
Apr 2018 - Dec 2022
San Francisco Bay Area
Cultural Incubator Fellow
Gray Area Foundation For The Arts
• www.linkedin.com/company/gray-area-foundation-for-the-arts
Sep 2016 - Apr 2018
San Francisco Bay Area
Founder
Emoji Foundation
• www.linkedin.com/company/emojifoundation
Sep 2013 - Present
San Francisco Bay Area
Web Designer
Freelance | Modern Meadow
Mar 2015 - May 2016
Greater New York City Area
Design Consultant
blink blink
Apr 2015 - Aug 2015
Greater New York City Area
CEO
Big Treehouse
Jun 2012 - Mar 2014
San Francisco Bay Area
Artistic Director
Ko Labs Productions
Mar 2008 - Mar 2014
San Francisco
Technology Consultant
Giant Rabbit, Bay
Aug 2009 - Dec 2011
Systems Administrator
SEIU USWW
Jan 2009 - Mar 2009
hesperian.org